The Epic Liberty Music Thread

[Wesley]

I very much enjoy listening to good music (who doesn't?) but especially music that not only sounds good, but I can identify with on an intellectual or emotional level. I am starting to keep a playlist on my computer that contains songs that I identify with in this way. I occasionally stumble across a popular song that borders on something, but I hope that others have songs that they enjoy or even bands that have songs about these kind of topics. I remember seeing a couple threads with people advertising their own songs who I would be happy to see added in a somewhat consolidated place.

 

So I am looking for songs that have topics similar about:

- Anarchism

- Libertarianism

- Self Knowledge

- Peaceful Parenting

 

and any other topic that is discussed on Freedomain Radio.

 

Obviously there may not be perfect philosophical consistency in a song, but being able to identify with  the artful expression of a complex feeling or idea can be an enjoyable or enlightening experience.

 

Please add a YouTube link or mp3 of the song you are referring to and what the song means to you if you would like to add to the list. Try not to clutter the thread with all of the lyrics, but providing a brief snippet to give an idea of content would be helpful in deciding whether one wants to listen to the whole song.

 

Be sure to upvote any songs that you like, especially from artists that are not mainstream so that others notice the post and listen to the song.

 

Hopefully, others will find this thread useful and enjoyable and add content so that I can find new songs and bands that resonate with me so that I can have a more enjoyable playlist than I currently have.

 

 

Edit: If the video is essential to the meaning (aka the dancing or images make it a more meaningful song) then you can post an embedded video by pasting a YT link as plain text or by using the code

media='640 x 360'

YT LINK

/media

with square brackets around the opening and closing.

You can force it to not embed for other songs (so as not to slow down page load time) by pasting the YT link and then adding the html code for the link into the link. This can be done by highlighting the text and clicking the add link button.

___________________________________________________________________________________

So I figured I would post the first song as a song that resonated with me a few months ago as I was exploring some of my "demons"

 

Demons

Imagine Dragons

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQYaoiIFh8

 

 

Lyrics Snippet:

I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

 

Song Meaning that someone posted that resonates with how I feel about it:

It's like anyone that you see passing by, they might have a smile on their face but if you look into their eyes and really look at the details you will see they're in pain because eyes don't lie.

"When you feel my heat, look into my eyes that's where my demons hide..." shows that they may not show it but the person is struggling with past problems, fears, secrets which in this song he refers to as "demons".

Now someone is trying to enter in on that person's life but they don't want to let them in because they don't want them to be involved in all their troubles, etc. Hence, "Don't get to close, it's dark inside." He doesn't want the so-called to get to close to the person because of their demons.

But towards the end of the song, it's more of a cry for help. "I can't escape this now, unless you show me how." The person wants to be released from their troubles and they're asking for help.

This song can relate to anyone who's facing troubled times or who needs to learn to open up.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Apparently, it added it to the introductory post, but you still get the idea of what a post may look like.

[Wesley]

State Run Radio

Lupe Fiasco

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEUPTfW7SM

 

Lyrics Snippet:

You're now tuned into the weakest,
Frequency of fear, keep you locked right here,
And hope you never leave this, never be a leader,
Think inside the box, and follow all procedures,
Never ever believe that, you will never need this,
Hit up all your friends and tell them to repeat this,
Hi, you're on the air, now what you want to hear?
Well we ain't got the truth, but how about a remix?
Different is never good, good is only what we pick,
You ain't got a hit, unless it sounds like these did,
Not too smart you will be a superstar,
And if you dumb or something maybe you could be number one

 

Song Meaning:

This song is always entertaining to me. This song makes fun of pop songs and how they are meaningless garbage. The chorus sounds like a repetitive pop song that is catchy and is intended to simultaneously be somewhat poppy while making fun of pop songs. It is from the perspective of a pop song talking to a radio station and saying that I will play over and over again. Must be state run radio. The versus then get into some very good intelligent things about how the mainstream media and radio stations hide the truth and try to keep you brain dead and "at the bottom" with terrible pop songs while a lot of terrible stuff is happening in the world. The result is a somewhat fun and catchy pop song as well as an intelligent commentary on pop media followed by somewhat of a call to action to create your own media and support independent artists.

 

This is on the album Lasers which has an anarchy symbol on the cover. Lupe is very anti-state and I think is an anarchist though I am not totally sure. Lupe is a very intelligent guy. I remember seeing a video of him debating Bill O'Reilly where O'Reilly was angry because Lupe had called Obama a terrorist. O'Reilly had his panties in a bunch and thought he would smash some unintelligent rapper, and instead got an intelligent guy with decent arguments to back up the claim. Cue O'Reilly yell fest so that a smart person with different opinions can't talk (haven't seen that before).

 

Then there was the Obama inauguration rally where they booked Lupe Fiasco which resulted in his playing the song "Words I Never Said" that contains the lyrics

 

Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit
That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful
And I believe in the people.

 

Which he played the song over and over until he was kicked off the stage. Was quite an interesting news story on a day that wass supposed to be celebrating Obama's coronation.

 

Lupe has some syndicalist leanings where at least one of his songs has a fantasy about eliminating property and is religious (Islam), however many of his songs are quite intelligent and get people to think, especially more than most pop songs. I believe it is considered "conscious rap" though Lupe dislikes the idea and wishes there wasn't a category called conscious because everyone was rapping about real topics.

 

Enjoy the song!

 

Edit:

Just realized I didn't quote my favorite line in this song

 

Independent spirit, you can barely hear what they're sayin'
Truth ain't gettin' on like shampoo on an airplane

 

Makes me laugh!   

[ribuck]

Here's the Galt's Gulch Chile song. It gets pretty catchy once you've heard it a few times:

 

http://tatianamoroz.bandcamp.com/track/galts-gulch-chile-theme-song

 

"Miles away, in the valleys of Chile,

There's a place you can go, build a villa or chateau,

Spend lots of time with people who understand,

That you don't have to be a slave: draw a line in the sand.

