Get all 8 The Submensas releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Reason Wrong!, Rock Against Reality, Death is a Beach, Wearing Asbestos, Anarchy Love, Honesty is the Best Policy, Dead Shit in the Sky - Live 2020, and Trading Cards of Glory.
1. |
Trading Cards of Glory
03:54
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TRADING CARDS OF GLORY
Where are they now? Where are they now?
Whatever happened to my heroes?
Strung out in some long-lost orbits
Or in never-ending sublets . . .
Where are they now? Where are they now?
Whatever happened to my lovers?
Maybe they just couldn't get enough
Or got lost under covers . . .
Love me, leave me
Let me wander aimlessly
So I love them, leave them
Let 'em wander aimlessly
What have we done?
What have with done?
What have we done to the little fires?
Snuffed 'em out under layers of doubt
Or banished inside forever -
You give me yours,
I give you mine,
We trade the cards of glory-
You give me mine,
I give you yours,
We trade the cards of glory --
Where are they now?
Where are they now?
Where are the rebels against the system?
Now is the time for healing and feeling,
So let's go down to the flea market.
Where are you now?
What have you done?
Where did you go?
Where were you from?
What can I say?
I miss those days.
Was I really there?
I've got cards to trade.
You give me yours,
I give you mine,
We trade the cards of glory-
You give me mine,
I give you yours,
We trade the cards of glory --
Now is the time for healing and feeling,
So let's go down to the flea market.
(c) Damon Norko
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2. |
Blackbird
03:34
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BLACKBIRD
Just a ghost on the horizon . . .
I'm just a wisp, but, look out, I'm coming on
Your love life is a panorama
Look real close and you'll see lots of me around.
They used to call us the Pale Writers
But you know, we're not so figurative anymore -
The blackbird flew out of sight
It marked the edge of one of many circles-
Just a ghost, just a wisp -
Just a tiny little blip on your radar screen
Faded into the scene, meandering,
Flying backwards, on your horizon-
One more orbit, more or less
One more free spirit, a wildcard never played-
Close your eyes upon the freeway
And you'll find me hidden in in the darkness of the stage-
On your horizon, we flee-
We become fleas in the market
That you can see when you want it
Tiny little blackbirds fly out to sea-
(Catch a passing breeze)
Want to see my pretty scar?
I can't keep away from harm-
I didn't get it in a war,
I got it from an open door . . .
Just a ghost on the horizon
I'm just a wisp, but look out I'm coming on
Have another drink of bourbon-
Just take a tiny little something
for that wheeze
What's that dampness on my chin?
Was that a kiss, or maybe just a sneeze?
Worlds apart, and dreams away
I'll always love you
As the blackbirds fly away . . .
(c) Damon Norko (except for lines 7 & 8 = Wallace Stevens)
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3. |
Blood on the Bands
02:46
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BLOOD ON THE BANDS
The blood is on the bands,
The demands of victims.
They're watching sitcoms,
And centuries of news.
They pay for space,
Save space for time,
Time turned them tired,
Too tired, then blind.
The blood is in the eyes,
The bloodshot eyes of witnesses.
The years are long, the centuries short.
We're out of sorts inside a front.
They're turning trash into picnic tables
They're bowing backs, building millions of walls-
They pray to gods, but liberty plods on without them.
They bathe in the pale gray glow of many colors . . .
The blood is on the bands,
The demands of victims.
They're watching sitcoms,
And centuries of news.
The blood is on the bands,
The demands of misfits!
They're having hope,
But it's the secret dope in their ears.
They pay for sound,
Some sound to surround,
So loud they may drown,
But they don't hear the song.
The cadres are born,
And then they are torn,
Blood bathed in twilight,
Shows upon shows,
And washing their brains,
The spotlights are shining
On red-handed bands
While they wash their hands,
The blood is on the bands,
The demands of victims.
(C) Damon Norko
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4. |
Mutual Bonds
04:22
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MUTUAL BONDS
Buy me a piece of today -
I want a little piece of that crazy, hazy day-
When forces collide,
Then adjustments are made -
And I crave a little piece of that very big day!
Well, time is money to the soul-
And I want a little more control-
I don't know what I need,
I have no hard currency
Just investments in mutual bonds
Mutual Bonds, Mutual Bonds
When forces collide,
Then adjustments are made-
That we pay for with our Mutual Bonds . . .
Who's got the pieces that we seek?
Those splintered, ruined fragments of our dreams?
The spectrum is broad,
But it's really a road,
That we travel with Mutual Bonds -
And whatever happened to faith?
We we paying by the installment plan,
But the meaning is gone,
We're left with only the clause
In the fine print of our Mutual Bonds
Mutual Bonds, Mutual Bond
The Spectrum is Broad
But it's really a road,
That we travel with Mutual Bonds-
Well, buy me a piece of today
There's no limit to the price I will pay!
I'll take it sight unseen
I need no guarantee!
Just awake me if I've been a'sleepin'
I just gotta have a piece of today!
I'd like it with some wind and some rain,
If we all bought a chunk,
We just might make a dent,
Invest in the future, invest in your
Mutual Bonds, Mutual Bonds
Invest in the future
Invest in your
Mutual Bonds
(The Spectrum is very, very broad . . . .)
