1. |
Hail To The Cheato
04:38
|
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I remember riding up to the 26th floor…
Million dollar views and really, really bad décor
And the people below looked like small little ants,
You looked down-and proclaimed, you were king-of-this-town
As did your sycophants
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
As I tried to explain the nice shiny design
When your eyes locked with mine,
you said, “I want a bigger sign”
With nothing left to discuss, we presented the bill,
then you shrugged, and asked if we were on drugs,
and told us “if you dress, you better dress to kill”
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
You built foundations That were made of sand
But there was one thing you could understand
The disenfranchised and disqualified
,
were never really taken for a ride
A message for a short attention span
And all presented by a business man.
Oh man.
Oh Man.
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
I caught your face when I turned on my bedroom TV
A talking head was looking distressed,
saying you would not concede
And I was laughing when they cut to you calling them “thieves”
because I know, that you will never let go
and there's nobody left, nobody left to believe
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
So Hail to the Cheeto
You were just another brand,
You were just another brand,
|
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2. |
So Bourgeois
04:32
|
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V1
He was stuck in an overheated, packed commuter, train,
when he thought he heard someone call out, he thought he heard his name.
Looking into a crowd of faces, filling up the space,
while the guy to his right, was staring, at his phone, while trying to whisper,
to a girl who was clutching a suitcase.
CHORUS
And we are so bourgeois, but we all think we’re stars.
We want to have much more, than what life’s got in store,
dear me, we are the bourgeoisie.
V2
He was down on his luck and frankly, he was quite depressed.
Then a guy at the gym had told him about his hypnotherapist
.
Thumbing through an old magazine inside a waiting room,
and he couldn’t help overhearing, someone say, in muffled tones,
“imagine you’re crawling right back into the womb”
.
CHORUS
And we are so bourgeois, but we all think we’re stars.
We want to have much more, than what life’s got in store,
dear me, we are the bourgeoisie
.
BRIDGE
And some of us make it, and some of us fake it,
But most of us wouldn’t know where to be begin
But personally I don’t think it’s a sin, to want to reach up,
instead of throw up
, as the new day,
as the new day breaks in.
V3
If you peak through the artifice, try not to get confused.
it’s always better to leave the cave, than stay and be abused.
You may not be the type who thinks they need to see real light
But unless you can break the cycle, of delusion, and try and climb out,
I’m afraid you’ll lose more than your eyesight
CHORUS
And we are so bourgeois, but we all think, we’re stars.
We want to have much more, than what life’s got in store,
dear me, we are the bourgeoisie
.
Dear me, we are the bourgeoisie
.
Dear me.
|
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3. |
Captain Taso's Belly
04:10
|
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V1
He wore a cross on a chain, on his chest,
the size of his Zippo lighter.
I saw it glinting, all covered in sweat,
as he was talking and drinking,
ouzo and coffee.
V2
And I had met him just a few days before, in a taxi out of the airport.
I saw him sitting when I opened the door,
when the
driver said “the captain always rides with me, and his belly rides for free…”
CHORUS
Captain Taso’s Belly, Captain Taso’s Belly!
It was legendary, Captain Taso’s Belly
.
V3
He spoke of things he had seen and had learned,
and how he hated ground so solid.
And always nauseous upon his return,
his
breath and his insight, left us,
almost blinded.
V4
It was as if he had swallowed a globe,
and a world was deep in side-him.
He even told me that during some war,
he once cheated death
,
by shooting in all directions,
and casually crawling away.
CHORUS
Captain Taso’s Belly, Captain Taso’s Belly!
It was legendary, Captain Taso’s Belly
.
BRIDGE
And in this age of irony, and time of moral turpitude,
the Captain turned and looked at me,
declaring “we're so very screwed”
.
And as he reached out for the ice,
he poured a drink and changed his mood
.
His eyes looked out on to the blue, and found a sea of solitude.
SOLO
CHORUS
Captain Taso’s Belly, Captain Ta-so’s Belly!
It was legendary, Captain Ta-so’s Belly
.
Captain Taso’s Belly, Captain Ta-so’s Belly!
It was legendary, Captain Ta-so’s Belly
.
|
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4. |
||||
V1
Floating out on a silver sea, she
started to yawn and drift away,
and
as if on cue,
she would wake up need to be rescued.
Walking across a windswept beach, his
profit and losses occupied,
that
space in his brain
that was always the home of his migraines
.
REFRAIN
I’m back in my chair, and I’m under my hat,
I think to myself, "I’m all finished with that".
And all of these scenes, have been played out before,
the tragic, the comic, the mostly ignored.
