Testimony (2008)

Lyrics

Testimony

We are at the end of the vacuum. We are back at ideology and clash, lead by a mentality of polarity. Even innocent bystanders plead against you.

This is what you get when priorities are misplaced; when yours is the only way; when you polarize our world. We are all the witnesses and we will testify against you.

But you have captured us in your wars, hoping the witnesses won’t be heard. Suburban Europe in flames, a loss of trust in national policy. Outsourcing western torture, with a world of wars as the result.

What is your next alibi? Is this business as usual? This is for all of us on the losing end.

We won’t swallow this, any longer. We will testify, to your abuse.

Commerce sponsoring our lives, providing fire to immoral friends, wasting food while we can feed ourselves with waste. We wave away our better halves. Blame it on the dog once more, shaving off for fitting in, because nobody can rebel on his own. So much hope can spring from just one letter

But we are forced to choose sides. Doubt is just a loss (of money and time)

Sponsorship for life

Never shop when you are hungry because our needs are being created, while we have far more than enough and needs are overabundant elsewhere.

This spam we have grown accustomed to, the appearance of our public space: of course all designed in line with corporate fashion and etiquette.

Advertisement space for sale. No we won’t sell you our lives.

Shouldn’t we get paid for being billboards? For all these clandestine advertisements? In stead of spending all our so beloved money on their logos brands and trademarks.

Advertisement space for sale. Hell no we won’t sell you our lives. Others are selling territory that is ours and there is no space left for us.

Hell no we won’t sell you our lives. There will be no space left for us

The hole in our pocket is the hole in your market.

Waves

I take quick look around me and see reasons enough to change the way things are in relationships, on the work floor, in our interactions. I realize there is so much for us to do!

I take long look at myself and I get scared of the reflection of the patriarchal scars in my behavior. I realize women’s oppression under male domination rarely, if ever, consists solely in depriving women of political and legal “rights”.

But also extends into the structure of our society and into the content of our culture and permeates our consciousness.

Her knowledge, her talents are overshadowed, his are overrated

Friendly fire

Bodies slashed apart, into pieces, houses bombed away. Your own citizens executed, but it is your policy you say.

Incidents that you deny, coincidences you claim. Are those your standards; are those your values?The chase was so much better than the catch.  Now who is next to blame?

This anarchy that you have installed is not the type we recommended. What is your status symbol now? A beheaded embodiment of western arrogance.

At least you have got us on your side: euthanasia, abortion, Dutch gay-pride. But for once you will allow it. European decadence, next time a reason to conquest us too?

So where is your status symbol now?

I hate myself when I shave myself

This one is about us all: this scene that we are so immensely proud of. So independent, original and unique. Welcome everyone, happy birthday

But how come the girls cook, the guys mosh? Arrogance bliss. Everyone comes across the same and everyone knows everyone by name.

This is a scene just like any other. Dress-to-oppress-fashism, your words, your actions opposites
Beauty fool, do believe the hype. Copy/paste mentality, style or a lack of originality?

Shave off the standing out straggly hair. Shave on the attitude you don’t care. Hail to our fraternity, hail unity. You passed our hazing, now pledge dedication.

But I know nobody really can escape. At least my social allergy reminds me of my aversion to participate.

And we are all to blame: true D.I.Y. shouldn’t require any scene. The margin is where it is at, but for now we are trapped in this one-dimensional net

The dog ate it

Unfortunately, this life is not meant to be lived all by myself. The strings attached, supposed to help, are only holding me back. You won’t get the best of me.

You talk too much. You say you want to get the best out of others. You say you taught me a lesson in life. A lesson in life, I should be grateful. At least now I know how not to handle things

It would be so much better not to make a promise you might keep in the end than to break one.

There is only one thing that is worse than doing nothing. That is doing nothing when you are promising the world.

Maybes meaning no. If you want things done right, Do It Yourself!

Benefit of the Doubt

Charisma, commitment, conviction have brought us nothing else but conflict, combat, confrontation and know-it-alls.

An ode to insecurity, here to make way for the uncomfortable sense of having nothing to say;

Not having made up your mind right away. Don’t let diffidence be a weakness, keep on questioning why.

Mirror moments, benefit of the doubt. Being open-minded, self-reflection. Distrust anyone telling you a truth.

The right questions outweigh wrong answers. “Generation X” has become “Generation Why”.

I don’t claim to have any answers, I just know that yours are no good. Your social insecurity
Is probably just as big as mine.

Mirror moments, benefit of the doubt. Being open-minded, self-reflection. Socrates always was right.

On its own

This song means as much as every stone that is thrown; as every book that is written and read; as every martyr that is dead and gone.

This song means as little as every battle fought and lost; as every compromise and sin; as every lie we used to believe in, it all means nothing on its own. This struggle needs its thinkers, its doers, its dreamers. This song means nothing on its own.

Waste = Food

Five minutes to midnight. Back on popular demand. After years of absence we are being presented everything we throw away. We get thrown right back at us “An inconvenient truth”.

You want the truth? You cannot handle the truth! Do we want the truth? We cannot handle this recent revenge of the truth.

Doing nothing is not a strategy. The production of waste should be converted into prevention.  A new Industrial Revolution. With a little more respect for formerly exploited sources. ‘Cause when we reach the point of no return Waste = food.

It is possible, it is being done. It might take a little time and a bit of our funds.

I hope you got my letter

A free spirit driven into daily routine, institutions, where public vengeance is administered and hope is crushed by concrete corners.

Life after life is wasted away. Never having any chance again. This is not a solution. It is in no-one’s interest to suffer.

In this lie, solidly implanted and cleverly disguised as the “free and civilized society”.

This is organized crime, 21st century slavery!

I hope you got my letter. I hope you get a million more.

Let them not go unnoticed. Let them know they are not alone. I hope you got my letter. This is organized crime!