(c) Damon Norko
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5. |
One from the Corner
03:44
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ONE FROM THE CORNER
I count the people, trying to classify-
But there's only two kinds:
The dead and alive.
I used to make such eyes at the stars-
But they were too far,
They were too far.
I tried to massage somebody's broken limbs-
But she cried in pain!
So I had to give in.
It left me feeling a little worthless.
But worthless is priceless.
I try to fashion a raison-deter
I want to be man of the year,
I sit in the chair.
Sometimes I wonder about the future and the past -
It seems like nothing lasts
I just can't keep track!
It's times like these I've got to order a double-
I've got to stir up some trouble!
Got to go to sleep.
They say it's all useless;
I say it's worthless and priceless.
Worthless!
Like a label peeled off
Priceless!
Like just before last call!
Worthless!
Another empty pocket
Priceless!
Another thought for the day!
I spend a lot this way.
There's some people who would rather take a pill
Instead of slowly being killed
But the kill is the thrill.
We all search for a continuum,
But it just don't come,
It just never comes.
So we pacify what goes on inside,
A very slow suicide
That leaves us time to decide -
Worthless? Priceless?
Worthless? Priceless?
There's something about never knowing why,
It's that you never decide, you never decide.
You're a soldier of emotion,
Kicking everybody's ass
Drinking drunks under the table,
But how long can it last?
I'm worthless.
I'm . . . priceless!
(c) Damon Norko
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6. |
Self Surgery
04:27
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SELF SURGERY
I knew a man with a very large tumor,
Once it was small and now it hangs from his neck-
I swear that shit will never happen to me,
Because I practice self surgery!
Warts, corns, zits and blisters,
I drink shot and then I pick them all off!
How many aspirin can you eat in one day
Without rupturing your stomach lining?
Self surgery!
For the daring!
I can do anything you want,
But I must cut out a little part.
I met an echo of a long-lost loved one-
I always fall for those I've known before.
She gets off work at three o'clock
And then we go down to thrift stores . . .
I get an old copy of Jeopardy
She gets three sweaters for the price of two
I suggest lets go down, drink some beers,
And shoot pool . . .
I walk her home to her tiny apartment-
I know I've been this way before . . .
I spend a lot of time walking up stairs
I spend a lot of time knocking on doors . . .
Love, she says, is decidedly random.
She was married but now she's divorced
She the sister of a girl I knew at school,
And she must pick up her kids at four . . . so good bye
Looks like it's time for . . .
Self Surgery
For the Daring!
You can do anything you want,
But you must cut out a little part . . ..
I guess we derive inspiration from this;
These temporary trysts
We go home, we wonder the plain-
We spend a lot of time trying to explain . . .
We look back at all of the milestones
At all the time spent in the wrong direction-
At the loose ends and strange intersections
At the ghosts on the horizon . . .
Self Surgery!
For the daring!
You can push yourself pretty far,
But you must cut out a little part.
(c) Damon Norko
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7. |
I'm Glad You're Dead
03:05
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I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD
I've come to trash you, shithead
For wasting my time, you stupid stiff ...
You don't even know who I am-
You fucking fuckhead,
Who the hell are you?
I'm glad you're dead.
Why should we bury you, you fuck?
We should just toss you to the maggots
So then you know how it feels
To be naked, sucked-out in a netherworld ...
They purged the army, they purged the schools
And now I'm going to purge you!
We'll light a fire, a pyre, baby
And they we'll fry hot dogs. hah hah
We'll give you no mourning, no wake
The voyage after won't take place
You'll be forgotten, you never existed
The pall-bearers won't get blisters!
I'm glad you're dead
I'm glad you're dead
You said I was so beautiful,
But you lied, and then you died
I'm still a stranger in the corner
And now it's over, and no one's there
I'm glad you're dead.
I'm glad
I'm glad
I'm glad-
(c) Damon Norko
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8. |
Black Hole
02:55
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BLACK HOLE
I lunge for the fringe with relish
I thirst for the first things and get bored.
I lunge for the fringe, but this is not an apology.
I think I'm losing my rhythm,
But this is not some idle therapy.
There is a black hole by the stereo.
We lunch on the patio as the wind blows
I can hear the screaming down below,
And I hear you say, "Why don't I look over the edge."
Oh.
I lunge for the fringe.
(If you have the desire, I would share some innermost with you.)
(C) Damon Norko
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9. |
Love You
01:51
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LOVE YOU
Asphyxiated minds
and penetrated souls!
The only thing that's happening
is holding on to you!
I've seen the fallen rise,
I've seen the risen fall,
I've seen homogenic aftermaths
of churning loins like stew-
The parachute won't open,
All the scenes are jammed
Rushing down a one-way track-
It's a voyage of the damned!
I love you,
I love you-
Look fast,
Before it's all past.
See the little door?
What torrent lies inside?
With a whoosh we stumble in
And fly away inside-
Swirlingly we grin;
The onus on our hearts-
Breathlessly it's been this way,
From the very start-
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10. |
Generation III
03:29
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GENERATION III
Now is the time for the micro-crime;
You slip it in the slot, and then you fill out your form.
You love to say the numbers, say there's music there-
And there's music in your vacant stare.
Now is the time for the crusty plumes,
De-preservation of the costly tunes,
Hey,hey, boil down the eggs and the rice,
Only the red dots have ants in their pants!
