Comfortable Disappearance

Yipes, that was a fast week. This week’s solution is in preparation for this weekend. Dana and I are going to “Operation Cease-Fire.” The larger theme behind the event is an anti-war protest. I definitely don’t have the patience to spell out my opinions on the war here, but I’ll say this. I didn’t agree with it in the beginning. I don’t disagree that spreading democracy is good, but I think what we did was wrong. I don’t agree that we should pull our troops out now. Like I said, explaining my feelings behind those ideas is a different post for a different time.

Song of the week #2 is:
“Ballad of the Sin Eater” - Ted Leo & Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
This song is about being American outside of America, and how its difficult to be an outsider at home for being against a war, but then being an outsider abroad, because people had such strong negative feelings about the Americans because of the war. I think it’s well-written, and I got to play tambourine during it when I saw the Pharmacists in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry

When you run, Digger, Runner, Listener, Thief,
you carry it all with you.

Today I woke up uncertain,
and you know that gives me the fits,
so I left this land of fungible convictions
because it seemed like the pits.

And when I say, “convictions,” I mean it’s something to abjure,
and when I say, “uncertain,” I mean to doubt I’ll not turn out a caricature.
So I went off in search of my forebears,
‘coz my forbearance was in need,,
but the only job I could get in Dear Old Blighty
was working on the railway between Selby and Leeds.
So led by ferry to Belfast, where I had cause to think:
they wanted none of my arm-chair convictions
but nobody seemed to mind when I was putting on the drinks! Yeah!

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
Ah, but they hate you, and they hate you ‘coz you’re guilty, so…

I stayed out all night in Ibiza,
by way of San Sebastian, where they said
“Yanque, you better watch what you’re sayin’, unless you’re sayin’
it in Basque or in Catalan!”
Then all the way east to Novi-sad,
where nary a bridge was to be seen,
but Mother Russia, she laid her pontoons on down,
so I crossed over, if you know what I mean…
Then on the road to Damascus,
yes, the scales, they fell from my eyes,
and the simplest lesson I learned at The Mount of Olives: that everybody lies.
And the French Foreign Legion -
you know they did their best - but I never believed in T.E. Lawrence,
so how the hell could I believe in Beau Gest? Huh?

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
Ah, but they hate you, and they hate you ‘coz you’re guilty, and…

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you?
Why would you think they would hate you, now would you?
Ah, but they hate you, make no mistake they hate you.

I spent a night in Kigali in a five diamond hotel,
where maybe someday, they’ll do the Wa-Tutsi on down in Hutu hell.
And I fell in with a merchant marine who promised to take me home,
but when I woke up all beaten and bloodied,
I couldn’t tell if it was Jersey or Sierra Leone! C’mon!

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could have you, now did you?
Ah, but they hate you, and they hate you coz you’re guilty…

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you?
Why would you think they would hate you, now would you?
Ah, but they hate you, make no mistake, they hate you.

And the knocking in my head, just like the knocking at my door.
And maybe it was me or maybe it was my brother,
but either me or me and him went down to the bar,
where I got seven Powers in me for to give me the cure,
but when seven Powers failed to spin me,
I had to get me seven more.
And when I say, “me,” I mean my brain.
And when I say, “give me the cure,” I mean to kill the pain.
And when I say, “kill the pain,” I mean to get the Devil out.
And when I say, “Devil,” I mean the Manifestation of Doubt! What about?

And you didn’t think they could hate you,
Aow did you you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
Ah, but they hate you, make no mistake - they hate you…

And you didn’t think they could hate you, now did you?
You didn’t think they could hate you?
Why would you think they would hate you, now would you?
Ah, but they hate you, make no mistake, they hate you.

~Ted Leo