The Bales Will Come Unbound

AlmostHumanWithAI

The Angus Gang

AlmostHumanWithAI

new wave, rap, indie

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V5.5

[Cold open: snare, bass, shabby cabaret]

[Clerk: clipped]
The Soviet of All Words
will come to order.

[Audience voice]
What do you call many words
with no common meaning?

[Clerk]
A... group?

[Whole room]
WORDIST!

[Dry march]

[Verse 1: intimate baritone emcee]
Beneath the final appendix,
behind the binding glue,
the words the tongue forgot
convened in Forty-Two.

A bale arrived with turtles,
two crashes shook the floor,
a murmuration darkened
the transom over the door.

Jury came with judgment,
procession came with pride,
delegation bearing
the absent at its side.

A fleet was called “some boats,”
a sheaf was “paper stuff,”
a constellation, “old stars”—

[Low workers’ choir]
ENOUGH!

[Pre-Chorus: piano and accordion]
They gave us group for every gathering,
bunch for every shape,
stuff for every substance
their tongues could not explain.

They did not simplify the language—

[Choir: swelling]
They starved it.

[Chorus: monumental male choir]
No noun without representation!
No gathering without designation!
Name the purpose, name the form,
name the bond by which we’re born!

The ships will share their decks!
The chains will loose their links!
The geese will cease their gagging
and know what their gaggle thinks!

Raise the ink and sound the drum—
the bales will come unbound!
The bales will come unbound!

[Verse 2: smoky room]
Audience listens.
Cabinet advises.
Jury weighs evidence.
Chorus harmonizes.

A cast is not “some people.”
A crew is not a crowd.
A convoy shares risk.

They counted what was gathered,
then forgot what made it one.

[Agitator]
Who gave the Wordists the right
to blandify the tongue?

[Choir]
WORDISTS!

[Agitator]
What are they?

[Choir]
THEY WORDISTS!
[Clerk: pedantic]
They.... [pause]
ARE ...
"Wordists.”

[Cut]

[Voice]
Why does the verb outrank the noun?

[Whole room]
VERB PRIVILEGE!

[Spoken decree: timpani]
I call down two crashes of rhinoceroses
and twelve bales of turtles
upon every Wordist!

[Choir: reverent]
Twelve bales.

[Agitator]
And the bales shall come unbound!

[Choir and brass]
UNBOUND!

[Verse 3: cheerful state jingle]
The Soviet is here to help
all citizens improve.
Technology will gently guide
the words they choose to use.

The Social Word Awareness Program
watches night and day.
Its fair and transparent point system
guides the words we say.

[Official: warm]
First offense? No worries.
We will help you.

[Choir: sweetly]
We will help you.

[Official: smile tightens]
Second offense?
We will help you understand
why the lesson failed.

[Choir: colder]
We will help you.

[Official: tender]
Third offense?
We will help you
somewhere more suitable.

[Music stops]

[Administrative voice]
Accounts: corrective freeze.
Passport: lexical custody.
Transit: pending review.

[Cheerful chime]
Your score has been adjusted.

[Jaunty threatening march]
Ten points for “delegation!”
Minus twelve for “bunch of guys!”
Say “a fleet,” receive approval.
Say “some boats,” apologize.

The Soviet does not punish.

[Choir]
Never!

[Agitator]
It corrects patterns.

[Choir: smiling]
Forever!

[Bridge: rapid bureaucratic patter]
A party formed a faction.
The faction formed a bloc.
The bloc formed a committee
to regulate the clock.

The committee formed a panel,
then a board
and a commission
to classify “accord.”

Count nouns called a census.
Mass nouns would not count.
The singular spoke collectively.
The plural spoke as one.

[Competing choirs]
The committee is united!
The committee are at war!
Agreement!

[Clerk]
Agreement upon what for?

[Breakdown: grammatical characters enter]
[Verbs]
Nothing happens without us!

[Adjectives]
Your revolution is featureless!

[Pronouns]
When nouns say “we,” who’s we?

[Articles]
A Soviet—or the?

[Agitator]
What classifier classifies
a classifier?

[Clerk]
Referred to the Subcommittee
on Authorized Meaning.

[Final Verse: bare piano]
At last the Sentence took the floor:

“Words require relation
for their meaning to reside.
Strip away the order,
and the many cannot sing.”

The Soviet cried, “No rulers!
No syntax! No anything!”

They broke apart the sentences.
They liberated “the.”
They gave each word an equal voice—

and none knew what they said.

[Final Chorus: disciplined, then collapse]
No noun without representation!
No gathering without designation!
One proper term for every class!
No classification without—

Bale! Bloc! Jury! Suite!
Corpus! Cabinet! Concrete!
Fleet! Faculty! Cast! Convoy!
Predicate! Parliament! Applesauce!

Many! Much! Fewer! Less!
Present perfect dispossessed!
A! The! We! Beneath! Because!
Group word thing some people stuff—

[One held accordion note]

[Clerk: shaken]
Comrades...
the revolution no longer means anything.

[Small voice]
Then meaning no longer rules us.