Now is the time-
Now is the time-
Now is the time.
Now I forgive the human land mines,
I shouldn't have stepped on the pricing code,
Now I'm old and the clock drips on my scar,
But I'm not bored!
Now is the time for all good mulch
To rise and decay like nothing else!
Uselessly new, they lay down on the pile,
For a little while, it's a wild, wild world-
Now is the time-
Now is the time-
Now is the time.
Now is the time to slit the lungs,
The mouth has missed the marching line,
Breathe in faith in a crux like a zoo,
Make strange noises like a kazoo-
Now I see how human they are,
and better then that, I'm gurgling tar-
Need I swear on the big black book that I'm gone?
There's only the silence at the end of a song.
Now is the time-
Now is the time-
Lets talk about now.
(c) Damon Norko
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11. |
Secret Panel
02:17
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SECRET PANEL
At the turnstiles
The skies are colorized,
But I think I'm going through . . .
This time the wounds are sweet;
A tactical retreat-
But I've never come this far . . .
A lot of folks I know
Have given up the show
But I don't think I'm going to . . .
I think I've found a secret panel.
At the turnstiles-
We pause to pay our fee -
After waiting a long time in line.
Just when you've had enough
That's when the show gets rough
But you won't be leaving early.
I would not make a pass
But maybe it would last
I meet everyone in cue . . .
I think I've found a secret panel.
I can't believe my eyes!
I've tried so many different angles
So impossible to predict; it's just a tangle -
I think the corridor has been rigged
For us to find our way out
Before the riots
I just can't help but search
Every inch of this Earth
For another way . . . to a better day
And I know I'll find a secret panel.
(c) Damon Norko
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12. |
The Godfather
02:15
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THE GODFATHER
My friend, your child could use a purpose,
If you'll really be there when he's born,
If that child ever clambers from the womb,
And if that woman lets him go ...
If he's healthy, you'll be lucky,
Look at the way you use yourself,
You must have had some tangle in your jeans;
Your clothes don't fit you anymore.
You are my friend, let's have some coffee,
Talk about halcyon old days-
Such young turks, such vehement jerks-
Your child won't know anything about that.
My friend, could be the child's your purpose,
Perhaps a second chance for you,
So maybe chill out on the burning,
I'd sure respect that show of will.
Yeah, I'll be that child's godfather,
Go ahead and put me down for that.
But if he comes knocking at my door,
Some night in a Thunderbird storm,
You will be the subject of my wrath.
(c) Damon Norko
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13. |
Four Aces
04:16
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FOUR ACES
A roll of dice and I'm on the day-to-day path-
It's one of those mornings where nothing is going right;
I spill my coffee,
and I can't seem to tie my tie . . .
The streets are clogged and I think I'm going to be late-
The gentle folk of the city request spare change-
But I deny this to them, explaining
That I must save-
I want four aces!
I want four aces every time,
And I want a lucky strike
I must save,
I must amass a stake,
One of these days I'm going to blast
right on past those wispy towers looming high-
The carpeting is gray,
That's all that I looked at today,
I'm pacing in concentric circles,
Biding time, and hoping for a miracle-
I want four aces!
I want four aces every time,
And I wouldn't mind a lucky strike.
Pressures build, and then dissipate,
The hands are dealt and constantly played/
All of the gimmicks and the scams,
All of the dreams and the plans-
I collect the beaten cards of broken games,
When I find them on the sidewalk,
I take them home, I take them home . ..
My kitten plays with them, and I just hope.
Some people don't look at their cards,
Others turn them up one at a time,
Others peek, and just pretend,
And some just fold.
After work at the contemptuous bar,
I massage the nice machine,
Later on when I'm asleep,
The machine massages me . . .
I want four aces!
I want four aces every time,
And I want a lucky strike
(c) Damon Norko
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14. |
Save the Changes
02:21
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SAVE THE CHANGES
So much history,
So much debt stacked endlessly,
We store it in machines,
But they don't have the memory-
The special word programs
Are making short work of the ages,
But what has really been done lately,
And where's our way to liberty wandered?
Save the changes,
'Cause once they're gone,
They may never come back
Save the changes,
We may never be back
This way again . . .
There's no story to tell,
There is just this situation,
We ponder through the piles,
Searching for a panacea-
Lately its been better,
Tomorrow not so sure,
I think it's changing as we speak.
More like it was before . . .
Save the changes,
We've come too fucking far
To turn back-
Save the changes,
Some day it'll come out
Sounding right-
Nothing is ever finished,
The editing goes on and on,
We take what we can handle,
We share what we can understand-
The special word programs
Hold the keys to generations,
Everything we work for,
Echoes throughout time
Save the changes,
'Cause once they're gone,
They may never come back
Save the changes,
We may never be back
This way again . . .
(c) Damon Norko
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15. |
Bust the Nebulous Head
03:55
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BUST THE NEBULOUS HEAD
Here comes the man
with a dozen plans
He's going to bend your ears
until they're black and blue
Why will you stand there and leave him his way?
Because you've got nothing else to do today.
Here comes the man and I
could swear it just got cold.
I gotta find me a line to walk
anything but sit here and talk to the man
with hundreds of plans.