 

You'll smile when you see all the opportunities,

Innovate, and create, all you dreamed could ever be,

A world that is free, no more stifling regulations,

Just time for meditation, and a home for liberty.

[Wesley]

Killing the Future

rebel inc.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m-jijpfS5A

 

Lyrics Snippet:

SMOKE-STACKS FILLIN THE AIR
FACTORIES DON’T CARE
THEY ARE CONTENT WITH
KILLIN THE FUTURE

 

SOLD-IERS MARCH IN TO WAR
KILLIN MORE AND MORE
THE POWER WHORES ARE DE-
STROYIN THE FUTURE

 

GREE-DY HANDS THEY TAKE
FROM THE HANDS THAT MAKE
IT’S A SHAME THEY ARE
STEALIN THE FUTURE

 

PE-OPLE SIT BACK AND WATCH
LIKE HANDS ON A CLOCK
PICK UP THE GLOCKS AND
TAKE BACK THE FUTURE

 

Song Meaning:

rebel inc. is a libertarian band that does things a little bit on the harder side of things. This song is from the album that was named by Jim Florentine of VH1 as the best metal album of 2012. This (and many of their songs) are about releasing anger and frustration toward the system as it exists. They tend to have some themes of "revolution" like the line "pick up the glocks and take back the future". I do not think that revolting would be very effective, but it does help me to release anger at times to listen to the music. This song is obviously about how people are "killing the future" and that that is a bad thing.

 

People who listened to the newest rendition of Adam vs the Man may know that rebel inc adapted a guitar riff from this song as the intro for AVTM.

 

Here is a link to their site so anyone who wants to can read their bio, or check out more songs or merchandise:

http://www.rebelincmusic.com/

[Kevin Beal]

I don't know that this quite counts. I'm thinking more around self knowledge / personal liberty and it makes me think of the song "I Am Not a Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds. I love this song like crazy and made it my about me section because I identify so much with it.

 

 

I especially like the sentiment that I am not a robot. I got like feelings, insecurities, culture-clashing values and the like. I could do without her describing not wanting to pick up the phone as "pathetic", but it is a mere sunspot on an otherwise glorious sun.

 

Embedding youtube is not working for me

[Wesley]

Sons of Liberty

Frank Turner

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovpxo0Q3CLQ

 

Lyrics:

Once an honest man could go from sunrise to its set
Without encountering agents of his state or government
But a sorry cloud of tyranny has fallen across the land
Brought on by the hollow men who did not understand

That for centuries our forefathers have fought and often died
To keep themselves unto themselves, to fight the rising tide
That if in the smallest battles we surrender to the state
We enter in a darkness whence we never shall escape

 

When they raise their hands up our lives to possess

To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist

 

Watt Tyler led the people in 1381
To meet the king at Smithfield to issue this demand
That Winchester's should be the only law across the land
The law of old King Alfred's time of free and honest men

'Cause the people then they understood what we have since forgot
That the government will only work for their own benefit
And I'd rather stand up naked against the elements alone
Than give the hollow men the right to enter in my home

 

When they raise their hands up our lives to possess
To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist

 

Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight for what you own
Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight, fight for your homes
Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight for what you own
Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight, fight for your homes

Stand up sons of liberty, and fight for what you own
Stand up sons of liberty, and fight, fight for your homes
Stand up sons of liberty, and fight for what you own
Stand up sons of liberty, and fight, fight for your homes

 

So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name
Tell him to go and f*ck himself, tell his friends to do the same
'Cause a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them and neither shall he keep

 

Song Meaning:

The song is mostly self-explanatory, so listen or read the lyrics. 

 

For anyone interested in the part about Watt Tyler and the Peasant's Rebellion, feel free to read up here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants'_Revolt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Tyler

 

I very much enjoy the Irish style of the song, and the last verse puts a bit of a smile on my face. 

[Wesley]

Taxman
The Beatles
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqK97av7I3s
 
Lyrics:
1,2,3,4,1,2

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

(If you drive a car ), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit ), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold ), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk ), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.

‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Haha! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Haha! Mister Heath!),
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes, (Taxman!)
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me,
(Taxman).
 
Song Meaning:
Well, obviously the Beatles are awesome. This was a decently popular song they released talking about the "Taxman" and parodying how arbitrary and unavoidable the taxman's taking of taxes are. Somehow, the song still manages to be rather fun and enjoyable in its presentation.
 
For those who do not know the Beatles ran into the massively high progressive taxes of the British government under Harold Wilson of the band when they started making money. They were subjected to a 95% super tax (one for you nineteen for me). Wilson and Heath in the background refer to the leaders of the Labor Party and of the Conservative Party, which are the two largest British political parties.
 
Harrison often added more lyrics on tour like: "If you're overweight, I'll tax your fat."

[Just]

[Wesley]

Perfect
Simple Plan
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kFr7IJBmz0
 
Lyrics Snippet:
'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry
I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back
I'm sorry
I can't be perfect

Nothing's gonna change the things that you said
Nothing's gonna make this right again (right again)
Please don't turn your back
I can't believe it's hard
Just to talk to you
But you don't understand (you don't understand)
 
Song Meaning:
This song came out when I was entering high school and I started to feel disillusionment with my father. I do not agree with everything in the song now as FDR and my self knowledge work had helped me resolve the relationship, but when I was younger I went through these periods of depression where I was stuck between my father's expectations that I didn't want and my desires which he didn't approve of. As I expressed desires it would result in fights, so I learned to not express them.

 

At the time there was a lot of ambivalence in wanting to please him more than anything, and him being a jerk who I didn't want to talk to. This song meant a lot to me at the time as something where I could exercise some of my complex feelings and have an artistic outlet so that I would not be consumed by the conflicting feelings. Otherwise it would have resulted in my self-attacking further and thinking that I wasn't perfect (as I viewed my parent's expectations at the time as perfect).