V2
I never was one to hesitate
and maybe I’m done,
I can’t be sure,
but soon, very soon
change will come like the phase of a new moon
I’m so resolute it’s comical, and
I’m not being cute when I declare,
these
opening lines
of the story I’m writing, are all mine
.
REFRAIN
With my sunglasses on, as I work on my tan,
The speakers are spitting old Steely Dan
.
I look at the people, lined up on the shore,
the tragic, the comic, the mostly ignored
BRIDGE
And I'm so very bored…
no, It isn’t hard to see
that I make bad company
And furthermore
,
In my clever repartee
hides ingrained misanthropy.
And there isn’t much that I would answer for
,
No there isn’t much that I would answer for.
SOLO
REFRAIN
I’m back at a job, and I stare at a screen,
I’m telling myself it was all just a dream
And all of these thoughts, I have thought of before
the tragic, the comic, the mostly ignored
CODA
Floating out on a silver sea, she
started to yawn and drift away,
and
as if on cue,
she would wake up need to be rescued.
|
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5. |
The Comedian
04:11
|
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V1
I had a way of veiling words they were afraid to hear.
I never cared what others thought, I was quite cavalier
.
I mocked their outrage, as I firmly got inside their heads
.
And when they’d lash out, I’d roll over and play very dead.
REFRAIN
Yeah, I know you’ve heard the stories,
and I know you’ve heard the rumors.
There was no one who could ever match my vicious sense of humor…
V2
I used to crack jokes as I’d come across these pompous fools
.
Nothing but nervous laughter followed on by ridicule
.
Sometimes my comebacks worked just like a thousand little cuts
They found the alcohol but they could never find their guts.
REFRAIN
Yeah, I know you’ve heard the stories, and I know you’ve heard the rumors.
There was no one who could ever match my vicious sense of humor.
I know you’ve heard the stories,
and I know you’ve heard the rumors.
But the one thing that I never lost was my goddam sense of humor.
BRIDGE
And they called me, “the comedian”,
and you all know what that implied,
they were appalled and mortified
.
No, I answered to no one,
and no one was surprised,
That the best part of my jokes,
occurred after the laughter died.
SOLO
V3
I liked to make sport of, both low and high, society.
I meted mockery with equal opportunity.
And all my critics said that I took nothing seriously,
Turns out my wit exposed a bit too much hypocrisy.
REFRAIN
Yeah, I know you’ve heard the stories,
and I know you’ve heard the rumors.
There was no one who could ever match my vicious sense of humor…
I know you’ve heard the stories,
and I know you’ve heard the rumors.
But the one thing that I never lost was my goddam sense of humor…
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6. |
Miss Ambition
03:41
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V1
She ran out of platitudes
And so she lost my interest
And so I changed my attitude
devoted to indifferent
V2
She lifted me, and let me fall
She failed me in her mission
And so I finally say goodbye, goodbye to Miss Ambition
REFRAIN
And I’ll be sitting here, until I’m forced to sell my gear
You never quite own anything, anyway
You’re only a custodian
Custodian
V3/SOLO
V4
I must admit I feel relieved
And somewhat disillusioned
To think I could be so naïve
With her foregone conclusion
REFRAIN
And I’ll be sitting here, packing up my souvenirs
You never quite own anything, anyway
You’re only a custodian
BRIDGE
When I lost my sanity
She gently whispered
“All is vanity”
Like a cobweb in a window frame
try to sweep away the sense of shame
what a shame
V3
She lifted me, and let me fall
She failed me in her mission
And so I finally say goodbye, goodbye to Miss Ambition
And so I finally say goodbye, goodbye to Miss Ambition
And so I finally say goodbye, goodbye to Miss Ambition
|
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7. |
Going On Strike
03:42
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V1
I saw what they are from teh way they attack
Declaring opinions all criminal acts
The Wokes and the Jokes, they don't know I'm awake
They don't want me to bend, they all want me to break
REFRAIN
And all of their grievances and all of their blame,
does more than reveal why the feel so enraged
Yeah I'm gonna take good old Ayn Rand’s advice
Let them do what they want, cause I’m going on strike
Yeah you do what you want, cause I’m going on strike
V2
I saw the world change right in front of my eyes
they have dumbed it all down, I can't say I'm surprised
And all of their slogans were just subterfuge
And their leaders did nothing but make you a stooge
RFRAIN
I understand now that my vote doesn't count
If I say the wrong thing then my voice is drowned out
So all of you heathens come on, let’s unite
Let them do what they want, cause we’re going on strike
Yeah we’re going on strike
BRIDGE
And I will enjoy grinding things to halt,
And watch their confusion while I yell
“I’m John Galt!”