He's the man with the myriad plans
He's the man with the myriad plans
You can learn by watching people beside you
Watch their eyes as they follow the lines
See if you can count all the glimmerings of doubt
Maybe even measure a percentage of displeasure-
Anything but listen to the man
with the thousands of plans-
He commands
A broad band of support
But his cohorts aren't in the audience;
Folks like me and you are the numbers that kill -
He's the man with a lot of will.
He's the man with a lot of will.
Here comes the man
with a million plans
He's going to bend your ears
until they're black and blue
Why will you stand there and leave him his way?
Because you've got nothing else to do today.
Here comes the man
with a million fossilized blueprints
Don't even let him
make the slightest imprint
Buy nothing, try nothing
Do everything on your own terms -
Pray just to have a say.
Pray just to have a say.
(c) Damon Norko
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16. |
Virgin Junkie in America
03:14
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VIRGIN JUNKIE IN AMERICA
The virgin junkie pawed through the ashes of the past
In the mega-mausoleum, she is sinking down
Down, down, down, to her knobby knees
You can hear her thirsty pleas, thirsty pleas-
Her man is coming for his scooby-due
The naked steel is a'ripping through leather
And the pain in the loins with the pink glue oozing
He goes soft, and he can hear her prayer:
Won't you please? Won't you please -
She sucks phlegm from gnarled , ancient Indians!
Doing rain dances on televisions,
Washing out their eyes, man, with Heaven's popped hymen;
You can hear her, you can hear her crying-
Won't you please? Won't you please-Addict me.
I have seen her fleeing from those martian ulcers,
Her karmic debts are sealed in saline seams,
Only a hole in the head still open,
Like a secret attic, addicted to breezes-
And while trying to insulate her head,
She fell in love with fiberglass
Just like the candy they feed the children
in Disneyland.
And the children grow fat, and bloat the borders,
And the borders are burning everywhere;
I can see her crinkle and twist
As we expand.
So give it up, now.
Give it up you Gummy Lamb!
(C) Damon Norko
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17. |
Godzilla's Gift of Life
01:58
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GODZILLA'S GIFT OF LIFE
Godzilla is alive and well,
And dressed like a born-again Christian,
Therefore, I've been through Heaven, I've been through Hell,
And I've been through things like Christmas-
I've had the good and bad,
But he's the best that I've ever had . . .
The tinsel is all around,
The monster's in the corner,
Of our young, sharpened eyes
That squint just like Clint Eastwood-
And we get real lonely, and we get real sad,
And we keep on living in the distant past-
We've had Pink Floyd, we've have punk rock,
And we've shared a thousand beat veins,
Bur the arteries of artistic expression
Are clogged with fatty antibodies,
I want to slash them, I want to rip them wide open
And fuck my very own tears,
But it wouldn't do much good,
'Cause I'm under Godzilla's foot!
(Yet the struggle keeps me alive)
(c) Damon Norko
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18. |
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WEARING ASBESTOS
On Main Street, I was roasted,
In the ghetto I was toasted-
In suburbia, I got fried-
When I heard somebody lie-
It's an eruption of corruption
A conflagration of debasement
An explosion of corrosion
. . . and I forgot to avert my eyes!
In the subway, I got seared,
When a woman screamed in my ear-
At the Olympics, I was scorched
When the terrorists stole the torch-
Tortured eruptions of corruption
Conflagrations of debasement
Explosions of corrosion
. . . don't forget to avert your eyes-
Or you'll go blind!
I see a young boy, getting beaten-
I see a psycho getting treatment,
I see Cambodia-I see no justice-
You are all wearing asbestos.
Wearing asbestos, wearing asbestos -
Does your asbestos itch?
(C) Damon Norko
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19. |
Accident
03:52
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ACCIDENT
I think my brakes won't hold,
I think I've worn them down,
I think the seam of the scene is coming loose;
I think I've lost some screws!
I think I've made some news
I think the highway should have been closed
to local traffic.
Accident,
Just another little accident
Carry me in pieces west,
Take me where the red sun sets,
Jigsaw pieces for a dime,
Figure out in some spare time.
Pink surrender, campaign flags,
I don't remember those solemn rites
Signs of passage left behind,
A scar on the cheek, a clot in the eye-
Accident,
Just another little accident-
Waiting to happen.
I've got a broken dream,
Suck me down that sewer scene,
Cheap vacations all the time,
Penetration on demand-
Accident,
Just another little accident-
Give it to Michelangelo
Give it to your Pharaoh-
Drift away on a Sunday scene-
You give away that piece of me-
Accident,
Just another little accident
I think the highway should have been closed to local traffic.
(c) Damon Norko
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20. |
Rock Against Reality
03:33
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ROCK AGAINST REALITY
Reality is like a National Park,
That everyone's trying to carve into one's own backyard,
And the Popes of every playground are hawking tiny rocks:
Splinters of the mega-fortress of 20th Century Fox . . .
Fifty million Rambos are gnawing at the seam,
Gulping Armageddon caviar, having strange dreams,
Of faces, faces, everywhere, like crosses-
And crosses, crosses, everywhere like faces-
Rock, rock, rock against reality!
I saw an ancient tampon, but it wasn't
It was a dead snake's head, it was red
And I saw the cosmetic cosmo of a sperm-drenched condom
Consumed by roaches as the worshipers watched-
Rock, rock, rock against reality!
