More lyrics

[yendi]

Bad Religion, American Jesus:

I don't need to be a global citizen
Because I'm blessed by nationality
I'm member of a growing populace
We enforce our popularity
There are things that
Seem to pull us under
And there are things
That drag us down
But there's a power
And a vital presence
Thats lurking all around

We've got the American Jesus
See him on the interstate
We've got the American Jesus
He helped build the
President's estate

I feel sorry
For the Earth's population
'cuz so few
Live in the USA
At least the foreigners
Can copy our morality
They can visit but they cannot stay
Only precious few
Can garner the prosperity
It makes us walk
With renewed confidence
We've got a place to go when we die
And the architect resides right here

We've got the American Jesus
Overwhelming millions every day
(exercising his authority)
He's the farmers barren fields
The force the army wields
The expession in the faces
Of the starving children
The power of the man
He's the fuel that drives the clan
He's the motive and conscience
Of the murderer
He's the preacher on t. v.
The false sincerity
The form letter that's written
By the big computers
He's the nuclear bombs
And the kids with no moms
And I'm fearful that
He's inside me

Comments

[shawnj.livejournal.com]

So, using that logic, if I say that Gershwin was Punk, it'd be true?

[melintur.livejournal.com]

As long as you can piss of the establishment by it, I certainly would agree with you. (bonus points if you piss off the 'punk' literati) :)

[yendi]

Eh. I don't think I'd ever oversimplify punk just to the level of "pissing off the establishment." Aside from the fact that it oversimplifies to the degree of allowing almost anything to be defined as punk, it's simply never been an integral part of punk, imho. For me, punk is either an (admittedly tough-to-nail-down) musical style (which was really all the Ramones ever attempted, and I admit that I use the Ramones as a touchstone for all things punk), or a social movement formed around that style. Pissing people off might have been a side effect, but the whole point of the early punk movement, imho, was just not caring if you piss off the establishment. Once you get to the point of wanting the establishment pissed off, you're defining yourself by them, and that's not something that's ever struck me as punk.

Now, if you want to call Avril a successful musical dadaist, I'm with you on that.

[melintur.livejournal.com]

I certainly wouldn't oversimplify it that way either. I'm sure glad I didn't.

I do enjoy the irony of Punk being a defacto 'establisment' by people (who claim to actually have a concrete objective definition) denouncing things to be "not punk." Exclusivity, how we Humans love it.

Just makes me giggle. Human foibles are so fun.

(I have no said 'punk' definition, myself necessarily, though my heart is with those who say punk lasted a few minutes when the sex pistiols groupies led by Siouxsie got up on stage after a show and performed the Lord's Prayer, and ended when they stopped. Now that's punk!)

[dwivian]

I would call Phillip Glass punk, except that I can actually listen to Punk...

[melintur.livejournal.com]

Dude, John Cage is so Punk.