The Burning City Smoking
Burning Cities and Broken Dreams: Kevin Devine's Poetic Reflections
Lyrics
Forty million refugees with no place on this earth to call there home
Forty million people displaced without a homeland
One for every aimless graduate with nothing else to show for it but loans
Comparing the number of refugees to aimless graduates burdened by debt
And those of us who make our mark use someone else's blood
Success achieved at the expense of others' suffering
Our western stain won't wash away, it won't vanish in the flood
The lasting impact of Western influence and its consequences
It seeps deeper through each hurricane and tidal wave and war
The persistent negative effects of Western actions in natural disasters and conflicts
Oh woah oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
We want everything we see and once it's gone we just want more
A desire for constant consumption without regard for consequences
Atlas had those shoulders, we've got Ambien and Jameson's and blow
Comparison between mythical strength and modern reliance on substances to escape reality
To bind us in a bubble and keep the newsprint nightmare distant and remote
Using distractions to distance oneself from global issues
But when we wake in gulitines and pitch our screaming fits
Reacting when faced with injustice and suppression
When the govenor strikes up the band and gags our parted lips
Authority figures silencing opposition
When the worst case shows up dressed and dazzling, ready for the ball
The arrival of a worst-case scenario despite attempts to ignore it
Oh woah oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
But that bubbles bound to burst and what a tragic way to fall
The inevitable collapse of avoidance tactics
The tabloids tell us hate
Media spreading hate and fear
The rat who strikes those subways closed and put's you out
Disregard for the suffering of laborers
Forget those fifty hour tunnel weeks
The arduous and dangerous work of individuals often ignored
Inhaling steel dust poison through his mouth
The health risks faced by those in strenuous professions
Well if he don't deserve a pension it makes his family feel secure
The illusion of security for workers and their families
If we're now so dissconected it's our reflections we ignore
Ignoring societal issues despite being disconnected
And if our constant choice is skimming past the writing on the wall
Choosing to ignore warning signs and societal problems
Oh woah oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
Then I'm sad to say we're lost and I'm embarrassed for us all
Feeling lost and ashamed for society's ignorance
So most days I can't put to rest the burning city smoking in my mind
A persistent feeling of distress and concern about societal issues
And I play and pretend the principles are nothin' more than actors runnin' lines
Viewing societal principles as mere performances
And I stumble through a movie set where tourtered victims laugh
An unsettling scene resembling a movie set
And embedded journalists who juggle knives and daggered glass
The dangerous and precarious situations faced by journalists
While they entertain a mob of heads of state and CEO's
World leaders and corporate figures entertained amidst chaos
Oh woah oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
I stagger past anarchist extras through saloon doors painted gold
A portrayal of chaotic scenes involving rebellious extras
So I turn and I see Uncle Sam outside a wardroube ready for a shoot
Encountering a symbol of America
So I walk right up and talk to him, I tell him that I'm scared and I'm confused
Expressing fear and confusion to a symbolic figure
And while they test the cameras out and get the lighting right
Preparation and setting up for a performance or event
While the catering fills coffee cups and carves up apple pie
Normal activities continuing despite looming issues
And while the stylists trim his beard and straighten those clothes
Attention to appearances over substance
Oh woah oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
I ask his empires what made him drive us straight to hell
Questioning the motives behind destructive actions
And as my daydream ends, he stands ashamed, a shocked and shattered shell
An imagined scene where power figures confront their actions
But there's never any answer for my starving tongue to tell
The absence of satisfactory explanations or solutions
Woah oh oh oh
Refrain/Chorus
'Cause the director shouted action, and from offset its just as well
Resuming the performance despite unanswered questions
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