The Parade
Unraveling the Mosaic: John Vanderslice's Poignant Reflections in 'The Parade'
Lyrics
Be calm, be quiet
Advise to remain calm and quiet
As your mom walks by
Observing the mother passing by
Be calm, be quiet
Reiteration to stay calm and quiet
When your mom walks by
Observing the mother walking by again
And look at me and follow my lead
Encouraging to observe and follow the speaker
I’m combing my hair
The speaker is grooming, possibly for an event
Putting lotion on my skin
Engaging in self-care, applying lotion
Waving to friends
Waving to friends, social interaction
Hey it’s me again
Speaker identifying themselves
Be calm, be quiet
Reiteration to be calm and quiet
As the cop drives by
Observing a police car passing by
Stand right there like a poisoned well
Being still and cautious when police are present
When the cops drive by
Advising to stand still when police are near
And look at me leaning against the fence
Speaker leaning against a fence
Playing scratch and win
Engaged in a lottery-like game
Lighting a smoke
Lighting a cigarette
Nodding to friends
Nodding in acknowledgment to friends
Hey it’s me again
Speaker identifying themselves again
We ditched out the parade
Leaving a parade, possibly a public event
And what was there to commemorate
Questioning the purpose of the parade
And what was left to remember
Reflecting on what remains to be remembered
Not sure what really happened on that day
Uncertainty about the events of a specific day
I got steel dust in a vial
Possession of steel dust, possibly from a significant event
And anodized tiles
Having anodized tiles, potentially from a building
In my pocket from tower two
Carrying items from Tower Two, referencing 9/11
Be calm, be quiet
Reiteration to be calm and quiet
As the drones fly by
Observing drones passing by
Look at me still as a Monterey pine
Remaining still like a tree when drones are present
When the drones fly by
Advising to look at the speaker during drone presence
Look at me and follow my lead
Encouraging to follow the speaker's lead during drones
I’m combing my hair
Speaker grooming again
Lighting a smoke
Lighting another cigarette
Playing scratch and win
Engaged in scratch-and-win lottery again
If they catch me, they catch me
Acceptance of consequences if caught
But I’ll be running
Preparedness to run if necessary
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