The councilman and the local priest were
Havin’ dinner with a big entrepreneur
Speakin’ in voices loud as money:
“Can I have a little more sugar, honey?”
Joyfully discussing all the deals they’d make
When the priest choked on a piece of steak
As he fell to the floor he was heard to hiss:
“Lord God, don’t I deserve a better death than this?”
Rome burned down while Nero fiddled
The stars up above were non-commital
Everybody else was out collectin’ debts
Went home and got fried to death in their beds
Now they’re sellin’ tickets, empires collapsin’
It’s the end of the line, democracy’s last gasp, it’s
Like an accident on the highway
Don’t wanna stare but you can’t look away
“And it won’t be long now,” said Black Elk to Geronimo
“It’s been a long, lonely road, but it won’t be long
It won’t be long now, no.”
A media conglomerate man named Tim
With a network of slaves workin’ underneath him
Sat up in his office late one night
Where the money is green and everybody is white
Sayin’ “People, people, people can ya help me on this
We need an image that’ll hit’em in the face like a fist
We got the riot footage, got the cannibal case
Got the blind woman cryin’ at her daughter’s grave
We wanna work’em in a rage and keep them in cages
Livin’ in fear every minute of the day”
When in through the door came the answer to his dreams
A charismatic candidate named Dean
Sayin’ “What this country needs is a mind like mine
Cut away the deadwood, see the bottom line!”
Talkin’ ‘bout a world where everybody’s free
Sounded more like Germany in 1933.
“But it won’t be long now,” said Black Elk to Geronimo
“It’s been a long, hard, lonely road, but it won’t be long
It won’t be long now, no.”
It was on the side of town where no-one hangs around
Unless they plan on stayin’ for the rest of their lives
Or on leavin’ feet first when the morning comes around
Pennies over top of their eyes
Still no-one could believe it when the bottom dropped out
Till they seen it on the news
You know it took a years to build that fire
Took a match to light the fuse
And the cops all think it’s just one big joke
If brains were money they’d all be broke
Sayin’ “Let’em fight it out, they don’t need our help
Give’em enough time and they’ll exterminate themselves”
While another well-known patriot
Says “You know, I ain’t no racist, but – ”
Bombs and explosions, governmental slaves
Tatooing numbers on newly born babies
As the whip came down, and the screams filled the night
And the ship foundered once, then sank out of sight
“And it won’t be long now,” said Black Elk to Geronimo
“It’s been a long, hard, lonely road, but it won’t be long
It won’t be long now, no.”
The haunting new record from Canadian folk artist Avi C. Engel bridges old and new traditions with a minimalist approach. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 24, 2024
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Montreal singer-songwriter Myriam Gendron's sophomore album, a mix of standards and originals, keeps living folk traditions vital. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 5, 2021
The British-Somali poet draws upon everything from leftfield folk to minimalist spoken-word, bound together by simple-yet-cutting wordplay. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 28, 2021
