1. |
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I had a friend with a problem that everyone ignored
Pretending not to notice when he fell onto the floor
Never asked a question when he showed up late
Lacerations from a situation
Bruises on his face
No one said a word to him the day he lost his job
No one tried to help him out or find out what was wrong
No one ever speaks his name or mentions what we did
No one ever calls him now
I wonder where he is
This guy was a friend and now he's vanished from our lives and when I think about it now I feel ashamed inside
It always sort of bothered me
It haunts me to to this day
How could we all just look the other way?
What I really want to know is...are u gonna look tha other way?
Subway train I see your face
So tired from the human race
You got your fancy headphones on so you can tune out everyone
But they say the eyes are the doors into the soul
(I read that once in a book many years ago)
And through those portals I can see deep into your self
You never stop to think about anybody else
I'm looking right at you now but you won't meet my gaze
You can't handle what I know
So look the other way
What I really want to know is...are u gonna look tha other way?
Have you done enough?
Did you even try?
All around the world and right across the street there are people in trouble
There are people in need
Now I'm almost done, yeah, I just have to say a few things to remember while you look the other way:
1. That could be you some day
2. Remember the rule of gold - do unto others and reap what you sow
3. The forgotten will rise and take back what they've been denied
4. No one forgets those who betrayed them when they looked the other way
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2. |
Turn The Headphones Up
03:30
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When I wake up every morning I've got music in my brain
And when my head hits the bed every night it's the same
I'm dreaming up rhymes and synthesizer lines
Casting out the hooks that are reeling in your mind
Making up the downloads and RSS feeds
Who's the god of the iPods? Yeah, it's me
Checking out my flow you can barely keep up
You reach for the volume and
Turn the headphones up
A live report about what's going down
February 20-07, San Francisco town
Now when I'm punching deck, you know I'm getting paid
I make more eating lunch than most do in a day
You're the same with your expensive brains and cash and cars and places to stay
People on streets are holding out cups
We all look away and
Turn the headphones up
Walking down the street or flying on a plane
Behind closed doors, in sight it's plain
No one saying nothing, and no one left to hear
Because everybody's got some kind of plug in their ears
Nobody's listening and nobody talks
They're mumbling to the air like they're down on their luck
Communication breaking down, it's getting kinda fucked
Whatever, man
Turn the headphones up
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3. |
Satellite Dish
04:04
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A lady friend backed up to me last week
She gazed into my eyes and then she pinched my cheek
She whispered "Take me to my house and you can watch the show"
She said "Come check out my satellite dish, it's on, let's go"
I watched her leave and followed right behind
I saw the way her hips were swaying
Damn, it was fine
"Let me show you what I've got in my backyard"
And then she revealed those perfect curves pointed up to the stars
Satellite Dish and I'm hooking up
Satellite Dish, I can't get enough
Satellite Dish and I'm plugging in
Satellite Dish - let the fun begin
I turned down the lights while she flipped around
I checked that dish out top to bottom
I moved it up and down
I couldn't keep my hands off
It felt so good to touch
I almost lost control, it was nearly too much
We lay there on her couch, stayed up half the night
Adjusting the position 'til things came in just right
I felt things I'd never felt before
She showed me how to push her buttons
Then she blew my mind with her
Satellite Dish and I'm hooking up
Satellite Dish, I can't get enough
Satellite Dish, coming in so clear
Satellite Dish, point it over here
Def? So def, it's the highest def that I've ever seen
Her dish looks so amazing I swear that it's obscene
I insist on the superior regarding the posterior
I can't accept, I will reject anything inferior
It feels like it's broadcasting right into my brain
It's so round and beautiful I think I'm going insane
She said "If my package isn't enough for you my girlfriend likes to watch and she's got a hot satellite dish, too"
Let's check her out!
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4. |
Fishwrap
04:25
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Dateline: February 11 in the year 2007
You may want your kids to leave the room
Some graphic content is coming soon
Down the street some kids got shot
More bombs went off this week in Iraq
Nobody will admit that he's wrong
And I'm trying to finish up one more song
The weather man says it's gonna rain hard
Should you walk to work or take the car?
Terror and danger everywhere
And everyone says we should all be scared
Seems like it's getting worse every day
Bad news keeps on coming our way
But you can't let it get you down
We'll find a way to get by somehow
Fishwrap - The news isn't always true
Fishwrap - Don't let it get to you
Fishwrap - Between the lines they're selling ads
And it stinks like fishwrap
Next story: Wack MCs who miss the point of raps like these
Reading off your notebook, fronting like you're hard
But your raps come across like you're reading off a cue card
Stiff and stale, like day-old bread
Your lips spill tales of hate and dread
Bogus, like Fox News.
Are you saying you're fair and balanced, too?
Ooh, did I hit a soft spot?
Looks like you're finally getting caught out
Now everyone knows about your lies and the life you sold
And when your 15 minutes are gone, how will you feel about what you've done?
Did you try to make the world a better place or just try to scoop more on your plate?
Fishwrap - The news isn't always true
Fishwrap - Don't let it get to you
Fishwrap - Between the lines they're selling ads
And it stinks like fishwrap
Tonight we'll close with one last thought: You gotta keep your head up when things get tough
February 11 and it's raining but life is good so stop complaining
Be careful about what you put in your head
Search for the truth and get out of bed
There's only one way to make things better
We all have to pull together
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5. |
Back Track
03:51
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Do...Do you remember? Do you remember how it felt when you were young and by yourself?
The world was new but you felt old
You were alone and life was cold
In school you were enrolled
You had your dreams and hopes and all was well
All was well
Did...Did you forget? Did you forget what you had learned though it was branded, carved, and burned deep in your memory where you keep all your hopes and plans and dreams and the demons who live deep
What did they take?
