My Writing, Day 5

One of the first set of lyrics I wrote for my band, the Gift of Ghosts, was the song “Slow Dancing Through Nine Circles.” The instrumental itself was heavy, quite simple and had an almost empowering feeling. So I figured a set of  lyrics should do the same. The song is about getting up and making a change. Its about not letting your leaders do what they want. Its about not waiting around for the “end times.” Its an anthem song, full of hooks and a catchy chorus. Unfortunately, people mistake it for a religious song, it is most definitely not. I use the technique of allusion in many of my songs to target a group or convey a similarity, but not necessarily attack, in this case it was certain followers of religion/Christianity.

I was raised Catholic, I am not anymore, but I’ve encountered many Christians who just kind of sit around and wait for the coming of the Lord and just put everything into his hands. Needless to say, there are non-religious people, who believe the world is doomed and they just shouldn’t care because nothing will change. This song was meant to plant a seed of empowerment, a song for people to come together and break away from the current state.

“Slow Dancing Through Nine Circles”

You’ll wish you would’ve done something.

Been somebody, The salt to clean the wound.

Before the coming.

And when the bodies fall (there won’t be hands to catch them all)

So we’ll reach out (break through these walls)

We’ve been led astray 3x

But We Will Break Away.

This is the day our lives change,

We’ll shake the darkened roads and avenues.

We’ll cast, hook and reel in celestial bodies

that will illuminate.

And when the bodies fall (there won’t be hands to catch them all)

So we’ll reach out (break through these walls)

We’ve been led astray 3x

But We Will Break Away.

Dont let it be!

These foundations, they will fall.

We will be the key.

They’re all dancing with the devil

making deals in secret fashions

to bring upon this violence.

We’ll all break this silence

like the north star in the heavens

we’ll glisten like diamonds.

We are the gods; We are the guns.

So during the late hours I tend to look up online arguments/debates and I try to gain an understanding of the subjects being debated. Tonight after seeing this Tumblr post:

I began to research and look up arguments: 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100331145423AA8MCX9, 

based on murders being committed as a result of being atheist or religious. This argument is the blame game at its finest and I realized something from it…

My argument against religion isn’t the usual “religion is the catalyst to most of the atrocities committed,” but more of my issue with being told you can’t believe in other things outside of it or doubt the codes within it without penalty, i.e being labeled a heretic or blasphemer, or being told you’re going to hell. Well, to me, its just a form of mental enslavement. 

On the other hand, Religion is merely a tool used, such as a gun or an idea to gain control or to fulfill a desire. Wars like the Crusades, in which the Pope and other religious leaders preached God’s will to control Palestine and rid it of the invaders, seemed to have been the doing of religion. However, looking back on it it was more of Western Europe, the Holy Roman Empire and the Vatican looking to maintain its already dwindling, or even non-existent, power and influence in these lands, as with every war before and after. Simply, fulfilling its desire for power in a region that was previously under its control as the Roman Empire. Religion was just the tool used to manipulate, much like Hitler used the Jews to influence, the people because it was the most widely accepted idea and way of life. The masses are easily persuaded due to the use of a shared fear or practice. Thus, wars can be started and murders can be justified. 

The same can be said for Joseph Stalin, who’s perverse form of communism, created a machine that used atheism and corrupted socialist ideas to hold terror campaigns against the Russian Orthodox church and the murder of many clergymen and women. Let’s not forget the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, an admitted atheist, who tried to justify his crimes by saying “if a person doesn’t think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges?” (http://listverse.com/2010/06/05/10-people-who-give-atheism-a-bad-name/) Later, he announced he was born again and was killed in prison.

To those who might argue killing is in our genetic code, hardwired into our brain, because we are indeed animals; I say we are a miracle of life and evolution. We developed the ability, through years of adaptation, to control our primal desires and instincts and to put rational thought into play. It’s that clear-cut. We shouldn’t blame such establishments for the deaths of others. Whats being exhibited is the lack of self-control and maybe the lack or excess amounts of neurotransmitters in a person or group of people. 

In reality, people kill people. Being atheist or religious has little to do with the desire to kill and to actually complete a murder; rather, it may very well be the presence of a serious psychological problem. I mean try convincing me or the masses that Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, or even Ed Gein were sane men. Sure the justice system would say so because the criminal courts still dismiss mental incompetence or medical issues in many cases. Thats another issue though.

This is why I stand firm in having your own beliefs and not adopting a previous or new faith, but still seeking to expand and change your ideas. I feel the individual mind is less susceptible to such manipulation than that of the collective mind. As a society, we have to remember the collective is what usually brings out the good or bad in a society. We just have to really examine the repercussions in all of our actions before we decide whats right for everyone. Unfortunately, we only seem to understand and deal with fear. Thus, making us totally vulnerable to any decision made by our leaders and submitting to it.

This is only a rant, btw. I wasn’t looking to write an essay, although this would be a great subject to write, in detail, about. I just wanted to express my dissatisfaction with the aforementioned post and acceptance of murder, no matter what form.

My Writing, Day 4

“Six Feet Under the Influence,” is one of the more catchy songs, but easily the darkest. The lyrics aren’t as much a part of my own experiences as they are the experiences of peers, family and people who are abused or are the victim to destructive behavior. I wrote the lyrics as a reminder of how much a person can lose themselves to drugs, misery, lust and the lust for power. You’re not the only one in pain.

On a side not I’m not so much against drugs or sex as I am against not knowing yourself, not having self-control and still engaging in these behaviors.

“Six Feet Under the Influence”

Your actions aren’t justified

“Your words are poison.”

I’d like to break apart these shoes,

Ripping the soles away from you.

You’ll hear the words come out,

burning through (the roof of your mouth.)