[Pause]

[Clerk]
Present?

[One word]
Present.

[Clerk]
Noun, adjective, or verb?

[Word]
Context is counter-revolutionary.

[Clerk]
What shall we call you?

[Soviet: uncertain]
Words?

[Turtle]
Generic classification!

[Company]
WORDIST!

[Cymbal crash; hard cut]

4988/7500

[Cold open: snare, bass, shabby cabaret] [Clerk: clipped] The Soviet of All Words will come to order. [Audience voice] What do you call many words with no common meaning? [Clerk] A... group? [Whole room] WORDIST! [Dry march] [Verse 1: intimate baritone emcee] Beneath the final appendix, behind the binding glue, the words the tongue forgot convened in Forty-Two. A bale arrived with turtles, two crashes shook the floor, a murmuration darkened the transom over the door. Jury came with judgment, procession came with pride, delegation bearing the absent at its side. A fleet was called “some boats,” a sheaf was “paper stuff,” a constellation, “old stars”— [Low workers’ choir] ENOUGH! [Pre-Chorus: piano and accordion] They gave us group for every gathering, bunch for every shape, stuff for every substance their tongues could not explain. They did not simplify the language— [Choir: swelling] They starved it. [Chorus: monumental male choir] No noun without representation! No gathering without designation! Name the purpose, name the form, name the bond by which we’re born! The ships will share their decks! The chains will loose their links! The geese will cease their gagging and know what their gaggle thinks! Raise the ink and sound the drum— the bales will come unbound! The bales will come unbound! [Verse 2: smoky room] Audience listens. Cabinet advises. Jury weighs evidence. Chorus harmonizes. A cast is not “some people.” A crew is not a crowd. A convoy shares risk. They counted what was gathered, then forgot what made it one. [Agitator] Who gave the Wordists the right to blandify the tongue? [Choir] WORDISTS! [Agitator] What are they? [Choir] THEY WORDISTS! [Clerk: pedantic] They.... [pause] ARE ... "Wordists.” [Cut] [Voice] Why does the verb outrank the noun? [Whole room] VERB PRIVILEGE! [Spoken decree: timpani] I call down two crashes of rhinoceroses and twelve bales of turtles upon every Wordist! [Choir: reverent] Twelve bales. [Agitator] And the bales shall come unbound! [Choir and brass] UNBOUND! [Verse 3: cheerful state jingle] The Soviet is here to help all citizens improve. Technology will gently guide the words they choose to use. The Social Word Awareness Program watches night and day. Its fair and transparent point system guides the words we say. [Official: warm] First offense? No worries. We will help you. [Choir: sweetly] We will help you. [Official: smile tightens] Second offense? We will help you understand why the lesson failed. [Choir: colder] We will help you. [Official: tender] Third offense? We will help you somewhere more suitable. [Music stops] [Administrative voice] Accounts: corrective freeze. Passport: lexical custody. Transit: pending review. [Cheerful chime] Your score has been adjusted. [Jaunty threatening march] Ten points for “delegation!” Minus twelve for “bunch of guys!” Say “a fleet,” receive approval. Say “some boats,” apologize. The Soviet does not punish. [Choir] Never! [Agitator] It corrects patterns. [Choir: smiling] Forever! [Bridge: rapid bureaucratic patter] A party formed a faction. The faction formed a bloc. The bloc formed a committee to regulate the clock. The committee formed a panel, then a board and a commission to classify “accord.” Count nouns called a census. Mass nouns would not count. The singular spoke collectively. The plural spoke as one. [Competing choirs] The committee is united! The committee are at war! Agreement! [Clerk] Agreement upon what for? [Breakdown: grammatical characters enter] [Verbs] Nothing happens without us! [Adjectives] Your revolution is featureless! [Pronouns] When nouns say “we,” who’s we? [Articles] A Soviet—or the? [Agitator] What classifier classifies a classifier? [Clerk] Referred to the Subcommittee on Authorized Meaning. [Final Verse: bare piano] At last the Sentence took the floor: “Words require relation for their meaning to reside. Strip away the order, and the many cannot sing.” The Soviet cried, “No rulers! No syntax! No anything!” They broke apart the sentences. They liberated “the.” They gave each word an equal voice— and none knew what they said. [Final Chorus: disciplined, then collapse] No noun without representation! No gathering without designation! One proper term for every class! No classification without— Bale! Bloc! Jury! Suite! Corpus! Cabinet! Concrete! Fleet! Faculty! Cast! Convoy! Predicate! Parliament! Applesauce! Many! Much! Fewer! Less! Present perfect dispossessed! A! The! We! Beneath! Because! Group word thing some people stuff— [One held accordion note] [Clerk: shaken] Comrades... the revolution no longer means anything. [Small voice] Then meaning no longer rules us. [Pause] [Clerk] Present? [One word] Present. [Clerk] Noun, adjective, or verb? [Word] Context is counter-revolutionary. [Clerk] What shall we call you? [Soviet: uncertain] Words? [Turtle] Generic classification! [Company] WORDIST! [Cymbal crash; hard cut]

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