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©2005 Din Within
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Running Time: 10:51 |
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Additional Musicians:
Mike Ian (Drums, Additional Engineering) |
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Sound Clips (MP3 format):
[ Clip 1 ]
[ Clip 2 ]
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Passing by the same old faces
Taking their lives through the routine paces
While the blue-blood sons of the fortunate ones get high
Stepford wives with saccharine graces
Hide behind white-picket pretenses
As their Good Ol' Boys consume every piece of the pie
Why waste another day? (nothing changes)
We've let them take so much away (we're cheering)
As the gray men in suits march on
American sheiks get compulsory tax,
While the governments fleece every thread off our backs
And leave us content with our hopes and our lottery dreams
For all that the rich little heiresses know
My life makes a real good reality show
But this is The Real World, and The Simple Life ain't what it seems
Why waste another day? (nothing changes)
We've let them take so much away (we're cheering)
As the gray men in suits march on to claim their victory (so deceiving)
We watched it play out on TV (they're sneering)
Playing the game by a different rule book
You scapegoat and run with the money you took from the middle class
to feed your lapdogs and sycophants
Who needs the law when the big man's on your side?
Is he speaking to you when you put aside the will of the people?
The view must be nice from the West Wing steeple.
Turn it around...
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Mark's Comment: |
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This one is another one of Josh's epic numbers — he's fond of long-format songs, and this one definitely was a bear to complete. This one, by far, exceeded my expectations. Initially, we had a great deal of difficulty getting the framework laid out; getting vocals written that satisfied us was another battle altogether.
Lyrically this was easily the most difficult song we had done together (up to that point). We labored over every phrase, rhyme and concept — literally for almost a year — before we finally ironed out the snippets and ideas that we liked into a cohesive concept that really worked for both of us. I think that the extra work and time (and aggravation) shows in the final result; the song's words really "say something" and have a real cynicism to them. The "Turn It Around" line has always been a central theme to the song, but its meaning and relevance didn't really crystalize until we'd fully fleshed out the rest of the concept. Overall, I think they're easily some of our best (and most ambitious) lyrics, and I'm really pleased with how the music turned out on this one too.
I got the nod to sing leads on this one, as it just seemed better suited to my range and tone. Instrumentally, the song is all over the map - truly a collaborative effort. And it shows; both Josh's and my musical personalities are clearly evident in this song, making it one of my favorites to date!
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Josh's Comment: |
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Mark said it best; I does loves me the long epics! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that the lyrics to this song are finished. The word "torture" notwithstanding, this song exceeded my expectations as well. The piano solo is a particular high point for me.
We're not the most political people you'll ever meet, but there seemed to be something in the air at the time that spoke to the world and put everyone on one side or the other on the political spectrum. I guess after reading the lyrics to the song you'll be able to figure out how we felt at this particular point in time. It will be interesting to see how we look back on this song in years to come; how different we may perceive the world at that point.
From a musical standpoint, Mark and I vamped off each other very well; lots of ideas were tossed about, and it was a very good collaborative effort. It's hard to remember who brought what parts to the table, as they have all been twisted, flipped, burned, scratched, broken, and otherwise abused. I remember writing the intro to be very Rush-esque; the rest is a blur at this point. :) |
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