 

I am not totally sure if this fits the premise of the thread, but it was useful in my self-knowledge journey, so I figured I would include it anyway.

 

It is always interesting for me to think back as to when some of these ideas originated- in that I have held them for so long, but yet it took me so long to make them conscious.

[Wesley]

Cameo Lover
Kimbra
 

 
Lyrics Snippet:
I've got high hopes baby
But all you do is take me down to depths that I never knew
You've got two arms baby
They're all tangled in ladies of the black skies posing blue
Let go of your mother
And turn to your brother
Not a long gone lover's noose
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking
Is leaving pieces behind you

Oh we've all gotta get by
Let me come and hold you high, with you

'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here
 
Song Meaning:

This song is about a person who is stuck inside himself and being "broke down". Kimbra is trying to be there with him so they can be broken down together and he can have someone to lean on. She is also expressing the struggles about how difficult it is to take it on and that it is heavier and to depths she never knew.

 

The whole point is to get him to try to break with the past traumatic people, which this piece shows:

 

Let go of your mother
And turn to your brother
Not a long gone lover's noose
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking
Is leaving pieces behind you

 

Finally, the goal is to open up his heart to show real emotions and be vulnerable again. The music video shows him slowly opening up and "gaining color" as it progresses and he tries to open up more and more.

 

Also, if you get a few minutes you can browse some of Kimbra's other songs. She tends to have a very free dancing style that is completely her expression, as well as she often has bits of scat singing in her songs with free expression of vocals as well. (Though it is likely that once she wrote the scat vocals, it became written and thus not as free in further renditions, but this is just a guess.)

[Wesley]

Atheist
Reyshizz (YouTube Channel) rhythym2468 (FDR Handle)
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xlwj6B2gvU
 
Lyrics Snippet:

Cuz nobody would believe in their right minds

Honestly this is funny, I can't lie

From stories of Jewish zombies to the holy poltergeist

From raining down fire to eating Body of Christ

I know baby Jesus looks sweeter than Reese's Pieces

But I'm good, I'll let the Catholic priests eat em

Rabbis suck the blood after they mutilate his penis

You telling me this is what being clean is??

 

A-T-H-E-I-S-T

(Yup)

A-T-H-E-I-S-T

(Man)

A-T-H-E-I-S-T

(Lets Go)

A-T-H-E-I-S-T

Song Meaning:

I didn't have a song in mind today, so I figured I would post from another FDR thread into here.

http://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/36426-atheist-rap-song-with-lyrics/#entry339071

 

This song seems to be about frustrations with hypocrisies, oddities, and abuses in religion. Today was the first time I heard it and I found it quite enjoyable. If you enjoyed the song, then support them so they produce more!

[Panoptic]

I must say Wesley, you stole my idea for this thread! I like that we put lyrics and meanings though. I'm posting an entire album but only quoting a few songs. Zero-Sum AlbumNine Inch Nails

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOv8fAQ5tOk

 Here is the plot of the album from Wikipedia:

The story takes place in the United States in the year 2022, which has been termed "Year 0" by the US government, being the year that America was reborn. The U.S. had suffered several major terrorist attacks, including attacks on Los Angeles and Seattle. In response, the government granted itself emergency powers and seized absolute control on the country. The U.S. government is now a Christian fundamentalist theocracy, maintaining control of the populace through institutions like the Bureau of Morality and the First Evangelical Church of Plano. Americans must get licenses to marry, bear children, etc. Subversive activities can result in these licenses being revoked. Dissenters regularly disappear from their homes in the night, and are detained in federal detainment centers and sanitariums, if not executed.

 

The band also created an alternate reality game for this album, which you can learn more about by clicking on the links from Wikipedia in the quote above this.

Here are the songs in the album that I like the most (the times for all of the songs in the YouTube video are linked in the description of the video). "HYPERPOWER!" (intro, no lyrics)The term hyperpower is currently used to describe the United States because the U.S. is currently considered the world's only superpower, and it dominates the world in all spheres of influence (militarily, economically, culturally, etc.)The song speaks for itself "The Beginning of the End" - pretty much about the failure of U.S. imperialismLyrics:We think we've climbed so highUp all the backs we've condemnedWe face no consequenceThis is the beginning of the end...We think we've come so farOn all our lies we dependWe see no consequenceThis is the beginning of the end "Survivalism" - about the brainwashing of U.S. society through propaganda, and how nobody notices until its too lateLyrics:I got my propagandaI got revisionismI got my violenceIn hi-def ultra-realismAll a part of this great nationI got my fistI got my planI got survivalism "Zero-Sum" - about how humanity continues to do wrong, and deep-down knows what its doing, but chooses not to do the right thing, and when the world ends, they only now fully realize it (the singer believes in god and describes the end of the world like that, but he is not religious in a sense of "practicing" a religion)Lyrics:And we knew betterIn our hearts, we knew betterAnd we told ourselves it didn't matterAnd we chose to continueAnd none of that matters anymoreIn the hour of our twilightAnd soon it will be all said and doneAnd we will all be back together as oneIf we will continue at all I have to say, this album was depressing for me. But I know what will make you happy. The singer told all of his fans to steal his music because the label he was with was selling them at too high of a price. He called them out on it and they were pissed so he left and is now trying to produce his own music without labels anymore.

[Wesley]

Uprising
Muse
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KQmps-Sog
 
Lyrics Snippet:
The paranoia is in bloom, the P-R
Transmissions will resume
They'll try to push drugs
Keep us all dumbed down and hope that
We will never see the truth around
(So come on!)

Another promise, another scene,
Another package lie to keep us trapped in greed
With all the green belts wrapped around our minds
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on!)

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

Song Meaning:
(Copied from a comment on songmeanings.com)
 
"The paranoia is in bloom, the P-R Transmissions will resume"

The evening news thrives when they grip the public in paranoia. Their motive is not to deliver news. It is to keep you glued to the screen.

