I haven’t posted any music in a couple of days so I thought I would. However, I came up against a wall—what song? Nothing has inspired me lately, thankfully I have an iPod Shuffle that always saves the day. If you watched the video I made last night and you were very attentive you might have caught a slight snide comment about spoken word. It’s not that I hate spoken word and honestly when its done well, it’s amazing. However, I maintain, that music can cover a variety of literary sins and if many of the spoken word poems could not stand alone on the page. So it is always refreshing to me when I find a musician with some solid and interesting lyrics—Franz Ferdidand – The Fallen (you will find the lyrics below & a treat):
So they say you’re a troubled boy
Just because you like to destroy
All the things that bring the idiots joy
Well, what’s wrong with a little destruction?
And the Kunst won’t talk to you
Cause you kissed St. Rollox adieu
Cause you robbed a supermarket or two
Well, who gives a damn about the profits of Tesco?
Did I see you in a limousine
Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
Turn the rich into wine
As you walk on the mean
Well the fallen are the virtuous among us
Walk among us
Never judge us
Yeah we’re all—
Up now and get ‘em, boy
Up now and get ‘em, boy
Drink to the devil
and death to the doctors!
Did I see you in a limousine
Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
Five thousand users fed today
Oh as you feed us
Won’t you lead us
To be blessed
So we stole and drank champagne
On the seventh seal you said you never feel pain
“I never feel pain, won’t you hit me again?”
“I need a bit of black and blue to be a rotation”
In my blood I felt bubbles burst
There was a flash of fist, an eyebrow burst
You’ve a lazy laugh and a red white shirt
I fall to the floor fainting at the sight of blood
Did I see you in a limousine
Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
You turn the rich into wine
Walk on the mean
Be they Magdalen at Virgin you’ve already been
You’ve already been and we’ve already seen
That the fallen are the virtuous among us
Walk among us
Never judge us
To be blessed
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la…
So I’m sorry if I ever resisted
I never had a doubt you ever existed
I only have a problem when people insist on
Taking their hate and placing it on your name
So they say you’re troubled boy
Just because you like to destroy
You are the word, the word is ‘destroy’
I break this bottle, think of you fondly
Did I see you in a limousine
Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
To the whore in a hostel
Or the scum of a scheme
Turn the rich into wine
Walk on the mean
It’s not a jag in the arm
It’s a nail in the beam
On this barren Earth
You scatter your seed
Be they Magdelan or Virgin
You’ve already been
and you’ve already seen…
wahoo! wahoo! wahoo!
Yeah! You’ve already been,
you’ve already seen
That the fallen are the virtuous among us
Walk among us
Oh if you judge us
We’re all damned.
Just in case you hadn’t heard/seen, here is the new trailer for Pirates 3, At World’s End:
I love the spoken word, myself. I do prefer it and music better when the lyrics can stand-alone on the page, but that’s not required. Thanks!
That’s not a bad point. Maybe spoken word isn’t meant to necessarily be put onto a page. I just have this sort of snobbish/elitist attitude towards it which probably isn’t right. I suppose I just find that often people leave intelligent poetic devices behind for clever idioms and quips. But, I don’t hate it or people that do it but I find it frustrating because I wonder if some artists really take up the challenge of writing well for something that gets a giggle or a shock.
Excellent song.