damngivers.com - Hoi Poloi

The Many The Masses The Common People I have a fervant belief that the masses are looking for a voice that they can ascribe to. I blog once in a while about my political and social leanings and I've been developing an inventory of songs that I intend to release as a collection for the Hoi Polloi. While some would see this as a bad notion, I'm living my life by example. I don't consider any of my ideas radical. In fact, I think they're quite rational. They're ideas that steam from the teachings of right and wrong by my parents, family, peers, church and community - given I was raised in a conservative western town and now live a progressive life. I believe my notions to be grounded in the "common good". I hope that the heightened rhetoric we're currently seeing turns into positive actions of others. So here is where I'll put talk into action. Not earth shattering radicalism, but songs and thoughts that ponder the quintessential question for our times, "Can't we all just get along"? Here are the lyrics of songs for this collection.
A friend said to me, “You gotta check these theives. They got a good living on them - the way they play the system.” Got loaded off to jail And we all made their bail ‘cause we let them play the system They’re gonna change the rules they cheat but do not choose - to live inside the system Do what you are told They got bankers on the dole and judges who sold their souls “Hey, let’s all play the system” They’re buying up the books they’re legalizing crooks - trying to play the system They’re gonna change the rules they cheat but do not choose - to live inside the system Don’t make one false move you’ll find it unapproved Nobody gives you very much room when you live inside the system They’re starting up again their propagandized ways - they sell it to the system They’re gonna change the rules they cheat but do not choose - to live inside the system Too bad the rest of us lose - ‘cause we live inside the system Yes we are screwed by the system Don’t we get screwed by the system? I think it’s time we change the system Can we get change through the system? If not we’re damned by the system This isn’t how we planned the system Cause it don’t work for the 99 I wanna hear it for the 99 I’m proud to be part of the 99 Let’s hear it for the 99! © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2011
How long? How long Til we get heard? How long must our voices sing Before congress does a God damned thing? How long? How long Til we get heard? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long ‘til Wall Street learns? How long ‘til Wall Street learns Carrying on so undeserved? How long? How long ‘til Wall Street learns? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long ‘til Washington sees? America is on it’s knees All they do is please lobbies How long? How long ‘til Washington sees ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Til the media learns? Corporate media makes us so frustrated Social media makes them antiquated How long? How long Til the media learns? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long ‘til the 1 percent burns Just because you got the might Don’t mean you got the right How long? How long ‘til the 1 percent burns? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Til policemen turn? Your corporate thug days they are numbered They’re stealing your benefits as you slumber How long? How long Til policemen turn? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Til justice served? The heads of banks with their fake tans Have reaped their chaos across the land How long? How long Til Justice served ––––––––––––––––– Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph! Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph! Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long do momma’s cry? Momma’s they wonder why their babies go to war to die How long? How long do momma’s cry? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long ‘til our soldiers return?! They stayed this long to give a hand They’ve been left to die in a foreign land! How long? How long ‘til our Soldiers return? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Til Obama learns We put you in office cause we wanted change You’ve given us nothing, But the same How long? How long ‘til Obama learns? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long ‘til he sees the light? We thought that you were our best hope What you give the Right makes us look like dopes How long? How long ‘til he sees the light? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Til he grows a pair? It’s high time that you grow a pair Grow them so big you’ll need to change your underwear How long? How long Til he grows a pair? ––––––––––––––––– How long? How long Must we sing this song? We’ll sing it, every single day Until we fix this ‘Ol USA!! How long, how long must we sing this song? ––––––––––––––––– Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph! Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph! Oooh oooh, ah ah - Harumph © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2011
You head for the street slow Trying to make yourself go Faster and faster better watch where the wind blows You never like going anywhere the wind blows You feel undone when morning comes Too small to get your hammer on Grab your coffee grab your case hurry off and don't be late Working class stiff Tell me how's the noose fit? Working class stiff Until you're done get used to it Big business czars Sucking on big cigars Driving round in chauffered cars They should all be behind bars Someone turned the light out Now we've to to live without coffee, cake and ice cream what happened to the American Dream? Working class stiff Tell me how's the noose fit? Working class stiff Until you're done get used to it So live on your credit cards Get strangled by the finance charge Just watch your debt get larger and larger -- and find it and harder and harder to quit Until your done get used to it Working class stiff Tell me how's the noose fit? Working class stiff Grab a chair get used to it Working class stiff You talk so big about how you'll quit Working class stiff Until you're done get used to it © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