"Another promise, another scene, another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed"

Presidential candidates debating about nonsense and promises to make our lives better. Their resounding theme for economical growth is 'consumer spending' so they keep the public trapped in the never ending cycle of consumerism and greed.

"With all the green belts wrapped around our minds. And endless red tape to keep the truth confined"

To me, this could mean the fear of environmental collapse on our planet. And then the real climate issues are shrouded in red tape, politicized and regulated in such a way to bring the government more power.

"Interchanging mind control"

Right wing, Left wing, it is all interchangeable in terms of the long term impact to this country. Less freedom. More government power.

"Come let the revolution take its toll if you could flick a switch and open your third eye, you'd see that we should never be afraid to die"

The unprecedented focus on self today means that no one is willing to make the sacrifices to make the change we all desperately need.

"Rise up and take the power back, it's time that the fat cats had a heart attack, you know that their time is coming to an end we have to unify and watch our flag ascend"

We have been lulled into complacency by a lifestyle of comfort and false prosperity. When in truth, we have evolved into beings that are dependent on government and are unable to take care of our own selves. We need to put our petty differences aside and take back the power we've given to big governments and big corporations!

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

[DaisyAnarchist]

I have a playlist on youtube for songs like this (one for liberty/anti-war material and a separate one for the self). I have Lupe Fiasco's "Words I Never Said" on there, as well as Muse's Uprising, haha. Nice to see you post them on here. I like this thread. I've only listened to "I am Not a Robot" so far from here, but I found that to be quite lovely. It resonates. 

 

 

Sworn too fast with all my might

The clay was soft, the future bright

Old fashioned ways that won't erase

Out of control, this building gate

 

Blinded like new

I'm feeling much stranger about you

Blinded like new

I'm feeling much stranger about you

 

Despite the shape, this twisted form

With open arms into the storm

Kept me kept and wanting more

I saw you peeking through the door

 

Blinded like new

I'm feeling much stranger about you

Blinded like new

I'm feeling much stranger about you

 

Song meaning: I think this song talks about getting too easily wrapped up in a relationship with someone who isn't all you've thought they were: "The clay was soft, the future bright"... she talks about this like it may be a habit of hers: "Old fashioned ways that won't erase" but also recognizes the faultiness of it, "Out of control, this building gate." The chorus, "I'm feeling much stranger about you" suggests that she realizes the problem. I am not entirely sure about this interpretation, but that's what I get from the song. 

[Jay Paul]

I'm not sure if these songs will meet your aesthetic preferences, but here are just a couple songs I like with sort of anti-government themes.

 

 

[Guest darkskyabove]

The OP's topics have been addressed in music for many, many years. If OP only wanted examples of current and "popular" tunes, say so, and I will bow out. Otherwise I'm liable to overwhelm this thread with links to music that explores FREEDOM!

 

Example #1:

 

Testament, "P.C.", Low, 1994, Atlantic Records.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVlZFkGJdfU

 

Damn the machine the system's corrupted
Abusive power is everywhere
Our elected officals, pass laws to help
But who's paying them off
And in the end, we the people pay
Such a heavy price, just for being alive

And if this country was really free
We'd make paper from hemp and let the forest live
But corporate America, and billion dollar industries
Have so much power
Yet they stand to lose
Too much fucking money
There's nothing we can do... but...

Take back all that we've lost
At any price that it costs
Our freedom was worth fighting for
Resistance now or nevermore

And what about the CIA
What the fuck is their real job anyway
Starting civil wars in Third World countries
Importing heroin from the far east
Talk about cocaine, neither kept away
From the youths of today... now
There's nothing we can do... but...

Take back all that we've lost
At any price that it costs
Our freedom was worth fighting for
Resistance now or nevermore

 

I may be an "ol fogey" to some, just remember: metal started in 1970 with the the release of Black Sabbath's first album. (I was only six, but was lucky to have been able to hear them. And, oh...oh...oh... they're still playing. 43 years later! Granted, they might not be all that good anymore, but, come on, they're still playing...) Though the genre was unrepresented in "popular" culture through the seventies, it started to make its mark in the eighties. For an example of how "popular" don't mean squat: research the financial success of Iron Maiden, a band that received, literally, zero airplay on mainstream radio (which was, pretty much, all there was through the eighties). Without metal, there'd be no dissent in music. There'd be no rap, as it took metal to justify investment in extreme forms of music. Check the pedigree of Rick Rubin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin.

 

Like it, or not, metal is the most relevant, versatile, and cutting-edge form of music. If J.S. Bach were alive today, what type of music do you think he'd be playing? METAL! Listen to his stuff, he was, almost, playing metal in 1722!!!

 

It is also the form that has explored the deepest intricacies of human action. And of human emotion.

 

Anyway, that's all from someone who chooses their own path and is not, nor ever has been, subject to peer pressure. And, yes, that's a dig at the fact that most people listen to music that they believe is conducive to their social aspirations. Just like they do most everything to promote their aspirations, even if it is at the decision of another.

 

None of the preceeding is meant to disparage anyone's taste in music. Just wanted to give a shout from the "un-popular" side.

[ribuck]

What an interesting post, darkskyabove. I'd never thought about JS Bach that way before, but I totally agree with you.

 

Metal gradually came into prominence, but in my opinion all of its elements were already there by the time the Masters Apprentices released Buried and Dead in 1967. Black Sabbath solidified the genre a few years later. The mainstream classifies Buried and Dead as being "only" Progressive Rock though. It was the first 45rpm record I bought as a child, and caused some consternation to my parents at the time.

 

Without metal, there'd be no dissent in music.

 

Oh, I can't agree with that statement at all! Dissent has always been an important part of music.

 

Shostakovich's music embodies dissent against Stalin (1920s to 1940s). In the late 1950s, "Jazz, with its emphasis on individuality and personal expression, became the lingua franca of dissident Soviet youth" (source). The anti-establishment musical Hair premiered in 1967. Bob Dylan's songs from the early 1960s fuelled the civil rights movement, as did those of Joan Baez. The early 1960s "was an era where jazz and politics were one and the same and music was not simply the soundtrack to dissent, it was the instrument of change" (source).

