Thursday, June 23, 2011

You Asked Us To Believe Song by Larry Piltz Video by Giana Garel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRoKK8p7u8g

Friday, May 27, 2011

Wars Wars Wars of the State

Wars wars wars of the state
Wars of the state
Wars of the state
War is heretofore for the state
The state of the war of forever

There's war in the air
There's war in the sea
There's war in the minds
Of you and of me
There's war of all kinds
Oh say can't you see
That the state of war was meant to be

Wars wars wars of the state
Wars of the state
Wars of the state
War is holy grail for the state
And grist for the mill of bias and hate
God calls and you must never say never
To the sacred wars of the state of forever

The answer to every question is war
It's the reason you're rich or that you're poor
It settles and helps you keep the score
And works its way deeply into your core
You become addicted and beg for more
You know what your trigger finger's for
Then you cry for mercy and hit the floor
With war always the worst is in store

There’s war in the street
There’s war at the gate
There's war if you're early
And war if you're late
If you love wars
Then the wars are just great
Great for the mongers
Who think they're so clever
Great for the state of war that's forever

Do you know what there was
Before there was war
Do you know that peace
Waits right at your door
I'll tell you what
Your trigger finger's for
It's to point out the people
Who start the wars
These whores of war
Who perpetuate gore
Profit from death
And live by the sword
The gore and the sword
And the wars of the state
That state of war
They believe is great
The state of war
Need not be forever
These wars of the state
To them I say never
To you I say
We need to endeavor
To make the peace
The state of forever
To make the peace
The state of forever

Larry Piltz
1984 (with ongoing revision)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

TRUE HOMELAND

Larry Piltz

Welcome to the USA Patriarch Act
with its spying and break-ins
up its sleeve behind your back
with eavesdropping in a crackdown
with character attacks and panic attacks
Oh damn I’m indicted with fiction
though my sentence in fact
is death or internment
in my homeland

Does your brain contain
some interesting thought
from a book you checked out
maybe read or bought
or from some nice tune
you were humming or sought
that’s the heinous crime
that’ll get you caught
in the web of the worldwide homeland

Well your mind is free
but what a twist
it lands you smack
on that guest list
now rest assured
you will be missed
when you get out of line
in the homeland

Is speaking up
a mortal crime
say the thought
and do hard time
then parables and verse
and rhyme
pardon my grammar
and my paradigm

Please just threaten me with jail
or make me watch you hurt a whale
so that I’ll let you read
my personal mail
it’s the law going postal
yet the law’s for sale

Better keep your faith
cause you’ll lose your trust
think how you’ll feel
right during your bust
you’ll swear the law’s moved
beyond normal disgust
as it reads you its rights
and insists on your trust

Who might it be
who turns you in
your neighbor
mother or
my friend
is paranoia
now a sin
the paranoids are
still after me again

The love of truth
it is your code
until persuaded
to implode
your confession due
to electrode ooooow
that’ll be quite the shock
to the homeland

What is the thing
you don’t want to hear
on that midnight ride
we’re conditioned to fear
that you’re being denounced
for being say queer
to our butch police
in their bondage gear

Are you perplexed
this very night
deciding between
flee and flight
methinks the emperor’s
wound too tight
a drunk with power
and dynamite

In ancient Rome
when it started a war
dictators were chosen
for what was in store
our chosen dictator
has chosen more gore
and has frozen free choice
and then comes back for more

Are our laws meant
to constrict and besiege us
with crude ultimatums
both vague and egregious
what’s this lesson someone’s
so desperate to teach us
that freedom’s a threat
and a reason to seize us

My nation has
those recurring dreams
where it divides
into two teams
a moment of silence
and then the screams
it’s winner take all
in freedom’s purges and schemes

Then the winners buy states
with their pocket change
while poverty’s manacled
and memory rearranged
with royal dynasties
still becoming deranged
and the headlines still shouting
there’s nothing here strange

Well in the interest of
my liberal press
I’d like to clear up
this news media mess
by begging someone
to please confess
that conservatives own
all the networks good guess

So you’d better make
that living will
and polish up
your survival skill
cause the preachers say
there’s a time to kill
oh the thrills and the chill
as they pray for the big spill

So work on your
table manners bub
you’re invited to
the big country club
exclusive rights
to that big hot tub
for the boiling in oil
a la homeland

Oh say can you see the petroleum
and the rockets red glare crematorium
can you hear it above the delirium
oh so proudly we hail
how advanced we’ve become
advanced like dementia
what homeland?!

Is this nation in the process
of losing its mind
in compassion and sense
is it lost years behind
does it yearn for respect
only to find
instead the responses
are given in kind

The patriaddicts
aren’t like me
they wave the flag
it proves they’re free
to swear allegiance
to patriarchy
cause that's all they care
to know and be
they get their fix
from conformity

So the army's exported
all loaded and locked
as marines and sailors
wave bye to the dock
and the next of kin
are still buying that stock
earn your dividend coffins
be the next on your block
no matter how deeply
you and the homeland are in hock

Though I try to ignore
all the militarist posers
it’s getting much harder
to keep my composure
Blood Sacrifice It Is
of civilians and soldiers
by leaders who send out
the planes ships tanks and subs
these Predators Cobras Raptors
Tomahawks Hellfires Harpoons
Mavericks Patriots Spookys
Apaches Cheyennes Grey Eagles
and armored Caterpillar bulldozers
now with language courses
for the Special Forces
who instead of saying no sirs
come home to grave enclosures
 
Militarist language is smooth
the right nouns prepositions
propagandize at will
but avoid depositions
fight them there freedom's march
sloganeering addictions
as they crave special laws
to shut down opposition

If you truly believe
in fair or free trade
the flow of ideas
and the progress we’ve made
then tell me
why all this bullshit blockade
of justice and peace
with this homeland charade

If you truly believe
in a spiritual love
as on high so below
not the pushing and shove
then why not remove
your fist from your glove
extending your palms
as below so above

Let’s settle now
this whole debate
don’t tell me who
to love or hate
quit living
to discriminate
it's our tolerance
keeping us hopeful and great

So let’s lift up high
our frosted mugs
our pharmaceuticals
whiskey jugs
and toast the victorious
war against drugs
oh the euphoria
give your Homeland a hug
and have another slug

Let’s have our real party
out on our lawns
and celebrate each
liberating dawn
all equal and free
with no class lines drawn
no kings, queens, rook, no pawns
won’t keep us in check
and we’ll sure give hell heck

Now we flow into one
through times hard and fun
with no injustice undone
yes our work's just begun
under one common sun
all living things run
in the one common band
in our hearts through the land
our promise our stand
for our new homeland
for our true homelan

                                                                   Mother and daughter