I'm so thirsty, I'm dreaming of Blondie and Madonna,
A gigantic erection engulfing their posters-
And I plunged into the void, and I fell asleep when I came,
And I woke up, smashed, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!
Rock, rock, rock against reality!
First you were a skyscraper, reaching for the stars-
Then you became a hood ornament on the front of many cars.
Hey! Get your maidenhead out of my mausoleum!
You're breaking your hymen all over my altar!
Rock, rock, rock against reality!
Reality, now!
(c) Damon Norko
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21. |
Twisting in the Wind
05:41
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TWISTING IN THE WIND
I decided to kill the weatherman,
Because he was calling for storms,
And I decided to kill the activist,
Because he was calling for a purge.
A purge in the storm
Is a twisting in the wind.
I decided to kill the hermit,
But I finally couldn't find him-
That seems to be the way it always is:
Hate yourself until you're new again.
I decided to kill the warrior,
But I couldn't find the right weapon,
I left him standing in the doorway
Back there where time began...
I decided to kill the salesman,
Because I could no more pretend,
But he made a bargain with the road
A few days ago and I'll never have to listen again!
I decided to kill the zookeeper,
Because all the animals were sick-
Why didn't he bring them their special food?
I guess they'll just rot in the cages-
I decided to kill the baby
I just couldn't stand all the crying-
Flush away the memories in a vacuum,
Now they just creep up behind!
A purge in the storm
Is a twisting in the wind.
I decided to kill the killer-
I must remove this last role
Only then can I rise from the ashes
Finally naked and whole -
In the wind I am twisting,
Twisting in the wind . . ..
(c) Damon Norko
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22. |
Barbed Wire
03:06
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BARBED WIRE
O, scar-faced earth, we embrace thee,
You, too, have been changed by our history,
We drill a hole in your virgin skin,
We need a place to put our waste in.
We adorn it with our ugly tinsel,
That knotted wire that designates Hell-
O, wear our puny baubles well,
We need your face for our insidious jail!
Amidst the turmoil of a boiling war,
The stern-faced heroes aren't human no more,
Barbed wire creeps all along the ground,
Watching the people as they all fall down,
Fooled by another of the useless lies,
"These barbed wire walls will protect our lives!"
Those barbed wire walls are a clever disguise-
They hide the stupid reasons why the people die!
America has a hidden site
Where secret workers are at work all night
Making machines of awesome destruction,
Barbed wire rules this grave construction-
Barbed wire, bright and shiny new-
Barbed wire keeps those secrets from you-
Keeps you warm, keeps you quiet
Keeps you fed so you won't riot-
Keeps you happy, well and clean-
Keeps you stupid, if you know what I mean-
It's not war, it's slavery-
Barbed wire rules your destiny-
Cut the wires.
The Berlin Wall, that scar of scars
Splits the world between two stars,
Warm pools of blood they glistened still
From every guard-tower free kill-
The missiles in their silos lay
Waiting for that fateful day . . .
Those barbed wire walls
From World War Two
Are stealing the world
Away from you!
Cut the wires. Be free.
(C) Damon Norko
|
||||
23. |
Warzoo
03:31
|
|||
|
WARZOO
Warzoo, this place is Warzoo
There's nothing for you
In the Land of Warzoo
The greatest show on Earth,
The great healing afterbirth--
So surprised that you survived,
So surprised, so surprised.
Warzoo, this land is Warzoo,
It began before you,
You find your place in Warzoo . . .
The tiniest gum wrappers,
The manipulation of your glands-
You're so surprised that it began,
You're so surprised, again . . .
Warzoo, this land is Warzoo
There's nothing for you
In the land of Warzoo-
Like a house with creeping vines
We all live with it in our lives
But it's quiet and it keeps us in the shade-
Warzoo, this land is Warzoo
There's nothing for you
I say it's all Warzoo ....
I'll have a pizza with Warzoo!
I can't get no Warzoo-
My, my, my Warzoo-
Hey, Warzoo, where you going with that gun in your hand?
I say it's all Warzoo ...
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
24. |
John 11:35
02:28
|
|||
|
JOHN 11:35
Cloud your eyes with sacrifice,
Those cataracts will make you blind.
Jesus wept for you.
Wash your face with bloody water,
Sense the chill and wear a sweater.
Jesus wept for you.
Seek escape by creating children
Then you tell them that the world will end.
Jesus wept for you.
Soaking heads is so symbolic,
Jesus was an alcoholic.
Jesus wept for you.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
25. |
||||
|
GROW SUICIDALLY BEAUTIFUL
You're the one I'm thinking of
Because you deny all love
Fragment of ice age chill in head
Emotions melt and we're anointed-
Grow-
You're the one I'm thinking of
Because you deny all love
Segment epics and study them
Squeezing beauty in slinky revolutions-
Grow-
Grow suicidally beautiful
You're the one I'm thinking of
Now a cool expert on love
Either death tolls or wedding bells
Clutch in the dark leaves behind marks
Grow-
Grow suicidally beautiful
Ok. Grow.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
26. |
Consumer Reports
02:30
|
|||
|
CONSUMER REPORTS
Recall the knives whose blades have dulled
Recall the dolls who've ceased to speak
Recall the locks with missing keys-
Recall the games with loaded dice
'Cause the brakes don't hold,
And the pistons keep running on . . .