 

In the early-to-mid 1800s, the anti-slavery movement embraced abolitionist songs. William Brown's 1848 songbook includes titles such as "Ye Sons of Freemen", "Jefferson's Daughter", "Are Ye Truly Free?" and "Fugitive's Triumph".

 

[Wesley]

I would like to make it clear that there are no restrictions on song genre. After all, it is anarchy

 

In fact, I think the goal would be to have as much variety as possible to satisfy the music tastes of anyone who may stumble into the thread.

 

Just to not flood, if you could space posts out to every day or two then it may be preferable to posting a whole bunch of posts all at once, however I do not think it will matter too much.

 

Happy music sharing!

[Guest darkskyabove]

@Wesley: Just kidding about the flood comment. Love the idea for this thread as it gives us a chance to learn of liberty-minded tunes without wading through everything else to find the diamonds in the rough.

 

@ribuck: Good catch on my miserably inadequate dissent comment. Would it be better to say that, without metal, there'd be far less dissent in music today? Of course, I'd have to water that down due to my lack of knowledge about what's happening musically in the rest of the world. I agree that there were bands laying the groundwork towards metal prior to Sabbath (Blue Cheer and Deep Purple come to mind), but I think a strong case can be made that they deserve credit for the first album that can be fully classified as metal. Addendum: another classical artist who I envision as playing metal if still alive is Niccolo Paganini.

[Melesina]

Wesley, you already listed my first pick...Imagine Dragon's 'Demons'.  

I also enjoy Sara Bareilles' song 'Brave'. I sing the song to myself and find it encouraging in regard to finding the courage to speak the truth. To me, it seems the general message of the song is to relate that although we have experienced hurtful words from others, we can choose to speak up and tell them how it makes us feel.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4&list=FLIpXV168__5ndcupdwYHqhg&index=2

 

For me, my favorite parts of the lyrics are:

 

Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

 

Everybody’s been there,
Everybody’s been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear
And done some disappearing,
Bowed down to the mighty
Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
 

And since your history of silence
Won’t do you any good,
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?
 

[Gnostiphile]

In the vein of personal liberty (breaking free from old - formerly useful - destructive patterns):

 

Precious Illusions by Alanis Morissette

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JcW19pR2xw

 

You'll rescue me right?In the exact same way they never didI'll be happy right?When your healing powers kick inYou'll complete me right?Then my life can finally beginI'll be worthy right?Only when you realize the gem I am?But this won't work now the way it once didAnd I won't keep it up even though I would love toOnce I know who I'm not then I'll know who I amBut I know I won't keep on playing the victimThese precious illusions in my head did not let me downWhen I was defenselessAnd parting with them is like parting with invisible best friendsThis ring will help me yet as will you knight in shining armorThis pill will help me yet as will these boys gone through like waterBut this won't work as well as the way it once did'Cause I want to decide between survival and blissAnd though I know who I'm not I still don't know who I amBut I know I won't keep on playing the victimThese precious illusions in my head did not let me down when I was a kidAnd parting with them is like parting with a childhood best friendI've spent so long firmly looking outside meI've spent so much time living in survival modeThis won't work now the way it once did'Cause I want to decide between survival and blissNow I know who I'm notI don't I still don't know who I amBut I know I won't keep on playing the victimThese precious illusions in my head did not let me downWhen I was defenselessAnd parting with them is like parting with invisible best friendsThese precious illusions in my head did not let me downWhen I was a kidAnd parting with them is like parting with childhood best friends

[Guest - Josh -]

I have a few; I trust they may appeal to some of you at least:

 

 

Song: Out Of Line

Artist/Album: Device

 

 

 

Lyrics:

 

Don't give me your lineWon't let it go this timeAnd make a mockery of this obscenityIt's gotten out of controlSome poor unfortunate soulWill pay the price again, to feed your vanity

 

The fascist face of the dayContributes blood to the frayAnd wreaks his devastation on humanityHe hears his own people cryAs countless innocents dieHe stands defiant in his own insanity

 

Another child deniedTheir human right to a lifeFree from the shackles that assure their slaveryThe monster in human skinEmploys abduction againCollecting innocentsTo steal their purityI see the global declineWhile wealthy pockets are linedThe masses begging them to show some sympathyWithout a care in their heartThey let it all fall apartTheir twisted rationales have never made sense to me

 

It seems destruction is a form of success for youThese tragic visions of loss will never leave meYou try to justify the pain that you've wroughtBut you're out of line... you're out of line

 

Their Machiavellian mindsConcoct their wicked designsThey think they're standing on the side of destinyConstricting freedom againThey've wrought the ultimate sinThey make pariahs of the sons of libertyAnd in the name of their 'God'They wage their war and applaudThe deadly dogma that controls societyWho fucking gave you the right?To spread perpetual nightYour holy rationales have never made sense to me

 

It seems destruction is a form of success for youThese tragic visions of loss will never leave meYou try to justify the pain that you've wroughtBut you're out of line... you're out of lineYou know I can't imagine anything less from youNot a single word from your mouth is worth believingNo way to rectify the havoc you've wroughtKnow, you're out on line... you're out of lineI fear it coming, hear it coming againA new apocalypse in sightI see it coming, feel it coming againWe won't capitulate this time 

 

Meaning:

 

I believe this is about war, the military industrial complex, and maybe even Obama. So the theme doesn't change too much from Draiman's other songs, as shown previously in this thread. He's a libertarian, and is the voice of the more famous Disturbed band. Serj Tankian, the singer from System of a Down, is not exactly a capitalist to say the least; but the criticisms his songs bring up usually apply to the state. Prison Song, for example, criticizes the prison industrial complex as well as the drug war (at least I think?). A part of the lyrics may seem like he's talking about smacking someone, but "smack" is slang for heroin. In any case, the song is a tad bit too metal for most people's tastes, so I'll spare y'all the headache.

