Still haven’t heard the song. I kinda resent that I’m probably gonna eventually. Lotta worthy enough songwriters out there fighting for attention and this guy gets famous because he said something honestly kinda shitty about the poor mixed in with his lament and some of the most poisonous assholes on the planet heard in this something they could work with?
Fuck that noise. Tell ya what, tho, guy—I’ll try to keep an ear out for what you do next, give it a shot if the reviews so suggest. Not gonna write you off, that’s all, and figure that for fair enough.
There's a passage in, I think, "The Road to Wigan Pier' where Orwell talks about this - because this is a slam that the poor have had slammed at them for centuries. I'm paraphrasing wildly, but essentially he says "You're poor, you will always be poor, your life is shit. But you can spend a few pence and have a hot greasy salty packet of fish and chips and for a minute have some comfort and pleasure. And yes, cabbages and turnips would be cheaper and more healthy, but a person needs something pleasurable in their life. "
Heh, reminds me of Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses,” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Each a paean to the down and out and the loss or damage of the American Dream. And each misinterpreted by Republicans and conservatives for decades, as mindless flag-waving tripe.
The rich men (and women) north (south, east, west, and in) Richmond are not friends of the working class. While they're willing to (grudigningly) create programs that, oh... buy off the unworking with empty calories, the majority is just written off.
Whatever Anthony's intention or political persuasion might be, it's just an observation, being interpreted by those "Rich men... etc.) to be justification for the kinds of elitism that allows them to forget the working class... which may still "buy" the so-called American Dream, but are aware of the injustice of the elites.
I was waiting for music critic Robert Christgau to chime in before expressing an opinion on Oliver Anthony and his song, but it's been too long now, so fuck it. Oliver Anthony wrote a song. Not a very good song, but he poured his anger and frustration into music instead of picking up an AR15 or joining Proud Boys. That's a big plus in my book.
The poor make lousy food choices? There's a fucking self-proclaimed BILLIONAIRE who's always spotted shoving cheeseburgers into his piehole. You can't buy health.
Oliver Anthony Will Not Be Wingnuts' Jizz-Drenched Sock Puppet, Thank You
Yeah, rich men IN Richmond been fucking this guy over since, oh, since the capital moved from Williamsburg to Richmond (1780)
“We don’t want to be too harsh with Anthony, who seems like a decent guy trying to figure a few things out.”
We’ve all been there. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. (Who really gives a damn what I think anyway?)
Hope he figures it out and comes out on the side, that being, people who actually care about other people.
Still haven’t heard the song. I kinda resent that I’m probably gonna eventually. Lotta worthy enough songwriters out there fighting for attention and this guy gets famous because he said something honestly kinda shitty about the poor mixed in with his lament and some of the most poisonous assholes on the planet heard in this something they could work with?
Fuck that noise. Tell ya what, tho, guy—I’ll try to keep an ear out for what you do next, give it a shot if the reviews so suggest. Not gonna write you off, that’s all, and figure that for fair enough.
Here's my take:
One In The Struggle
I am a farmer, I’m trying to grow some food
Locked in a system that don’t do me no good
They think I’m beneath them, like the dirt under my nails
I am a farmer, but my farm is up for sale
I am a worker making money for my boss
When times are good he profits, when they’re bad we take the loss
We’re treated like children: supervised all day
I’d quit in a minute, if I didn’t need the pay
And the bottom line is greed and the
Bottom line is ignorance
and the bottom line is fear and the
Bottom line is power
And the bottom line is here and now
I have to realize
We’re all in this together
In the struggle to survive
We are one in the fight
To take control of our lives
We are one in the struggle,
We are one
I’m unemployed now
My job has taken flight
To some far country,
Where the workers have no rights
I’m deep in debt now
My insurance has expired
My wife is pregnant,
Some days I feel so tired
I am a refugee,
My country is at war
It’s the same old story,
The rich against the poor
And the rich get fatter on the
Lies the poor are fed
When I speak the truth,
They put a price upon my head
And the bottom line is greed and the
Bottom line is ignorance
and the bottom line is fear and the
Bottom line is power
And the bottom line is here and now
I have to realize
We’re all in this together
In the struggle to survive
We are one in the fight
To take control of our lives
We are one in the struggle,
We are one
I am a senior, living the golden years–
The pride of the drug firms, they’re playing on my fears–
And they’re mining my pockets to line their own with gold–
I am a senior, some days I feel so old
I am an Indian
I am an African
I am a woman
I am a homeless one
And the bottom line is greed and the
Bottom line is ignorance
and the bottom line is fear and the
Bottom line is power
And the bottom line is here and now
I have to realize
We’re all in this together
In the struggle to survive
We are one in the fight
To take control of our lives
We are one in the struggle,
We are one
1985
I don't think the Qanon line was about Qanon, I think it was about Epstein. If "And not just minors on an island somewhere" is the line in question.
It's a crappy song; an extended exercise in whining self-pity. Like a Sarah Palin Facebook post set to music.
Does this mean I'm going to have to break down and listen to the song, or are its fifteen minutes just about up?
So, about those bad food choices....
There's a passage in, I think, "The Road to Wigan Pier' where Orwell talks about this - because this is a slam that the poor have had slammed at them for centuries. I'm paraphrasing wildly, but essentially he says "You're poor, you will always be poor, your life is shit. But you can spend a few pence and have a hot greasy salty packet of fish and chips and for a minute have some comfort and pleasure. And yes, cabbages and turnips would be cheaper and more healthy, but a person needs something pleasurable in their life. "
Heh, reminds me of Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses,” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Each a paean to the down and out and the loss or damage of the American Dream. And each misinterpreted by Republicans and conservatives for decades, as mindless flag-waving tripe.
The rich men (and women) north (south, east, west, and in) Richmond are not friends of the working class. While they're willing to (grudigningly) create programs that, oh... buy off the unworking with empty calories, the majority is just written off.
Whatever Anthony's intention or political persuasion might be, it's just an observation, being interpreted by those "Rich men... etc.) to be justification for the kinds of elitism that allows them to forget the working class... which may still "buy" the so-called American Dream, but are aware of the injustice of the elites.
I was waiting for music critic Robert Christgau to chime in before expressing an opinion on Oliver Anthony and his song, but it's been too long now, so fuck it. Oliver Anthony wrote a song. Not a very good song, but he poured his anger and frustration into music instead of picking up an AR15 or joining Proud Boys. That's a big plus in my book.
The poor make lousy food choices? There's a fucking self-proclaimed BILLIONAIRE who's always spotted shoving cheeseburgers into his piehole. You can't buy health.
I grew up on Billy Bragg and saw him shortly after Thatcher died.
He said a rude word, and I’ve never cheered louder.
And if you’ve never heard “Between the wars” do yourself a favor and rectify that.
The Beau video I mentioned earlier about Oliver Anthony Wilis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-Ch0y6ZvE
weird how only rightwing weirdos pounced on that song. gee, almost as though it was written for them despite what singing brillo pad is saying now.
Anyone else here love The Dropkick Murphys? They are a really lovely bunch of guys. ❤️ ☘️