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Served with high distinction, during WW1
Knocked out of the air twice by cannon flak,
but still got up and got it done.
Given names and told in tales,
lost an eye and lost a leg
had an eyepatch for intimidation,
replaced his appendage with a wooden peg.
John Silver, John Silver, do you know what you're fighting for
Did they feed you on the regular, did you know just where you were?
Did you know that you were given a medal,
The highest would that could be awarded,
Did you know that you were part of history,
Stories of your life recorded?
You flew regardless, did your part
No formal training for combat in the air
You had no rank and slept on a bed of straw
but didn't seem to care
You can still see him in a museum
Next to Frank Luke and other aces
If you google the name you can see the stories
In particular cyber spaces
John Silver, John Silver, do you know what you're fighting for
Did they feed you on the regular, did you know just where you were?
Did you know that you were given a medal,
The highest would that could be awarded,
Did you know that you were part of history,
Stories of your life recorded?
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Turn the FM dial to 105.1
Blasting Styx's Renegade got nowhere to run
Tell us what to do, but it’s sounds like static white
Should we fight for us, is the end in site?
What’s the right thing to do?
What’s the right thing to do?
We can chose to stay, choose to go
If there’s a better way, can you let me know?
If we wait for sun, miss out on the rain
Stay true or just stay in our lane
Stay true or just stay in our lane
Canada to Minsk, wonder if they sync?
Turning down the decibels, need a stiffer drink
Frequency in check but loves gone broadcast sad
Murder all the talk show hosts, all the talks gone bad
What’s the right thing to do?
What’s the right thing to do?
We can chose to stay, choose to go
If there’s a better way, please tell me so
If we wait for sun, miss out on the rain
Stay true or just stay in our lane
Stay true or just stay in our lane
Video killed the radio Stars came falling down
Download every catalog Carry it around
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some days I still wonder
where I must have been
one moment til the sunrise
when all the light floods in
and did I see your face
in the moment’s quiet hush
did I wonder where you were
was I caught up in the rush
did I miss a warning sign
I swear I can’t recall
I can’t seem to keep in mind
anything at all
did I miss a flashing light
alarms I could have heard
I thought the fail-safes would have held
but I still hear the song of the firebird
a moment’s hesitation
a memory may distract
and everything’s gone dark now
they say I failed to act
I lost my good position
they say I lost you, too
god help me, with the smell upon your skin
just don’t know what to do
did I miss a warning sign
I swear I can’t recall
I can’t seem to keep in mind
anything at all
did I miss a flashing light
alarms I could have heard
I thought the fail-safes would have held
but I still hear the song of the firebird
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I’m cutting’ into your land, picking the rock away
I wanna feel your earth in my hand
I wanna dig your dreams today
Yeah some of them are pink and some are blue
Some of them will shine like the stars do
Some of them are dying to come true
Yeah every one of them looks like you
We’re rolling out the cables, letting fly the kites
There’s bottles on your table
I wanna catch your dreams tonight
Yeah some of them are old and some are new
Some of them are dying to come true
Some of them are pink and some are blue
And every one of them looks like
Ukeleles, and guitar strings
Maracas and tambourines
Some of them are old some of them are new
But every one of them looks like you
Some of them are old and some are new
Some of them are dying to come true
Some of them will shine like your eyes do
But every one of them looks like you
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Here’s the assignment, from Mitchell:
""Wikipedia's heaven"
Nick Cave & the Bad Seed's first album was released in 1984 and for most of their history, they been a bit of a cult act. Then in 2013, they released the album "Push the Sky Away" and it was, at the time, their highest charting release. The next album (and their most recent), 2016's "Skeleton Tree" equalled, if not surpassed, the success of "Push the Sky Away" and over the past couple of years, they gone from performing in modest theatres to rocking stadiums. Nick has spoken quite a lot about how reading random internet articles and especially wikipedia entries helped shape the lyrics to these two albums.
Dig:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVdP2WGZprs
It seems to be working for Cave, so I figured that this week, we'd give it a shot too. I don't know exactly what Nick's method is, but for the sake of having some sort of structure, go to wikipedia and click on the "Random Article" link. You may do this up to five times. You must base your song on at least one of the generated articles, but you may use as many of the five as you wish. Of course, no one will know if you cheat, but you will know and eventually your guilt will manifest as a thumping sound swelling up through your internet.
Oh yeah(s):
Who has kept up with the daily writing exercise?
Who has guessed (without using the internet, of course) all of the songs quoted at the top of the assignments?
And speaking of the quotes - who thought that the quote accompanying the picture of the keys from a couple of weeks ago should have been, "Look at this photograph?"
I have to admit, horror of horrors, I briefly considered that one myself. Of interest (if you're in any way keeping track of the quotes), I also considered, "But all I've got is a photograph" from the Ringo song, but I thought that the tone of that quote might subconsciously influence your lyric and lead you all to write songs of loss.
M. Snow"
released February 18, 2019