Didn't have the nerve to walk out on a pension Didn't have the nerve to walk out on life Wanna get to heaven with my kids and my family Wanna get to loving, my beautiful wife This is the now This is the time This is a man showing his hand at the table Been down low, all ain't fine I'm ready, willing and able To get down to business To get in the mud To do it again Starting again Where is the love? Where is the love? Didn't walk out on work It kinda walked out on me Didn't walk out on paying bills or leave responsibility Didn't manage the banks They didn't manage themselves Always did onto others like I did to myself But the walls they kept tumbling getting harder to hold I'm just a man, like many others looking for silver and gold This is now This is the time This is a man showing his hand at the table Been down low, all ain't fine I'm ready, willing and able To get down to business To get in the mud To do it again Starting again Where is the love? Oh where is the love? Mister can't you see I'm counting my pennies They've taken all this They've taken too much and didn't leave us with any This is now This is the time This is a man showing his hand at the table Been down low, all ain't fine I'm ready, willing and able To get down to business To get in the mud To do it again Starting again Where is the love? Where is the love? Didn't walk out on you I Didn't walk out on me Didn't turn my back on God or country In a country so great with so much wealth Mister can you spare a dime? Can you give us help? © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
I hope this all is just a flash in the pan Can't seem to get it try as hard as I can Sometimes it's hard Oh so hard to understand Buy some fake rage from those cans off the shelf Who's fooling who? Sometimes you just cannot tell Sometimes it's hard Oh so hard to understand You're being used like a pawn in the game of another man Better look who funded that protest march They'll use your life, make it look like art Sometimes it's hard Oh so hard to understand He dresses in silk Italian suits He wears slick designer shoes He steals money from the sick and the poor He'll steal your soul before your reach the door How can it be? Who set these pirates free? They made off with the crime of the century. We've all got free will, we've all got a brain Use the two together and we'll all be ok Sometimes it's hard Oh so hard to understand You're being used like a pawn in the game of another man You're being used like a pawn in the game of another man © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
There was a time, not so long ago I can barely remember, I was just a teen People romance it, and live it all over The Reagan years, are what we fear Do you remember mom working three jobs? (I don’t) Do you remember those neon cars (meant people were happy) Do you remember Family Ties and the Cosby’s (there were still families) They’ve all but gone, they’ve disappeared Welcome to the United States of Incorporated We’ve thrown unity out the door Given you reality TV Taken away the sanity Left the country Red, Black and Blue There was a time, seems like long ago Kids learned about art and music in school Politicians have trashed that, but padded their retirement, from year to year Do you remember going to a hospital Do you remember paying the bill? Do you remember having to choose between Getting coverage or getting screwed? Welcome to the United States of Incorporated Leave all your freedoms at the door I still love this country but Special interests have taken us Down the rabbit hole There was a time, about the 70s A family could save and put their children through school Politicians got tired of educated children Those who learn things and protest with nothing better to do Do you remember, middle class values Do you remember, the 4th of July? Do you remember days before “Terror Alerts” They’ve all but gone, they’ve disappeared Welcome to the United States of Incorporated Leave all your money at the door I still love this country but The bankers have stolen what I’ve been saving for There’s no bailout if you’re poor It only seems you will pay more Sign on the bottom line And never mind the small print The country Is Red, Black and Blue Old Uncle Sam Is Red, Black and Blue. So welcome to the United States of Incorporated Leave your opinions at the door I still love this country but The lobbiests have stolen what I’ve been slaving for Hell yes I love this country but Someone is screwing me outta here We've all been screwed too many years © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2011
Oh man I hate that guy He makes it look so effortless Says he inherited it I tend to think it was heaven sent Oh when the well runs dry You gotta fill it up again Don’t try to magnify The pieces they don’t always fit Now once upon a time In a land not so far away We saw it all go down We saw it all crumble away When the rivers run dry We hope the rain will fall again And though the folks are strange If you don’t care then nothing’s changed So put it in gear You gotta break down if you wanna get up I wanna fall in love But I’m stuck here in this dirty muck I got my best suit on My hair is combed my pants are pressed I look good on the outside but inside my mind’s a wreck Oh when my pen runs dry I fill it up with India ink It makes me think the words’ll flow but they’re backed up like the kitchen sink So put it in gear You gotta break down if you wanna get up I wanna fall in love But I’m stuck here in this dirty muck Now every person I meet Seems like I met that one before I’d like to pack their baggage and kick it down to the basement floor When the hope runs dry You get a shovel and you find some more And though the times are strange If you don’t try then nothing’s changed So put it in gear You gotta walk before you can run I wanna fall in love And it be something that NOT be undone So put it in gear You gotta break down if you wanna get up I wanna fall in love But I’m stuck here in this dirty muck I wanna be in love But I’m stuck here in this dirty muck © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