 

 

 

As for my other song...

 

Song: I Won't Say the Lord's Prayer

Artist/Album: The Wonder Years

 

 

http://youtu.be/-W7ZNEusZJI

 

 

Lyrics:

 

It's a series of bars, thrift stores and churches lining the streetsWhile women with gold crosses push kids into half-formed beliefsIf Lot was righteous, I think I'd rather not beWe lean on fences built from out-dated moralityIt's a gang mentalityIt's a dangerous thingThey don't ask you to think, just to repeat after meAnd assume you're too careless to look at it criticallyYou'll stop progress if it contradicts what you're told to believe

 

I refuse to spend life on my kneesThese billboards that flaunt these scare tacticsMake me think you're only good if you're afraid of being punishedEvery single Sunday, church bells wake me upBut it's never enough to pull me out of bedThe church on Main Street has got its doors painted redAnd I guess it's so the Angel of Death passes over itOn its way to get gasThe church over on Broad Street has got a neon sign that says Jesus Save MeAnd I guess it's so God can see from where he is in the cheap seats

 

I refuse to spend life on my knees

 

And I won't let somebody else make my decisions for meIf we're all just Christians or LionsThen I think I'd rather be on the side with sharper teethI don't need saving

 

 

Meaning:

 

I think anyone who's been a Christian can relate to this. I must admit, I teared up a little when I first heard it. The lion bit at the end may not be very peaceful; but aside from that, this song just hits you right in the feels.

[Kevin Beal]

I Should Watch TV - David Byrne & St Vincent

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2oEsZoZYQ

[PatrickC]

This song was my anthem as I left my home town at 17. It certainly marked a great moment of freedom in my life mixed with some (unprocessed then) heartache. There are some more well produced versions than this. But Weller looks a bit out of place here in LA, which kind of resembled how I felt when I arrived in London. He also misses out a whole verse of the song too. Still, it's my favorite recording.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlszmA7yP3M

 

A Town Called Malice - The Jam - 1981

 

Songwriter: PAUL WELLER

 

Better stop dreaming of the quiet life -Cos it's the one we'll never knowAnd quit running for that runaway bus -Cos those rosey days are fewAnd - stop apologising for the things you've never done,Cos time is short and life is cruel -But it's up to us to changeThis town called malice.Rows and rows of disused milk floatsStand dying in the dairy yardAnd a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milkBottles to their heartsHanging out their old love letters on the line to dryIt's enough to make you stop believing when tears comeFast and furiousIn a town called malice.Struggle after struggle - year after yearThe atmosphere's a fine blend of ice -I'm almost stone cold deadIn a town called malice.A whole street's belief in Sunday's roast beefGets dashed against the Co-opTo either cut down on beer or the kids new gearIt's a big decision in a town called malice.The ghost of a steam train - echoes down my trackIt's at the moment bound for nowhere -Just going round and roundPlayground kids and creaking swings -Lost laughter in the breezeI could go on for hours and I probably will -But I'd sooner put some joy backIn this town called malice.

[Lians]

Dark Chest of Wonders

Nightwish

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsV5sUuCn4M

 

Lyrics:

 

Once there was a child's dream

One night the clock struck twelve

The window open wide

Once there was a child's heart

The age I learned to fly

And took a step outside

 

Once I knew all the tales

It's time to turn back time

Follow the pale moonlight

Once I wished for this night

Faith brought me here

It's time to cut the rope and fly

 

Fly to a dream

Far across the sea

All the burdens gone

Open the chest once more

Dark chest of wonders

Seen through the eyes

Of the one with pure heart

Once so long ago

 

Meaning:

 

I first heard this song when I was around 15 and it really stuck with me. I now know that the "dark chest of wonders" is where I had to keep my true self in order to protect it.

 

The first verse established the idea that something has been lost or stolen (Once there was). Heart and dreams are often symbols that represent our deepest desires. Perhaps we were the ones that locked them away in the dark chest in order to protect them. It would certainly explain the line, "Open the chest once more," in the third verse.

 

"Once I knew all the tales," refers to the mythology other people use to tie us down while we're growing up. Returning to the past (time to turn back time) to see it with our own eyes means getting rid of the mythology (time to cut the rope and fly).

 

To me, the third verse symbolizes an exploration of the unconscious (fly to a dream; far across the sea) once the childhood abuse is in the past (all the burdens gone). An examination of one's history. Once you're in a safe place in your life, you can return to your true self -- the one you hid away "so long ago."

 

All of these ideas are wrapped up in very powerful imagery. The ghostly and supernatural picture that the first two verses paint serves as a wonderful stage for the development of the song. The environment indicates that all this exploration is done in our minds.

[Jay Paul]

AVENGED SEVENFOLD
 
"Heretic"
 
As they search for blood,
All eyes descend on one.
Honest man in chains,
But that don't matter anyway.
My judgement day.

[Chorus:]
My flesh will feed the demon,
No trial, no case for reason.
I've been chosen to pay with my life.
Mad men define what mad is,
Turning witches and saints to ashes.
Rising masses marching to find,
Heretic blood.

Impose your will on me,
'Til fire sets me free.
The flames of hell burn bright,
My fate decided by their lies.
Final demise.

[Chorus]

Please don't leave me,
Please don't leave me like this.
I've walked a fragile line and I've fallen down,
Please don't leave me.

