The Ramones
I’m going to show my age (60). Bursting on the music scene out of Queens, New York in the mid-seventies, The Ramones are probably punk rock’s best known band. Punk stripped down the rock music genre to its bare essentials, and a sub-group of this movement began to produce music with a distinct “societal critique” motif.
In a Facebook post commenting on the current state of politics in the USA, Vincentian of Wherever Matte Kane put me on to this Stiv Bators (Lords of the New Church) tune, first released in 1982. It made me ask myself, when Vincentian musicians write music, why is it always, “La, la, la… Vincent de Paul”? Can Vincentian musicians write about the struggle of the poor, the economics and politics that oppress, the racism and sexism that kill? Pardon the disturbance. Lyrics follow the video.
Video games train the kids for war.
Army chic in high-fashion stores.
Law and order’s done their job.
Prisons filled while the rich still rob.
Assassination politics. Violence rules
Within’ our nation’s midst. Well ignorance is their power tool.
You’ll only know what they want you to know.
The television cannot lie.
Controlling media with smokescreen eyes.
Nuclear politicians picture show.
The acting’s lousy but the blind don’t know.Open your eyes see the lies right in front of ya.
Open your eyes…..They scare us all with threats of war.
So we forget just how bad things are.
You taste the fear when you’re all alone.
They gonna git’cha when you’re on your own.
The silence of conspiracy.
Slaughtered on the altar of apathy.
You gotta wake up from your sleep.
‘Cause meek inherits earth…six feet deep.Open your eyes see the lies right in front of ya.
Open your eyes…..Songwriters: Lightbody, Gary / Connolly, Nathan / Quinn, Jonathan Graham / Simpson, Tom / Wilson, Paul
- Do you have musical talent? Are you using it in the defense of the poorest?
- Right now, the world is suffering from what Bators sang about. Is this “too political” for your taste?
Thanks for this prophetic Vincentian take on our culture and the effects it slyly injects into our bandaged vision. The young have much to show us…