In fear of becoming a monster,

You’ve become an imposter in your own mind.

You’ll never be the same once you’ve tasted blood.

You’ll be a self loathing, self created feral dog.

Chorus:

He’s six feet under,

(under the influence)

Digging himself into

(an early grave, a lonely tomb) 

We will know (someday)

What you have done.

We will know (one day)

the monster youve become.

A raised eyebrow,

the calm before the storm.

A clenched fist, a corpse to hit the floor.

You’ll never be the same. You’re going down.

Chorus.

There are no actions in his words,

Just actions for them.

There is no meaning in this moment,

Just the coroner to clock the fatal blow.

My Writing, Day 3

The lyrics to “In the Wake of Failure” are about one’s past returning to haunt them. A simple song and a simple meaning of just learning from it and embracing your experiences. They’ll only make you stronger unless you let them get the best of you. Inspiration came from both the name of the band, which is about what our past experiences (ghosts) have to offer us (the gift) as well as from my own struggles in dealing with the past.

“In the Wake of Failure”

Our vices nick like the prick from a pin,

(tearing away at your fibers)

A stitch in time to heal these wounds,

(rebuilding your life in patchwork)

You’re stepping down from this

white walled, stair well.

You’re staring the beast in the eye

as he stalks your every motion.

Each step’s a crack in your foundation.

That you’ve worked so hard to build.

Our vices nick like the prick from a pin,

(tearing away at your fibers)

A stitch in time to heal these wounds,

(rebuilding your life in patchwork)

Just get a hold,

a grip of yourself.

You’re moving backwards in time.

In this ensemble of titans

you’re only a mouse,

playing the notes all too soon.

Our vices nick like the prick from a pin,

(tearing away at your fibers)

A stitch in time to heal these wounds,

(rebuilding your life in patchwork)

Just get a hold,

a grip of yourself.

You’ve been here,

You know it all too well.

Just take it in,

the bitter taste of hell.

Our vices nick like the prick from a pin,

(tearing away at your fibers)

A stitch in time to heal these wounds,

(rebuilding your life in patchwork)

Just get a hold,

a grip of yourself.

We’re awaiting the crescendo,

the ending credits.

My Writing, Day 2 

I’ve been slacking big time with this, only because I’ve been writing lyrics and melodies to a new song ;)

The following is called “Cruising Through Clouded Minds.” I wrote it whilst in a plane. It happened like this…I had just woken up during the flight, Chicago to New York, and looked out the window. It was dusk and all I could see was a blanket of white clouds and the flashing light at the end of the wing. Within minutes the clouds cleared up and we were over the city. I felt as if I was at the top of the world, in every sense. This song, while inspired by something so normal, is about realizing all the distractions society places, getting away from them and trying to find that that individual sense of power, away from the media and away from your peers.

“Cruising Through Clouded Minds”

We’re leaving the earth,

Embarking on a path

We see just as worthy

as the last.

Oh, so fast.

We’re pulling up,

dimming the lights

that block out the stars

that dance at night.

Oh, so bright.

We will race through the barriers of sound,

Feeling like we were made to leave ground.

And oh its all for you to rest.

‘Cause silence is golden,

when the feedback is dead.

Chorus.

Watching the world through

lighthouses,

Built feet above the clouds.

Tuning out the talk show hosts,

streaming turbulence from their

mouths.

We’re breaking through the atmosphere,

the out-most sphere (burning away our fears)

This is our quest for redemption,

This is the broadcast of our dissent.

My Writing

If it isn’t obvious what this is about, then you should know its a love song. It’s about riding out the tough times and being reminded of how perfect the match is within that relationship. I used the ocean as a reference, kind of cliche, but I’ve always been around the ocean since I was a child. It was always a liberating place for me. Not only that, but, like the ocean, things can get rough and then totally calm.

“Wrestling Currents”

The tide is rising

From the phases of our faces.

And time’s lost in the rhythm

When my heartbeat races.

The air’s becoming thin

The taste of salt renews.

We wrap around so tightly,

(Drifting apart seems unlikely)

So when the sails have set across the ambient stretch.

The Ocean calls my name away from the mundane.

And I’ll hold and I’ll wait for your answer to come through.

Chorus:

Our figures meet like waves crashing down.

Trapped in the current, screaming honestly,

for my hands, outstretched, to pull you out.

We’ll embrace until the end. You’ll see.

Even when the storms are rough (We row alone)

The clouds teaming against us (We hold our own)

A flash of light to bring us down (We hope for home)

We’ll swim against the tide.

We won’t drown.

We won’t go down.

And when the sun sets over the horizon,

It’s a sight to set our eyes upon again.

Just another trek, a new stretch ‘til ground.

Chorus.

Even when the storms are rough (We row alone)

The clouds teaming against us (We hold our own)

A flash of light to bring us down (We hope for home)

We’ll swim against the tide.

We won’t drown.

We won’t go down.

My Writing (Lyrics, Poems, Rants)

So I’ve decided, starting tomorrow, during a span of ten days I will start posting some various forms of verse and prose that I have written. Some lyrics you may recognize from songs by my band, The Gift of Ghosts. I will also have a brief explanation/summary of why they were written and what they are about.

Here’s a layout of the order in which they will be posted (Subject to change):

Day 1, Wrestling Currents (Lyrics)

Day 2, Cruising Through Clouded Minds (Lyrics)

Day 3, In The Wake Of Failure (Lyrics)

Day 4, Six Feet Under The Influence (Lyrics)

Day 5, Slow Dancing Through Nine Circles (Lyrics)

Day 6, I/You Attempting to Understand Me: Apathy V. Compassion (Rant)

Day 7, 8, 9, 10 (Rants/Short Stories) I will write just for you ;)