Every man is in it for themselves Every man can go it alone Everyone is covering their asses Everyone there's a fire in the hole The earth is moving The climate grooving See it on the daily news The pigs are flying The bears are dying Bulls are sleeping in the shit Every man is in it for themselves Every man can go it alone Everyone is covering their asses Everyone there's a fire in the hole It sure feels good when you can sit On top of everyone underneath It sure feels good when you can say you "really don't think about it" The right is choking the House is broken No one knows which way to go That one's “angry” That one's ”dirty” That one barely said "Hello" Every man is in it for themselves Every man can go it alone Everyone is covering their asses Everyone there's a fire in the hole It sure feels good - when you can sit on top of everyone underneath It sure feels good when you can say You "really don't think about it" Let them eat cake - how does it taste? Don't let them see you spit It sure feels good when you can say You ”really don't give a shit” There's finger pointing Our spirit's broken No one knows which way to go The ship is sinking The lights are blinking Looks like we're all going in Cause Every man is in it for themselves Every man can go it alone Everyone is covering their asses Everyone there's a fire in the hole Everyone there's a fire in the hole Everyone there's a fire in the hole Everyone there's a fire in the hole © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
***There needs to be some pretext to this song: A few years ago a model 16-yr old student was killed in a random shooting of 4 rounds into an audience of the local high homecoming football game as they excited a packed football stadium. This happened 6 blocks from my middle affluent suburban home in Long Beach, CA. This was the night before Halloween. The very next night my wife and I were walking our 6-yr old around the same neighborhood, not knowing this had taken place until later. The shooter was another 16-yr old kid who had been previously kicked out of the same high school. He was gangbanging. And bragged to his friends that he had done this idiotic crime. This song is all true. Sadly. The shooter was recently convicted and faces life in prison. A tragedy all around. His attorney claimed that Melody's death is part of the collateral damage of the local gang wars. I think of it as a failure of the kids environment. And sad how he got caught up in it. I pray for him and worry about kids growing up in the same neighborhood not far from me who face even less opportunities in their lives. He is now 18-yrs old. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_18878362 This is why I do this. If I can move the needle of public awareness just a little bit, then I'm at least trying to do something. I can look my kid in the face when he asks me what I was doing about it. I'll tell him, I tried. _____________________________________ I've seen those flowers by the side of the road too many times to make a note But when I heard of a Melody just down the road the anger caught in my throat I fought back some tears as I read of the news 16's a stupid age to die! It makes me so mad that some fuck can go brag about killing a girl in a drive by about killing a girl in a drive by The weakest of weak is the one who thinks that it's manly to carry a gun It's screwed that I have to worry about living here in town without one There's nothing that's clean when you have to explain why a girl was killed by a teen on a crowded street after a homecoming game a sixteen year old should dream about football players and homecoming queens a sixteen year old should dream about football players and homecoming queens Kids today, kids today only can blame the things that they see on TV For the kid who shot Melody that homecoming game killing was something to envy And why shouldn't it be seen as a prize? We've warred for 9 years as the country divides We taught from the top, down to the street Killing is how we solve problems Yeah killing is how we solve problems And I wish we could say, that enough is enough But more will die here it seems There's more blood to fall and we ain't gonna stall while children are losing their dreams A sixteen year old should dream about football players and homecoming queens A sixteen year old should dream about football players and homecoming queens © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2010
Put all your worries in a sack This day forward there's no looking back Put all your troubles in one place All of the good things can never be erased Oh but you've seen this before And you'll see it again From this day forward don't try to pretend Put your train on a new track This day forward there's no looking back Put a new smile on your face All of the good things can never be erased Right now the weight is on you Now it's on you You're left on your own Now it's time to go home This day forward you'll never care to die This day forward you'll recognize the signs This day forward you'll see the good in you This day forward only you will love you Only you know you From this day forward From this day forward From this day forward From this day forward There's no looking back There's no looking back © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2011
You say you people you like rock-n-roll? You always find a way to use it! You never get tired of that crazy sound Made in the USA! You like to put your foot upon the floor And put your pedal to the metal You people you cannot drive 55 When you're made in the USA Jazz, hip-hop, country all got started here Elvis, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent too Ella, Patsy, Janis they all get a cheer The Rolling Stones they made a whole career Of playing music from the USA You got to give it up for Sam That crazy uncle he's one son a bitch We really kicked them in the can Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Made in the USA Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Made in the USA Motown, R&B and the Tin Pan Alley Scha-wing, boogie-woogie and the Blues Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon What'd he say about those bearing fruits? You say you people you like rock-n-roll? You always find a way to use it? You never get tired of that crazy sound Made in the USA Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Made in the USA Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Gabba, gabba hey! Gabba gabba hey I was made in the USA Solo Oh - big 'ol jet airliner Don't carry me too far away Big 'ol jet airliner Cause it's here that I'm bound to stay Oh - all of the best things about us Were made in the glory days All of the best things around us Were, made in the USA! Go tell the people around ya Tell 'em the old fashioned way All of the best things about us Were, made in the USA! Made in the USA Made in the USA Hey hey hey I was made in the USA Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Made in the USA © Gerry Gomez / Humdevil Makes Music 2011