I want to pledge allegiance to the country where I live
I don't want to be ashamed to be American
But opportunity no, it don't exist
It's the opiate of the populace
We need some harder shit now
The truth is getting around
And each public school is a halfway house
Where the huddled masses sober up and up enough There's not enough to fatten the cows
And feed all of us
It's just a rationing of luck
What can't be bought gets raffled off
Oh God good God shed greed on thee
Your shining sea turned a dirty green
From the industry off the shores of New Jersey
I got a letter from the army
So I think that I'll enlist
I'm not brave or proud of nothing
I just want to kill something
Too bad that now-a-days you just point and click Swing low satellite
Hot white chariot
In the computer's blue glare
The bombs burst in the air
There was a city once now nothing is there
Our freedom comes at their expense
It makes sense, does it? Dollars and cents
They're stretching barbed wire across the picket fence
That is surrounding your housing development
Just in case you lack the confidence
Oh God my God give strength to thee
These amber waves purple majesty
Are nothing but backdrops for Disney
We'll look up close
It is superimposed on a blank blue screen
It is fantasy fucking magical
The dreams floats like a chemical
Through each snapped synapse our television past That is beautiful no more no more
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My Notes:
"The Happiest Place On Earth"
My Outline of the Song:
1.) strong anti-American hook
2.) opportunity was once what kept peoples minds off of problems
3.) greed in America is causing problems, look at the sea
4.) whats going on with the war? Why are soldiers even joining?
5.) Technology has made it so easy to destroy people, is it worth it?
6.) Our freedom comes at their expense, does the bottom line justify the blood?
7.) America is becoming the mall of the world
8.) Problems are getting worse and worse, the populous is getting antsy, but technology in entertainment is desensitizing people to violence.
This is how I came to this conclusion-
I want to pledge allegiance to the country where I live
I don't want to be ashamed to be American
Very strong anti-American words, acts as a hook and provides a stage for more strong statements
But opportunity no, it don't exist
It's the opiate of the populace
We need some harder shit now
The truth is getting around
Opiate of the populous "“ pain sedating drug of the people "“or- the morphene that is taking ;;man;;s attention away from problems occurring in society.
In other words: Opportunity doesn't exist, the idea of opportunity is a painkiller for society. The truth is getting out now, the pain is starting to surpass the painkillers in America, and the sooner people realize and confront problems, the better.
Oh God good God shed greed on thee
Your shining sea turned a dirty green
From the industry off the shores of New Jersey
Biblical"¦ this part makes me think of the song "Amazing Grace" where "god" sheds grace on somebody rather than greed. The contrast between that Christian song and this lyric "Oh God good God shed greed on thee" provide for startling connotations. This part seems to be aimed more at religious people, but is meant to apply to all people. The greed of the people is causing real terrible problems like shining seas turning dirty green.
I got a letter from the army
So I think that I'll enlist
I'm not brave or proud of nothing
I just want to kill something
Fucked up parts of the army"¦ soldiers serve America, its not their decision to support or disapprove of the orders they are given, but why would they put themselves in situations where they will carry out the intentions of others when they disagree? Soldiers can be noble or malevolent, proof can be found in war crimes.
Too bad that now-a-days you just point and click Swing low satellite
Hot white chariot
In the computer's blue glare
The bombs burst in the air
There was a city once now nothing is there Descriptive of the "˜marvels of modern technology' i.e. "“ technology provides tools which increase standard of living, but at what cost? Mankind may be headed down a self destructive path, and technology could easily act as a catalyst to our own downfall.
Our freedom comes at their expense
It makes sense, does it? Dollars and cents
They're stretching barbed wire across the picket fence
That is surrounding your housing development
Just in case you lack the confidence
This part is sort of a mockery of economist arguments when it comes to war and the times now. If we're making money off of a war or resources or labor in another country, we benefit, but at who's expense? It makes sense because of the bottom line? And look at the times in America, 50 years ago kids played in the street without fear, today everything has to be fenced in and its still not safe.
Oh God my God give strength to thee
These amber waves purple majesty
Are nothing but backdrops for Disney
We'll look up close
Parallel construction with biblical themes "“ strange, because Conor seems not to be "˜religious' as much as "˜spiritual'. What it says: God, give strength to the people. America is becoming so commercialized that it's the metaphorical mall of the world.
We'll look up close
It is superimposed on a blank blue screen
It is fantasy fucking magical
The dreams floats like a chemical
Through each snapped synapse our television past That is beautiful no more no more
Look at the art that our contemporaries are producing. You want to believe that vulgarity, violence, sex, torture, fear, evil, and death don't sell. They do. The art that is being produced is affecting the youth more than it ever has, and in a way it never has before. Through violence on TV and in video games, the youth is becoming desensitized to violence. Dreams of fantasy worlds fly through the heads of the children, and even in older people with emerging massive multiplayer online role playing games. He then brings back his earlier notion of "opiate of the populous" "“ we found a new one