And I’ll relish the chaos, and panic, and fear
As the hand that they’ve bitten, becomes Mutineer
V3 SOLO
V4
They make accusations, and twist up my words
But they'll never make me a part of their herd
They'll have me arrested, and put me on trial
But they don't have much time, so they''l have me exiled
REFRAIN
They've made it quite clear
That I have no defense
I am guilty as sin
There's no need for pretense
So all of you fools on the Left and the Right
You can say what you want, cause I’m going on strike
Yeah I'm going on strike
Pour gas on the old world and set it alight
Let them do what they want, cause I'm going on strike!
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8. |
Letter To A Friend
03:43
|
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V1
I remember you, from way back when
I remember you, from when before we were men
.
We walked along the beach
,
spoke of things just out of reach
.
We never practiced what they preached
.
But that was then
.
V2
And how the time has passed, before our eyes
.
Oh how the time has passed, like some forgotten battle cry.
When all the colors seemed,
to shimmer in some vibrant dream
.
We always had some scheme
.
And now its passed us by
.
BRIDGE
Smell of the sea air,
the salt in our hair,
we didn’t have a care,
the light was everywhere.
The hours and the days,
lost in a summer haze
how fast it slipped away,
our summer holiday.
V3
And suns begin to set, I’ll see the afterglow.
And suns begin to set, And we say, “everything flows”.
There’s less ahead, and more behind,
and some of it, time out of mind.
It’s getting harder to define
.
There’s no denying that we’ve grown.
I remember you, from way back when.
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9. |
Parmenides
04:27
|
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V1
I was in a room and bathed in candlelight
All alone, I thought, and lost my appetite
Conversations I imagined pressed my luck
Revelations hit and left me thunderstruck
REFRAIN
What’s that I see?
An Apogee
And its all in my head,
Yes its all in my head
He said whatever is, is
and what is not, can’t be
So said Parmenides
And So he said to me
So he said to me
V2
I thought back to the time when we were hairy fools,
swinging from the trees, but we were making tools
As Eons passed, we needed a theology
Those gods we made reflected our psychology
REFRAIN
What’s that I see?
An Apogee
And its all in my head
Yes its all in my head
Out of nothing, nothing comes
and what is not, can’t be
So said Parmenides
And So he said to me
BRIDGE
And while I never thought, that I was qualified
I never had the need for any type of guide
The world we see is just perceived reality
We are floating in a boundless, timeless sea
I no longer have a fear of the unknown,
Everything is one and so we’re not alone
I think I see collisions but it’s poetry,
A still and moving natural cosmogeny
REFRAIN
What’s that I see?
An Apogee
And its all in my head
Yes its all in my head
Out of nothing, nothing comes
and what is not, can’t be
So said Parmenides
And So he said to me
|
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10. |
Neither Circle or Square
04:06
|
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V1
You can’t decide if you are coming or are going
You’re breathing faster and yet everything is slowing
REFRAIN
Yes you are sitting around
and you are waiting for yet
another shoe to fall
Yes you are sitting around and
you are waiting for yet another
Shoe to fall away. Just like everyday…
CHORUS
A
To question everything
and where it ends and begins
to be both here, and be there
And neither circle or square
V2
You’re not quite sure if what you’re thinking is believing
and is it knowledge to know what you are perceiving?
REFRAIN
Yes you are sitting around
and you are waiting for yet
another shoe to fall
Yes you are sitting around and
you are waiting for yet another
Shoe to fall away. Just like everyday
CHORUS
To question everything
and where it ends and begins
to be both here, and be there
And neither circle or square
BRIDGE
And its too strange outside
you’d rather go, around and round in your mind
Yes its too strange outside
You'd rather go round and round
Yes
rather go round and round
in you mind
CHORUS
To never start and be done
to be both many and one
to be both here, and be there
and neither circle or square
and neither circle or square
|
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11. |
Sacrificial Lambs
04:40
|
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VERSE 1
Man, what was he looking at?
At first I thought, he might be made, of stone
The light had gone out in the sky,
and when he tried to speak, I heard him groan
CHORUS
And we were standing out in the street
We saw the ashes fall to our feet
And from a distance, we felt the heat
The air was burning, and tasted bittersweet
VERSE 2
It’s always hard to sleep at night,
With phony rebels in some foreign land
And even though I try to hide,
The bastards helped me earn my pension plan
CHORUS
And I was running out in a street
Dodging the Bullets, on hot concrete
And I was nothing, a piece of meat
Another number on some bureaucratic balance sheet
BRIDGE
When I was going down,
right down to Chinatown
Like all those other clown
Who didn’t give a damn
It’s now so plain to see
not friends or enemies
to them we’re all debris
Just sacrificial lambs
VERSE
No, it wasn’t country, or beliefs,
I finally learned who I was fighting for
Names that always draw a blank
dressed so well, and rotten to the core
CHORUS
And they are hiding, up in their suites
They watch the chaos, from front row seats
Risking a victory, hedging defeat
The taste of conflict, is often bittersweet
|
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12. |
History Rhymes
04:07
|
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V1
Like a sour note you barely hear,
that’s in an otherwise,
beautiful and perfect chord
that’s lurking in disguise
There’s that slightest trace of dissonance
growing louder in your ears
It betrays a bigger underlying
noise that interferes
CHORUS
All the time,
All the time
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
And I don’t even care
No I don’t agonize
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
V2
Yes I see them on again tonight,
it’s become so Kafka-esque,
Big words about the day’s events
But I’m not too damn impressed
And they sit there and pontificate,
looking bloated on my screen
Wearing somber suits, and heartfelt looks
self-righteous, and obscene
CHORUS
All the time,
All the time
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
And I don’t even care
No I don’t agonize
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
BRIDGE
Don’t mess with the masses.
