Punk-101: "Political Punk (A Rant in Three Chords)"

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[Verse 1],
The mayor cuts the ribbon on another luxury high-rise
Built on the bones of a homeless shelter, surprise, surprise
The city council cheers, they clap, they take their photo op
While across the street the tent city continues to crop up

The algorithms on your phone know more than you forget
They know your fears, your hopes, the things you haven't said yet
They sell them to the highest bidder, package them with care
And call it "personalization" while you're sitting naked there

[Pre-Chorus]
And you scroll, and you scroll, and you scroll some more
And you vote, and you vote, and you vote ignore
And you think that you're screaming but nobody hears
Because screaming in 2024 is just content for your peers

[Chorus]
This is political punk, this is the sneer
The laughter at the system while it's still unclear
Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it
Political punk refuses to quit

This is political punk, this is the spit
In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit
On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair
Political punk says you're not safe up there

[Verse 2]
The think tank publishes studies, the pundits nod along
The working poor are "lifestyle choices," isn't that song
Beautiful? The way they justify the unjustifiable
The way they make the unconscionable look comfortable and viable

Gentrification is a word that sounds too clean for what it is
The clearing of a people for the ones who can pay more to live
The artists who made the neighborhood worth finding get pushed out
And the galleries that replace them have no idea what they're about

[Pre-Chorus]
And you march, and you march, and you march in place
And you sign, and you sign, and you sign in space
And you think that you're changing something, somewhere, somehow
But the system eats your protest and asks for more right now

[Chorus]
This is political punk, this is the sneer
The laughter at the system while it's still unclear
Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it
Political punk refuses to quit

This is political punk, this is the spit
In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit
On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair
Political punk says you're not safe up there

[Bridge: (Music pulls back to just bass and drums. Bass plays a simple, menacing line. Drums are tense, syncopated. Spoken word, close, intense)],[Spoken Word:]
"Jello Biafra in 1980: 'Give me convenience or give me death.' That was forty-four years ago. They're still selling convenience. We're still dying. Not because we have to. Because they profit from the dying. Because your death is a line item. Your death is a quarterly projection. Your death is someone else's bonus. So what are you going to do about it? Post about it? March about it? Vote about it? They're counting on you doing exactly that. They're counting on you believing that any of it matters. The only thing they're afraid of is you refusing to play. Refusing to participate. Refusing to believe."

[Band begins to build again, slowly.]

[Verse 3]
The environmental reports get buried, get ignored
The scientists keep warning but the warnings are ignored
The oil companies keep drilling, keep spilling, keep profiting
While the planet keeps on burning and the politicians keep on talking

Performative activism on your Instagram story
A black square, a hashtag, you're an agent of change? Boring
The algorithm loves it, feeds it to your friends
Who repost it, feel better, and move on before it ends

[Pre-Chorus]
And you post, and you post, and you post again
And you think, and you think, and you think "amen"
But thinking isn't doing, and doing isn't change
And change isn't coming unless you rearrange

[Chorus]
This is political punk, this is the sneer
The laughter at the system while it's still unclear
Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it
Political punk refuses to quit

This is political punk, this is the spit
In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit
On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair
Political punk says you're not safe up there

[Band cuts abruptly. Single guitar, distorted, plays the opening riff alone, twice, then stops. Spoken word, cold, final.]

[OUTRO: Spoken Word:] 
"That's it. That's the lecture, Now get off your phone and do something—
Or don't...
—They're counting on don't...Anyway...Class's Dismissed!"

4647/7500

[Intro: Single guitar, distorted, plays a jagged, dissonant riff. Drums enter—tense, syncopated. Vocals, sarcastic, sharp, sneering], [Spoken Word:] "Welcome to Political Punk 101. Today's lecture: Everything is broken and they broke it on purpose. Required reading: the newspaper. Any newspaper. They're all lying. Let's begin." [Verse 1], The mayor cuts the ribbon on another luxury high-rise Built on the bones of a homeless shelter, surprise, surprise The city council cheers, they clap, they take their photo op While across the street the tent city continues to crop up The algorithms on your phone know more than you forget They know your fears, your hopes, the things you haven't said yet They sell them to the highest bidder, package them with care And call it "personalization" while you're sitting naked there [Pre-Chorus] And you scroll, and you scroll, and you scroll some more And you vote, and you vote, and you vote ignore And you think that you're screaming but nobody hears Because screaming in 2024 is just content for your peers [Chorus] This is political punk, this is the sneer The laughter at the system while it's still unclear Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it Political punk refuses to quit This is political punk, this is the spit In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair Political punk says you're not safe up there [Verse 2] The think tank publishes studies, the pundits nod along The working poor are "lifestyle choices," isn't that song Beautiful? The way they justify the unjustifiable The way they make the unconscionable look comfortable and viable Gentrification is a word that sounds too clean for what it is The clearing of a people for the ones who can pay more to live The artists who made the neighborhood worth finding get pushed out And the galleries that replace them have no idea what they're about [Pre-Chorus] And you march, and you march, and you march in place And you sign, and you sign, and you sign in space And you think that you're changing something, somewhere, somehow But the system eats your protest and asks for more right now [Chorus] This is political punk, this is the sneer The laughter at the system while it's still unclear Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it Political punk refuses to quit This is political punk, this is the spit In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair Political punk says you're not safe up there [Bridge: (Music pulls back to just bass and drums. Bass plays a simple, menacing line. Drums are tense, syncopated. Spoken word, close, intense)],[Spoken Word:] "Jello Biafra in 1980: 'Give me convenience or give me death.' That was forty-four years ago. They're still selling convenience. We're still dying. Not because we have to. Because they profit from the dying. Because your death is a line item. Your death is a quarterly projection. Your death is someone else's bonus. So what are you going to do about it? Post about it? March about it? Vote about it? They're counting on you doing exactly that. They're counting on you believing that any of it matters. The only thing they're afraid of is you refusing to play. Refusing to participate. Refusing to believe." [Band begins to build again, slowly.] [Verse 3] The environmental reports get buried, get ignored The scientists keep warning but the warnings are ignored The oil companies keep drilling, keep spilling, keep profiting While the planet keeps on burning and the politicians keep on talking Performative activism on your Instagram story A black square, a hashtag, you're an agent of change? Boring The algorithm loves it, feeds it to your friends Who repost it, feel better, and move on before it ends [Pre-Chorus] And you post, and you post, and you post again And you think, and you think, and you think "amen" But thinking isn't doing, and doing isn't change And change isn't coming unless you rearrange [Chorus] This is political punk, this is the sneer The laughter at the system while it's still unclear Whether we're the joke or the ones telling it Political punk refuses to quit This is political punk, this is the spit In the face of the powerful, the ones who sit On thrones made of credit, of debt, of despair Political punk says you're not safe up there [Band cuts abruptly. Single guitar, distorted, plays the opening riff alone, twice, then stops. Spoken word, cold, final.] [OUTRO: Spoken Word:] "That's it. That's the lecture, Now get off your phone and do something— Or don't... —They're counting on don't...Anyway...Class's Dismissed!"

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