What did they take...
Back...Back track
The thread you led through the maze provides a way to keep you safe so don't look back...backtrack
Now...now it seems...now it seems is the time for everything to rewind and for everyone to find comfort in the past that's passed
It's a blast
It's a gas
And when they all are asked
They want the old days back
They like the old ways
They like the backtrack
So...so ask yourself...so ask yourself if it makes sense to grab at that defense when you know how time is spent and you wonder where they went
Where did the days go?
Where did the days go?
Back...back track
Flipping through your book of days, headed for the final page
You can't turn back
Back...back track
A master clock that you obey
and while it makes the music play
Your fate is sealed
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6. |
Ouroboros
06:05
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All you zombies listen up good because I'm only saying this once
There's no sense in repeating it again cuz repeating it again is dumb
This is a tale that starts with snakes but in the end it comes around to beats and breaks
What time is it?
What is time?
What do you think you're doing when you're making rhymes?
Before you get lost here you might as well stop here and take it from the top again
I'm trying to explain why it all sounds the same
And why we're spinning down the drain
Now I'm going to toss benzene in the mix
It'll help you solve like Stradonitz
I must confess that I digress here
But this mess causes stress and a need to express here
After I rest
Ourobouros - what goes around comes around
Did you get The Message in 1982?
Synthesizers and beats were bringing something new
Original. No samples.
Then Run-DMC in 1984 busted out the guitar and made us yell for more
The Kings of Rock, raising hell.
No samples.
Now you're digging through crates like you're digging for gold
But you're digging up graves if the truth is really told
You're robbing the greats thinking it's safe just stop
Because you're stripping and ripping off hip-hop
So listen, my position: Your mission as a musician is to stop biting tracks, leave the vinyl on the racks and get out of the loops that you're trapped in. Break out of the loops that you rap in. Break out of the loop of your habits. Break out of the breaks and find a new path.
All you zombies listen to me: Music isn't spelled M-P-C.
Ourobouros - It's a vicious circle
Ourobouros - What goes around comes around
Ourobouros - Break the vicious circle
Ourobouros - What goes around comes around
Everything they play now I've heard before
It's just a copy of a copied copy's copy...
Now if some are confused by the words I use, let me say it once more:
No samples.
The vinyl spins, the tape loops, the bits buffer stutter repeat.
Now I know who I am
But who are all you zombies?
Bringing in take-out doesn't make you a chef.
There's a reason they call it "fresh".
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7. |
My Beat
05:30
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I start off each morning with my favorite drug
Cook it up in the kitchen and take a slug
Coffee so black it helps me to wake
Prepared to attack the problems I face
Maybe it's keeping my blood pressure high
But without my magic bean I'd rather die
It's probably the shitty way everyone drives
My Ducati commute is hairy sometimes
I get to work and boot up my machine
To spend the day staring at a couple of screens
Telephone headset
I'm listening in to yet one more meeting that I must attend
Most of the days I can't get much done because I'm so busy trying to do stuff
About half the time I don't get to leave
I eat at my desk if I've got food to eat
If it's a good day I might hit the gym
and try to maintain the shape that I'm in
If not I just try to get the hell home
My wife and our couch and some time alone
Most of the nights when I get back I pour me some good stuff
Booker's neat in a glass
An Arrogant Bastard is my best friend
I sit in the chair and stare at the bright screen again
Dinner and it's time to cook something up
Fish in the broiler
Broccoli is boiling
Dark chocolate
Or should we go out?
Maybe I'll read or write something new
Go see my friends
Rehearse with the band
Computers are calling again
Do you have any work to do?
All too soon it's time for the bed
Shut everything down
Put earplugs in
A goodnight kiss, a caress or two
Then off to sleep for morning comes soon
And in my sleep I'm walking my beat
In my hood
Right down my street
Everything quiet, everything still
The city shimmers
Lights twinkle on hills
The weekend is here in a matter of days
Errands and projects and things to make
Maybe I'll work out, I'll try to go
For sure I need groceries from Rainbow
Sunday is my favorite time
Read the paper in bed, don't get out before 9
Staying in the best kind of rut
For 24 hours before Monday comes up
Work
Worry
Download
Remember
Repeat
Do over
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8. |
Decayed, Decayed
05:42
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It's 20 years since this started up
Let me tell you how it was:
a 4-track Radio Shack tape deck
Hissing overdubs
I tried to get it down
Record what I had to say
I thought I had all the time I wanted
Somehow it got away
Decayed, Decayed
There were so many big plans for me
They all told me I was great
13 years of experiments and studies
I finally escaped
4 years I lived in winter
9 in L.A.
Everything used to work just fine, now it's not OK
Broken bones won't heal
This broken heart can't feel
And scars (some self-inflicted) on skin rashed and peeled
My knees cracking
My mind...lagging
My guts slowly rusting
Hair thins and turns gray
Decayed, Decayed
It's just a matter of time
You see you're already in line
The short straw in your hand is previously defined
With every breath you draw into your gasping chest
Think of how sweet it tasted
And all the time you wasted
Was it worth it in the end?
Would you do it the same if you could do it again?
Doubts and questions piling up
Endlessly replayed
Decayed, Decayed
The laws of physics simply state the case:
Entropy wins.
Everything fades.
There is no escape.
I walk beneath cherry blossoms listening to the rain.
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9. |
Anu San Francisco, California
Anu has been creating music for more than three decades.
He studied electronic music at
Dartmouth College, with Jon Appleton and Christian Wolff.
He is a pioneer in the Internet music industry, and one of the creators of the Rhapsody Music Service.
He created and taught "A History of 20th Century Music" at Duke University's Talent Identification Program.
Anu currently lives in San Francisco.
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