Don’t mess with the masses.
before you say that on the air
Send an email, check with legal
Covering your asses?
Are you covering your asses?
Make sure you stick in a disclaimer
Slander people, pay them later
SOLO
V3
I was talking to a guy today
who leaves nothing to chance
he goes online and tweets away
and gets news in advance
They sometimes like to use the term
called “freedom of the press”
to them objective truth is dead even when it’s not suppressed
CHORUS
All the time,
All the time
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
And I don’t even care
No I don’t agonize
Truth is a lie
History rhymes
LIARS
|
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13. |
||||
V1
In your thankless city
you'd think one learns a lesson from mistakes.
But you are one of many fools.
A minnow drowning in a giant filthy lake.
V2
Think back to that moment
it dawned on you, you'd never be that great.
Is that when you decided,
you'd need to ride on lives like mine to change your fate?
CHORUS
I am the disappearing architect you say
and hope you finally get your raise.
And what I saw is how you misdirect and lie.
Were you upset they passed you by, when they gave out looks?
And brains?
V3
From one screen to another,
you jumped and tried to cut through all the noise
Inconsequential "breaking news".
Your worthless, uninspired ploy.
V4
And what did you accomplish
telling them I vanished when I'm here?
Was it an act of desperation?
And was it the irrelevance you really feared?
CHORUS
I am the disappearing architect to you
because you said it must be true.
And all that phony moral outrage that I hear,
is rather funny as they've come to call me
Albert Speer
BRIDGE
You were there, pretending to care
duplicitous in all that you wrote
we both know, this was not really about me
but a grandiose fantasy
you tried to shove right down people's throats
CHORUS
I am the disappearing architect for now
It fits your narrative somehow
As you wait to for it to take effect, I'm here.
And thanks for all the help in resurrecting
my career
my career
my career
my career
(I didn't disappear)
my career
(I didn't disappear)
my career
(I didn't disappear)
my career
(I didn't disappear)
|
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14. |
I Go Inside
05:00
|
|||
V1
I see a snake eating it’s tail,
An ourobouros like a coffin nail
And all those glasses filled with wine,
they’ve helped me block out all this passing time
I saw a cow on my TV,
Her udders burst with slander aimed at me
REFRAIN
With all the masses being led like fools,
led to be slaughtered with precision tools
CHORUS
I go inside, I go inside
I go inside, I go inside
V2
I’ve heard they work away their day,
there was a time I used to work that way
They’re on a sea searching for land,
the more they see, the less they understand
And in a land where most are blind,
the one-eyed jokers are the masterminds.
REFRAIN
And I don’t really care about some cause.
Don’t really care about much anymore.
CHORUS
I go inside I go inside
I go inside I go inside
BRIDGE
My father found himself surrounded,
by big-eared, heavy breathing peasants
in positions of authority,
And I suspect I know who put them there.
The stench of their streets, the stench of their breath,
All combined, to remind him, of the stench of death,
it's ancient history, yet once again,
Its permeating through the air
V3/SOLO
V4
I’m told to keep my head down low,
and play along with all the puppet shows
I’ve heard they’re giving out rewards,
to people helping you fall on your sword.
And what goes on behind the scenes,
shouldn’t concern the likes of you and me
(or so they say)
REFRAIN
And what I see, I cannot recognize,
I have no need for brave new worlds outside.
CHORUS
I go inside, I go inside
I go inside, I go inside
I go inside, I go inside
I go inside, I go inside
|
Empty City Squares New Jersey
John Fotiadis (AKA "Yanni" to his friends), is an Architect by day and a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist the rest of
the time. Over the last 15+ years he's written and recorded music for film, Theater, TV, and Podcasts.
Yanni loves old rock and roll and blues and a lot of music from the UK. Empty City Squares is his sometimes real / sometimes virtual band.
... more
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