Recall the laboratory animals
Recall the Kent State Abortionists
Recall the burning out of your parents
Recall the selling out of tomorrow-
'Cause the brakes don't hold,
And the pistons keep running on . . .running on . . . running on . . .
Remember Sacco & Vanzetti!
Remember the Indian crying on TV!
Recall the witch hunt in Prince Georges County!
Recall the trials that don't work right-
'Cause the brakes don't hold,
And the pistons keep running on . . .running on . . . running on . . .
(C) Damon Norko
|
||||
27. |
Death is a Beach
03:14
|
|||
|
DEATH IS A BEACH
They lift their legs high
To avoid the rip tide,
But the going is slow,
And when they look back
They see the huge wave-
Descending and drenching
And sucking them in,
And leaving them shiver ...
Splintered generations
Roar past their heads
And in their eyes
And they start itching,
Itching over and over
Little teensy slivers
wind their way inside
And clog their tubes
As they pick and choose . . .
And so majestic
Black Stream Seizure
Starts to clean their bones
And they're too tired,
Too tired for the playground,
And so they lay down
They lay down.
In the coral reefs
Made of cultural barnacles
With their layers peeling,
With their life exposed
and they look back
and they see the big wave
They see the rip tide.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
28. |
On Vacation
04:08
|
|||
|
ON VACATION
Reverse the regular roles,
Be a woman or a man or both
Live free for all your friends
Quick, before the weekend ends-
Enter the fabulous void
Read each and every palm,
Last week you build a sand castle
And this you build a title wave-
You're on vacation
In the dog salad days of summer
Buy life with lots of work
Wash away work with lots of love
Make love to another young stranger
Wake up this morning still stranger
Wake up, and zip up the shade
The sun zooms down into your eyes
Bury your face in the pillow
Pick up the phone and call 'Time'
You're on vacation
In the dog salad days of summer
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
29. |
Reason Wrong!
02:39
|
|||
|
REASON WRONG
Reason wrong - it will cure you!
Conscience won't affect you
Reason Wrong!
We will believe you -
Because we reason like you!
It is proved by Adolf Hitler
It is proved by Jim Jones, too -
Reason well, you won't be noticed
Reason wrong, we wont forget you
Let the world in on your logic-
Everybody thinks like you
Reason well, you won't be noticed
Reason wrong, we wont forget you-
'cause you're wrong!
Marching morons, marching backward
That's the way they want to be
Reason well you lock you self up
Reason wrong and you'll be free-
You'll be free!
Reason wrong-
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
30. |
Return of the Strange
03:33
|
|||
|
RETURN OF THE STRANGE
It's twilight in Beltland,
And you're over there at the bar-
Why not order up a slice of some Paradise
Along with your Coors beer?
The murderers are on the front lines
But they'll soon get the chair-
Next to go will be the young punks
'Cause the threaten the status quo-
And some would rather kill their dreams
Than watch them die
Others remain with their dreams
Until the end.
There's a gap in our generation
Though were only three years apart
It could be due to casualties
It could be due to cash bribes
Now half of us are married in Beltland
And half of us are all alone-
And half of us can't stand to live here
And half of use can call it home.
And some would rather kill their dreams
Than watch them die
Others remain with their dreams
Until the end.
In this glacial decade
On this plain old plain
The only help for revolution
Is a return of the strange ...
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
31. |
Submensa Song
02:45
|
|||
|
SUBMENSA SONG
Well, you know I never saw a war,
Nor a casualty,
And yet I know what rubble is
And what a corpse must be . . .
I read it in a paper somewhere . . .
Now, isn't that stupid? It's just so stupid.
I ask God, are we stupid?
We're submensas, we're just submensas
Twisting spasms in orgies go,
Round and round the dance floor so
I don't know up, I don't know down
I just crease my mouth and frown -
I hope it doesn't freeze that way . . .
Now, isn't that stupid? It's just so stupid.
I ask God, are we stupid?
We're submensas, we're only submensas
You know, I wanna run away with you,
Want to put the world together with glue-
I want to do it, but I can't see
Why I can't believe in me-
And that's the way it feels,
Sometimes, in the rain
in the dark
Or when you're all alone-
Now, isn't that stupid? It's just so stupid.
I ask God, are we stupid?
We're submensas, we're only submensas-
Under the Lord
Under the law
Under the table -
We're trapped - there's just one word:
Inferior.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
32. |
Pain
01:49
|
|||
|
PAIN
I want to tell you about pain . . .
Beginning with an actual burning sensation
Which anointed me in the long-lost beginning;
We broke, and I nova-ed with sentiment -
It's pain. Such pain. The Pain.
I do not live in mornings anymore
Wake up each day with a blank mind
Wishing I could be warm again
The wind whips through the holes, I turn over-
It's pain. Such pain. The Pain.
By afternoon my limbs are atrophied
I eat vitamins and read a magazine
The sun will set and I'm yearning
Still yearning to be next to you, babe-
It's painful, so painful-
I want to be next to you, babe
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
33. |
Anger is . . .
02:45
|
|||
|
ANGER IS . . .
It's the feeling there's a ceiling
It's the hopeless wall hammering
It's the scenic kind of panic;
Afraid you might have ruined it all . . . .
