Sit and wait

Computers really scare me! They really do!...they really do!

They're taking the place of human biengs . They'll take the place of you!

It's really sad to see a world based on a micro-chip.they've built their trust on a luminescent screen, a keyboard and a floppy disk. Can you imagine the future? Computers ruling with an iron fist!

With a punch of a key, a little red button can make the world bleed. Every business has got a screen to attend to their every need. What else can i do but sit here and wait? For the day they realize, the best computer is the brain!

Editor's Note:  It's amazing how much my views have changed on computers.  My last two jobs have been with internet companies.   I still believe that the best computer is the brain.  I mean, someone had to create these damn things, right?

Cooperation not corporation

Hey mr. Bossman!! I've got a few things to say. About the way you're treating me, i thought we did away with slaves.

You tell me what to do, how to do it and that's fine. But you're never giving me a chance to use my own mind!

You assume superiority because you have authority. You question everything i do and say i should look up to you.

And you don't realize that i would work harder, if you showed me some respect and worked as a partner. We'd get more things done and maybe have some fun, if you'd see how i think a business should be run.

Editor's Note:  Nothing's really changed here.  How many of you have had bosses that just aren't  willing to listen?

Waiting for respect

I had to be bold, and step into the cold, away from the warmth of conformity. I broke the mold of what i was told,

'Cause i couldn't relate to normality. I refused to be oppressed from the colorful faces of reality. I made the journey because i had to see......the rainbow of originality.

And i waited for them to realize. Their lack of understanding, i despised. I knew they were telling me lies.

I could see it in their eyes. And i waited for them to see that they were looking at the real me. I tried to show them how i felt, but they said my cards were dealt. I tried to tell them what i thought, and they said that their lives weren't bought. I tried to tell them what i saw and how reality left me in awe! ..............and i waited.........and i waited......................

Finally, they understood that my motives were always good. Waited for them to understand, that i love my fellow man. Eventually, my dream came true and boy, i learned patience is a virtue. I got the respect that was overdue, 'cause i stuck to my decisions like glue.

Editor's Note:  Nothing's really changed here.  I guess I'm still trying to prove something to him by working so hard.   Amazing how much I turned out like him.

Digression

Progression is destroying the land. Corporations and destruction going hand in hand. Farmers are left in an awestruck gaze, as the suits kill to win the imperialist race.

They will stop at nothing

They will stop at nothing to ruin uncivilized land. Putting up buildings til there's nowhere to stand. Progression is digression in so many ways, look at the people, look at their faces.

Look at the land, it's fading away. Protest! With all your breath, they won't hear what you say. Yet they keep building, we'll keep protesting, their promising lies............we'll keep detesting!

Editor's Note:  I think every generation will be able to sing along with this one.  At least, until all the crops are automated and the farmers will be a long lost folklore.   Hell, who am I kidding?  I think the question is:  Will we even need crops a hundred years from now?  I see the future having tons of meal pills with all the right protiens and supplements and just the right flavor.  Just like anything new, they won't catch on quick, but progression will take over and mankind will develop the ultimate meal-a-day pill that will not only sustain all of your bodies needs but keep you feeling full also.   Interesting.

Hellshire

What ever happened to democracy? Money has become our bureaucracy. Money has been reigning for centuries. Money is what dictates our lives, you see?

It doesn't matter whether you vote or not. The political office is easily bought. The laws that are made, our vote doesn't mean squat. Democracy means "people rule" i thought.

Mx missile, trident......weapons to destroy the land. The arms race continues every day, people will never get their say.

Editor's Note:  This song was two sets of lyrics mashed together.  If you hear the song you'll realize that it kind of fits.   The song seems to have two different types of structure.  It seemed right at the time, you know?  Still love the first four lines, they were so easy to scream with the utmost of conviction.

Sleep

Now i lay me down to sleep, close my eyes and let it creep. Relax my body, relax my mind. Mental peace, i try to find. Slowness of breath, slowness of heart. My consciousness is falling apart. Now drifting into that state of mind, where i seem to lose all sense of time.

Thoughts give way to visions. Conjuring up ill-usions tapping my deepest emotions. Self swinging into motion.

My dream world seems immense, as i review the days events. My soul jumps the fence to the fields of sub-consciousness.

A peaceful meditation. Inspiring revelations. Free of evil thought. Answers being sought.

Not just another state of mind, i'm lost in the midst of time.

Editor's Note:  I actually wrote this when I was on the bus.  I remember it distinctively.  I was reading the Stephen King book, IT, when I started to doze off.  I think the combination of his horrific writing and my drowsiness started me right into my hypnogogic state of sleep.  What's wierd is that I was very lucid while seeing the visions, so much so, that I actually woke up before hitting my REM's.  Just had to write about it.