[Chorus]

 

[Guest - Josh -]

I have some more songs for you guys:

 

 

Song: Look In My Eyes

Artist/Album: Rains

 

 

 

Lyrics:

 

I know you're waiting and you're so damn nervous
I know you're hoping that I could explain this
Look in my eyes
I will try and show you

I know you think I am the devil in this
I know you're thinking that you don't deserve this
Look in my eyes
I will try and show you

What did you want me to be
When I see you falling
How did you want me to see
Your life and your lying
How did you want me to feel
when I see you trying
Trying so hard to fit in
To the world you are buying

I know you're thinking that you should have been there
I know you're thinking that no one cares
Just look in my eyes
I will try and show you

I know you think I should be saying sorry
You aren't the person I thought you'd be
Just look in my eyes

I will try and show you

[Chorus repeats]

Just take a look at who you are
Don't blame me for the Hardest part
I told you when the
Rain starts falling it all starts crashing
Down and life will run you right into the ground
Just take a look at who you are

[Chorus repeats]

 

 

Meaning:

 

I think anyone who's been in an unfulfilling relationship, or in a relationship with a traumatized or unstable person, can relate to this song. The part highlighted in bold could relate to anyone who's examined their life.

 

 

 

 

Song: Closer

Artist/Album: Candlelight Red

 

 

 

Lyrics:

 

With all the words I find in me,
I seem to be lacking the ones that I need
I'm finding the ground
I'm stuck to this floor
I'm down and I can't get down anymore

It's nothing, get out of your mind
You tell me time after time
It's nothing, it's nothing more
It's nothing, I can't live

I'm alive, I'm alive
We're hiding behind all these faces
I believe, I believe
Tomorrow will be another chance at everything

Come closer, and watch me bleed
Come closer, and see what you've done to me

It's nothing, get out of my mind
I tell myself time after time
It's nothing, it's nothing more
It's nothing, I can't live

[Chorus x 3]

Come closer, and watch me bleed
Come closer, and see what you've done to me

 

 

Meaning:

 

I suppose anyone who's been abused can relate to this, especially for those of us who confront others who've wronged us in the past. Unfortunately for me, my abuse during my young adult years came from a belief in god... and so now, I have no one to confront. The once condemning inner voice I had was nothing more than an amalgamation of scripture and teachings and worship songs (or conclusions I reached via faulty reasoning, not necessarily taught by the church); even though those things manifested as an imaginary "friend," at the end of the day there isn't no single person I can lay the blame on. And it's strange since the reassuring and loving things my parents said so often contradicted the things I believed "god" was telling me.

 

For those of you who weren't rasied religiously, maybe this might help clarify where I'm coming from:

 

 

[Wuzzums]

 

This city's sleeping like a soldier trapped inside of an iron lung.
Machines can keep you breathing but what happens when you find a new war's begun?
Flip a switch and turn it off, 
you won't be able to breathe.
So either way you're a casualty.

I've got this burning like my veins are filled with nothing but gasoline.
And with a spark it's gonna be the biggest fire they've ever seen.
Cut me down or let me run,
Either way it's all gonna burn...
The only way that they'll ever learn
We've got to turn it off

Flip a switch

Light up the night!
There is a city that this darkness can't hide.
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out,
But I can still feel the heat on my skin
This mess we're in, well you and I,
Maybe you and I,
We can still make it right.
Maybe we can bring back the light.

Tom:
At the heart of the city there is a building that looks down over all there is.
And the man in the tower controls it all without raising a single fist.
It's like they gathered up the city, they sold it to the devil and now,
It's gone to hell and they wonder how.

Well, a friend once told me:
Men, they would follow any man who would turn the wheels.
Now the wheels are spinning out of control; 
what would they do if we held them still?
If you destroy the working parts, what you'll get is a broken machine.
A beacon of light from a burning screen.

Light it up.
Light up the night.

Together:
There is a city that this darkness can't hide.
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out,
But I can still feel the heat on my skin.
This mess we're in, well you and I,
maybe you and I,
We can light up the night.

Together:
There is a city that this darkness can't hide.
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out,
But I can still feel the heat on my skin.
This mess we're in, well you and I,
maybe you and I,
We can light up the night.

There is a city that this darkness can't hide
There is a fire that will burn through the streets of the city, and we will stand in the light.
We will stand in the light,
you and I.
You and I.
We can bring back the light.

[Mick Bynes]

 

You may or may not know, but Larken Rose has amazing music.  This is my favorite song by him.  It's called Think.  The song was written and recorded by him.  The video was made by an anonymous person.  This is off Larken's official YouTube page.

[Guest darkskyabove]

What is it that you're searching for? Is it missing?

 

Missing

 

If it were all just gone
If it just wasn't there
Would I disappear
Would I even care

 

A void in the arrangement
A blind spot in my mind
A space in what's important
A black hole of some kind

It walks right beside me
Invisible to most
Not an apparition

Not the holy ghost

Stumble through another day
Not knowing what is wrong
Not stolen, not lost or broken
Been missing for so long

 

Can't quite find it in me
Fading pulse, can I survive
My heart fails me again
Flat-lined
But still alive

It walks right beside me
Invisible to most
Not an apparition

Not the holy ghost

Dragging it behind me,
Can't hold on any more
Slips through my fingers
And scatters on the floor

 

It hovers right above me
As I move from door to door
When I hang my head in shame
It lies there on the floor

Searching for what I may never know
It's missing; I can feel it
Can't just let it go
When I reach out
I can feel it!

It walks right beside me
Invisible to most
Not an apparition

Not the holy ghost

It hovers right above me
As I move from door to door
When I hang my head in shame
It lies there on the floor
Talks from inside me, silent to most
Not the voice of god
Not the only ghost
Dragging it behind me,
Can't hold on any more
Slips through my fingers
And scatters on the floor
It lies there on the floor
Missing

 

Missing, Flotsam & Jetsam, Drift, 1995, MCA Records.

 

I'll leave it at that!

[Cornellius]

Decades - Joy Division - Closer

 

The most powerful song about war and possibly child abuse

 

 

Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders,  [/font](All that's left is the scars blamed onto age)

Here are the young men, well where have they been?  (What became of them?)