You resist for no reason
Then feel guilty of treason-
You're complaining all the time
But where does this get you?
Anger is . . .
Anger is . . . so beautiful
But useless without knowledge.
Is my world just convoluted?
I can't even tell
Reaction or Revolution?
I can't even tell-
It's the difference of your dreaming
And the cracks in your mirror-
Right hand reaching for an answer,
Left hand reaching for an anchor-
You exist for no reason,
Unless you can make your own
If you don't want to read the books,
Then read the statues!
So, read a book or watch TV
Try to see what they do to you
See how the evil machinations planned it
Want freedom? Then demand it!
Anger is . . .
Anger is . . . so beautiful
But useless without knowledge.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
34. |
Hello!
01:58
|
|||
|
HELLO!
Hi, How you doing?
Just fine . . .
Hello, how are you?
How you been?
Whatcha doing?
Ain't it real nice weather outside?
I don't want to say what I really think.
I've got to keep it bottled up inside -
I don't want them to stare at me.
I smile and say, "I'm fine!"
Well, I'm fine, fine, fine fine!
Chipidious!
Say hello to the nuclear bomb,
Say hello to mom-
Say hello to all your friends,
Nod and just pretend-
That you're fine, fine, fine, fine-
I don't want to say
What i really want to say
I don't want to let
Myself feel ashamed-
I just have to say good bye.
(C) Damon Norko
|
||||
35. |
||||
|
SEXY HOLLYWOOD NAZI SLAUGHTER
. . . you're the victim. What's the matter?
And on the streets the juices flow,
Sweet young thing is about to blow,
Monster ejaculates on the floor-
Fire it all up and hungry people fry
Gigantic penises hypnotize.
Sexy Hollywood Nazi slaughter-
You want this excitement-
You want this slaughter!
Rape is legal - get your licks in!
And now he enters the Palace of God
Now it's time for the Academy Award!
The monster swings his dripping sword,
Just as Brooke Shields arrives in her silk
Monster grabs her and takes his thrill
Stop him! Stop him! They're screaming . . .
Sexy Hollywood Nazi Slaughter -
Love this excitement!
Love this slaughter!
Above his head now Brooke Shields twirls
Security guards shoot but hit the girl,
Seventeen bullets slide in the girl-
Brooke Shields tears right down the spine,
And everybody stares at her great new design-
And the whole world is tuned in!
Sexy Hollywood Nazi slaughter-
Cream of the crops are
just cannon fodder-
An orgy of violence breaks down in wars-
Monster takes Burt Reynolds just like a girl-
And like a sex salad he drips on the floor,
And from his jail cell Charles Manson cheers-
Cell mates set him on fire with kerosine-
He fries like bacon in a pan.
Sexy Hollywood Nazi slaughter-
You keep watching-
You keep listening-
What's the matter? Want this slaughter?
And here come the police
With tear gas and gun-
And the palace looks just like El Salvador-
Bejeweled bodies are stacked to the ceiling,
And cadres of communists sensing their chances
Start revolutions with youths in the streets
And they're infiltrated and eradicated
Just like viruses in our bodies-
And rival militias battle for neighborhoods,
And anarchy settles down for good
And so do missiles and a shocked world burns-
But not the Defect.
Sexy Hollywood Nazi slaughter
What's the matter?
Want this slaughter?
Turn on the television.
Turn on the radio.
It won't go away.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
36. |
Aren't you Perfect, Too?
02:04
|
|||
|
AREN'T YOU PERFECT, TOO?
To love is to lie,
To create perfection;
Are these facades
For our own protection?
It may hurt
But that's okay
You must speak
If you have something to say.
The world was not
Made for you
You must try
To see it through.
Aren't you perfect, too?
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
37. |
Dead Shit in the Sky
02:31
|
|||
|
DEAD SHIT IN THE SKY
It's the Fourth of July,
In Dependence Day.
The people are happy,
Even though they're enslaved.
Shoot things in the sky
Nice sparkles and fire-
(and I choke on the smoke)
Dead Shit in the sky -
Pollution and Crime -
And Morons who lie, lie lie -
Only Dead Shit will survive.
Dead shit in the sky
Dead shit in the air
Dead shit in our lungs
Dead shit in our bodies
Dead shit in our children
Dead shit in our descendents
We've gotta stop this
Dead Shit dependence!
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
38. |
War (Live at Kong's)
02:06
|
|||
|
WAR
Now it's time for . . . war!
Unga-bunga, push the button
Unga-bunga, it's missile time!
Unga-bunga, civil disorder,
Guess they just weren't warned on time!
Unga-bunga, see the masses
Unga-bunga, run for their lives
Unga-bunga, war is so simple
Unga-bunga, peace is a lie!
Unga-bunga, nuclear nightmare,
Unga-bunga, we knew it would come!
Unga-bunga, no sign of life where
Modern sticks and stones have come.
Unga-bunga, stick out your tongue-a
Unga-bunga, the world just died
Unga-bunga, war is so simple,
A primitive kind of suicide.
Now it's time for war!
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
39. |
Scummy Life
03:11
|
|||
|
SCUMMY LIFE
Swarming all around
Don’t got no hometown
Turmoil, turmoil, turmoil –
Which way is up?
I got my moral scale;
So do those in jail –
Justice, justice, justice –
Which way is right?
