Conscious Listening
Conscious Listening: Bob Dylan - Masters of War
He released this song in 1963, which would have made him about 22. I bolded my favorite verses.
Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
Conscious Listening: Fugazi - In Defense of Humans
I think I was 15, maybe 16, when I first heard this song. It was the first Fugazi song I ever heard and the first {real} punk song I ever heard. I was immediately hooked on both for life. Without this song, I wouldn't have gotten into music that much, so I probably never would have picked up a guitar, so I'd probably be a pretty sad bastard right about now.
Fun facts about Fugazi:
Conscious Listening: Rage Against the Machine -- Freedom
Rage Against the Machine -- Freedom.
Brotha, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall
Playin' tic-tac-toe?
Yo, check the diagonal
Three million gone
Come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment
The environment exceeding on the level
Of our unconciousness
For example
What does the billboard say?
Come and play!, come and play!
Forget about the movement
Conscious Listening Wednesday: Pink Floyd - Welcome to the Machine
It's not an inspiring song, but definitely a reminder of how things are set up in this world. You can watch the video here. Pink Floyd made some good ones; Roger Waters had a knack for expressing dark messages in his lyrics and worked with some equally adept artists when creating videos. This one can be credited to Gerald Scarfe.
Conscious Listening: Bad Religion - Punk Rock Song
At the beginning, I was doing a daily series of posts called Conscious Listening, highlighting a social justice oriented song every day. I'm going to start it up again, but as a weekly (Wednesdays) thing.
Conscious Listening: Saves the Day - Cars and Calories
I love this song's lyrics. Great commentary on American culture. I bolded my two favorite lines.
Conscious Listening: Pink Floyd - Have a Cigar
This is one of my favorite Floyd songs ever, with a wicked riff, bitter vocals and a classic guitar solo at the end. It's off the album Wish You Were Here, released in 1975, their followup to Dark Side of the Moon. Here's a (poorly recorded, poorly sung) live version of the song from 1977.
Conscious Listening: Rage Against the Machine - No Shelter
This song requires no commentary.
The exit choruses:
Cinema, simulated life, ill drama
Fourth Reich culture - Americana
Chained to the dream they got ya searchin for
Tha thin line between entertainment and war
There be no shelter here.
The front line is everywhere.
American eyes, American eyes....
View the world from American eyes
Bury the past, rob us blind
And leave nothin behind