Re-rewind

Quick as lightning. You weren't listening. Over your head. Must be brain dead. Right through one ear. Out the other. Intelligence smothered by a cover. Catching only 20% of what i say. How can you know it now? It was too fast for you then. If you want to hear it right. You'll have to re-rewind it again. There must be another way. To get across what i have to say. 'Cause i'm tired of expressing my thoughts. Over and over again.

Editor's Note:  Eric Bassford actually wrote this, so I don't know what inspired the lyrics here, but it's pretty easy to guess in the right direction.  The song was so fast, these lyrics just seemed to jump right in, like they were meant to be.

Pretty penny

Those bands you see on m(oney)tv, are really masters of deceit. They sell their music by exploiting sex. Showing half a tit or a muscle flex. With no energy whatsoever, they make their money and never get better. They mull around on the stage, using light shows to put the crowd in a daze.

They sing songs describing love. They sing songs promoting sex. I wish i had a penny for every sexist song that exists!

Now, i do know what love is, so don't sing your songs to me.

Because love cannot be described by you seekers of money.

What you see is what you get, at least when we playwe break out in a sweat. But those big bands never "presprire", even during a three hour set.

Editor's Note:  Originally directed towards such bands as Poison, Van Halen and the like, this song has sure passed into the next decade well.  In the days of Britney Spears, Chrisina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys, sex is still a primary motivator in human nature.

Curiosity

Curiosity killed the cat you say. But that's what inspired it to live each day. Inspired it to walk different paths of life.  Inspired it to live on the edge of a knive.

So don't try to oppress my curiosity, because i am just like that cat you see. Yeah, it's a natural instinct to wonder about life. And when you learn something new, it's a sheer delight.

Just imagine if no man had curiosity, how plain and dull this world be. There'd be no questions or pecimmism, only blind faith and optimism.

But, wait, come to think of it, it would be nice. To live in a world without the sugar and spice. A world without poverty, hunger or war. Where the buffalo roam and the eagles soar.

Editor's Note:  In speaking on the virtues of always looking deeper than the surface beholds, I somehow drifted  into a quick little ditty about this calm, peaceful vision.  I guess, in looking deeper into this song, you can see my train of thought.  In the first three paragraphs I talk about the potential conflict that erupts when questioning life.  Then in the last paragraph, I start to think about how splendid life would be without conflct.  I guess that's why I believe so much in balance now, you just need a healthy dose of both conflict and peace for a healthy existence.

In the walls of eryx

I'm lost in a maze of invisible walls, but i can see the outside.

The wall are too stong to break. Believe me, i've tried.

Sensory perception....endless frustration....i can't get out!

I could lost in this maze of life, wondering if the path i chose was right. Just when i think i've got it all figured out,

I run into another wall and realize what it's all about, yeah!

It's just a test...yea...to strengthen my soul and i'll hit a few more walls as i grow old. And the only way that i'll find the exit ...is when i die. But, then, what comes next?

Editor's Note:  Simple enough, this song was based on an HP Lovecraft story titled the same.  It's really simplified in the lyrics...at least the first four paragraphs, but then I started to relate the story into real life.  I thought it was a seamless transition into a life analogy, and really is my favorite Cantankerous song, both musically and lyrically.  I loved the direction we were heading with this song, we were starting to show some unique talent and some headiness in our songwriting.  It's a shame we broke up shortly after this one.

Reflection

You put the down the music that i listen to. You say there's no talent, but i sure do. It takes a lot of talent to come out with a sound that�s unique from all the others around.

It's not just talent, don't get me wrong. It's raw energy that makes a movement strong. We don't hold hands, but we have a special bond. Our P.M.A's reflect through every song.

Banging, skanking, rocking the place. I see the smile creeping on to your face. We want our energy to reflect on you. 'Cause that's what we are here to do.

So please be a reflection!

Editor's Note:  PMA's are positive mental attitudes.  If you've been to a punk show, you can just feel the energy dripping off the walls.  Talk about patches on sleeves...punks wear there emotions on their sleeves and when the're skanking the house down, they are bound to leave some emotional sweat on the walls.  With the band going full blast and the ebb and flow of bodies swaying beneath the stage, you just can't help but to FEEL the ENERGY.

Pretty penny

(a second try at the recording...some like it better)

Underground

We'll show you where the hippies went wrong. And why our movement is still going strong. Check out our energy, check out our sound. Now you are experiencing the underground.

Like lava rising to the surface with the force of eruption. This style of music needs no introduction.

Open minds bond together to create a force. Communication a priority, music the source.

We've been held under for far to long. And the opression has just made us strong. Been forced to create our own destiny. Locked in the closet of the music industry.

Editor's Note:  More observations on the punk scene here.  I particularly like the last paragraph because it so clearly states the pitfalls of being part of an underground, do-it-yourself scene.

One small step (the quote that was heard 'round the world)

"one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

Editor's Note:  More interesting musically.  The words just seem to fit.  I guess the symbolism would be that this was the last song written and in looking back you could see how far the band came musically.