We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chamber,

Pushed to the limit, we dragged ourselves in,  (We became adepts of evil, but we were pushed to where there was nowhere else to push forth)

Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying,

We saw ourselves now as we never had seen.  (The scenes of war replaying inside our heads, watched from the wings in the theater of history, watched ourselves in the midst of those scenes)

Portrayal of the trauma and degeneration,  (To us evildoers, these scenes are the lowest point of our plight)

The sorrows we suffered and never were free.  (The mental scarring we never could heal)

 

Where have they been?

Where have they been?

Where have they been?

Where have they been? (Where has all that abuse led them?)

 

Weary inside, now our heart's lost forever,

Can't replace the fear, or the thrill of the chase,  (Death chasing every living soul now takes all the space there is in our lives)

Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings,  (The practice of war points at parental rejection, and when we were expelled into the world, weary hearted)

Open then shut, then slammed in our face.  (The terror of wandering, abandonned, unable to get back in)

 

Where have they been?

Where have they been?

Where have they been?

Where have they been?

[Kevin Beal]

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher

- Jackie Wilson

 

 

This song always makes me feel motivated and free!

[Lians]

Player One

Machinae Supremacy

 

 

Lyrics:

 

A misfit to this space

no religion no real place

I grow weary of these walls

so tired of it all

 

Dull gray and endless days

here where evil has no face

It is hidden from my eyes

unseen or in disguise

 

Welcome to a world

where you always get the girl

You may lose a fight or two

but you'll win if you get through

 

Face up and challenge all

you ever knew since you could crawl

Always looking somewhere else

when it's all inside yourself

 

I wanna play until I die

don't wanna lose my reasons why

I race towards the sky

in a world that never ends

 

I keep coming back for more

keep coming back until I score

always stronger than before

in a world that never ends

 

now I feel like that again!

 

Tomorrow I will be here,

and I won't be the only one.

Our dreams will always adhere

to a world beyond this one

 

Meaning:

 

There's not much to analyse about this song. It describes my journey towards philosophy and self-knowledge very well.

[Wesley]

I would like to put a comment out for anyone who is posting in/following this thread. A few people have been noticing some slow-downs in performance when loading this thread because of the embedded videos. If the video is good and is very important to the meaning of your post, then please embed it. If it is not important and just a song or lyrics, then not embedding will probably improve load times.

 

If you just paste YT text, the forum should automatically embed it. In order to prevent this, highlight the test and click the add link button. Paste the link into the URL field. With the hyperlink added it will not embed the video.

 

Hopefully the thread will continue to grow and we do not want people with slower connections to take a looooong time to load all of the YT links when many of them may be unnecessary or not of interest to the reader.

 

Thanks!

 

No Knock Radi
Lindy
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV7u91A3KGQ

The video actually is important to the meaning of the song, but because there are graphic images of violence, I have decided to not embed it. A good song for spreading the message, but it will bring up a lot of emotions in the video and sounds. 
 
Lyrics Snippet:

 

It’s a no-knock raid,
Don’t be afraid
We’ll shoot your dogs,
In front of your kids

Cuz we’re the SWAT
We’re here for your pot,
And all the cash that you got,
We are adrenalin junkies taking orders from the top,

The KGB and the DEA,
They’ll make you disappear,
Like in Guantanamo Bay,
In the middle of the night,
You’ll have nothing to say,
If we get the wrong address it doesnt matter anyway,
We’ll still get our kicks,
We’ll still have our fun,

Yeah we are the SWAT,
We are adrenaline junkies til the drugs are all gone,

It’s no-knock raid,
Don’t be afraid,
Paramilitary police-state on parade,
It’s no-knock raid,
Don’t be afraid,
You do the time for your victimless crime,

And it’s a no-knock raid,
It’s a no-knock raid,
Don’t be afraid,

Song Meaning (from the description):
 

"No Knock Raid," written and performed by Toronto-based musician Lindy, is a searing indictment of one of the most aggressive, ubiquitous, and mistaken tactics in the War on Drugs.

Consider only the most recent raid to cause a national outrage: On May 5, 2011, 26-year-old Jose Guerena, who survived two tours in the Iraq War, was shot and killed during a raid on his house by a Pima County, Arizona SWAT team that fired dozens of bullets through his front door. Guerena, married and a father of two, had just finished a 12-hour shift at a local mine. Law enforcement sources claim he was involved in narco-trafficking but have yet to produce any evidence supporting that claim. Officers involved in the death have been cleared of wrongdoing.

Guerena's death is not an isolated incident. As USA Today reports, an astonishing 70,000 to 80,000 militarized police raids take place on a annual basis in America, many of them on mistaken suspects and many of them ending with injury or death for police and citizens alike.

As Reason Contributing Editor Radley Balko and others have documented, the militarization of standard police practice is a direct consequence of the modern-day War on Drugs, started 40 years ago by President Richard Nixon - and perpetuated by every administration since. (For a comprehensive report on the failure of the drug war to achieve any of its stated goals, read "Ending the Drug War: A Dream Deferred," by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.)

For supporting links to all stats cited above, longer clips of raid footage, and more, go to http://reason.tv/video/show/swat-no-k...

"No Knock Raid" written and performed by Lindy. 

Produced and directed by Hawk Jensen.

Performance footage directed by Victor Tavares and Zachary Koski

About 4.50 minutes. 

[LifeIsBrief]

Anger he smiles, towering shiny metallic purple armour.Queen jealousy, envy waits behind him.Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground.Blue are the life giving waters taken for granted,They quietly understand.Once happy turquoise armies lay opposite of red,But wonder why the fight is on.But they're all, bold as love.Yeah, they're all bold as love.Yeah, they're all bold as love.Just ask the Axis.

 

Jimi Hendrix "Bold as Love"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwalj_BhkbQ

 

This opener always rang anarchist to me.  The greedy sending confused masses off to war, but they're all bold as love... Just ask the Axis.

 

The line "Blue are the life giving waters, taken for granted, They quietly understand" Always reminds me of a great Bruce Lee quote "I do not believe in styles anymore... Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.  Water can flow, but it can also crash... Be water my friends"