I read a lot of lines
Trying to define life
Theories, theories, theories,
Which one is mine?
I feel like a sperm cell, lost in a prophylactic.
I feel like a sperm cell, lost in a prophylactic.
Soon I’m going to be dead.
I think about my name
I think about my face
Mirror, mirror, mirror
Is this really me?
I think about a womb
I think about my doom –
Silence, Silence, Silence
Are they the same?
Was I ever born?
Don’t know anymore
Grow up, grow up, grow up –
Wonder who’s mature?
(Freak out part)
Who has put that rubber there? Where’s that boundary, where is it, where?
Who has spewed us in this world and hidden the secrets away
So we stay
Helpless …..
Want to eat some food
Nothing’s any good!
Plastic, plastic, plastic –
What is real?
Do we have a past?
Who am I to ask?
History, history, history
Where is the future?
Such a universe
We’re stuck here on Earth
Warfare, warfare, warfare –
Is it ours to burn?
I feel like a sperm cell, lost in a prophylactic.
I feel like a sperm cell, lost in a prophylactic.
Soon I’m going to be dead.
It’s a scummy life.
© Damon Norko 1981, 2011
|
||||
40. |
Parents Against Punk
02:09
|
|||
|
PARENTS AGAINST PUNK
I saw it on Donahue,
And then I saw it
On PM magazine
And then I saw it
On Evening Magazine!
And then they sent a brochure to my parents,
And then they sent a brochure to my grandparents!
They're going to recruit more parents
Than there are punks-
Do you know who I'm talking about?
I know who I'm talking about,
Do you know who I'm talking about?
I'm talking about
I'm talking about
Parents against punk!
You f---ing ignoramuses,
You drove your kid weird
And then blame the results
On the only segment of life that
Helps your kid understand.
Understand?
Parents against punk!
When your kid hits his girl,
It's because you hit him
Or forced him into a
Stupid, senseless mold
Without explaining anything,
And he did drugs just to calm down-
CALM DOWN!
Parents against punk!
You are so hollow
And in evaluating your screwed life
You isolate your bitter kid
But the root of the bitter kid is you
Your imperfection
Your stinking, sinking
Conformist repression!
Parents against punk!
Punk against parents!
Parents against punk!
Crucify Junior.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
41. |
Punk is Like ROTC
01:20
|
|||
|
PUNK IS LIKE ROTC
Punk is just like ROTC
Get 'em young before they think
It's just another trend to
The people who are dumb-
Act real weird just to have an excuse!
Punk is just like ROTC
Be whatever you can be-
Flunked out of
Flunked out of prep schools
Punk is no excuse for flunking out of life!
If you know what you're doing, that's fine!
If you know why you're doing, that's amazing!
But if you don't think, then you'd better leave-
Ignorant punks are hard to believe!
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines!
Or hardcore! Or hardcore! Or Hardcore! Or hardcore!
We're not talking about Sid anymore - hardcore!
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Hardcore!
There's too many f--king psychos out there
Who just love the hardcore way of thinking.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
42. |
Strange Graves
02:01
|
|||
|
STRANGE GRAVES
How many times will the world rock and roll
Before it finally breaks asunder?
And how many mixed up little piles of debris
Will you and I be buried under?
Could be lots of papers, all kinds of books-
Five million files from the FBI,
Could be lots of trash, the frozen desert sands
The dust in the wind, the particles of man
Or it could be guns with high-explosive shells
Buried in a tank or a plane wreck on a hill
A strange grave here
A strange grave there
All graves are strange!
And how many times will I see you fall
Before you finally go under?
And how many mixed up little piles of debris
Will you and I be buried under?
Could be TV dinners filled with MSG,
Could be rotten corn chips that taste like Auschwitz,
Could be drunken driving down the highway to the end,
Could be lots of lovers, but never any friends,
Could be lots of plastic do-dads and souvenirs
Could be tortured memories swallowing your years
A strange grave here
A strange grave there
All graves are strange!
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
43. |
||||
|
WEARING ASBESTOS
On Main Street, I was roasted,
In the ghetto I was toasted-
In suburbia, I got fried-
When I heard somebody lie-
It's an eruption of corruption
A conflagration of debasement
An explosion of corrosion
. . . and I forgot to avert my eyes!
In the subway, I got seared,
When a woman screamed in my ear-
At the Olympics, I was scorched
When the terrorists stole the torch-
Tortured eruptions of corruption
Conflagrations of debasement
Explosions of corrosion
. . . don't forget to avert your eyes-
Or you'll go blind!
I see a young boy, getting beaten-
I see a psycho getting treatment,
I see Cambodia-I see no justice-
You are all wearing asbestos.
Wearing asbestos, wearing asbestos -
Yeah, and I burn
And I burn
And no one is concerned
But I'm flammable
And I know someday I'll ignite-
Asbestos-
(C) Damon Norko
|
||||
44. |
||||
|
I LEFT MY HEART IN GARBAGE
I stepped out of my house
I looked down upon the sidewalk
And I saw . . . trash. Garbage.
Everywhere I look
I see that same stuff-
I look in the sky above,
I see the choking gray clouds
Above the city . . . it's garbage.
Garbage, garbage, garbage-
I even know
Deep, deep down in my brain
There's garbage.
You can't get away from it,
It's all around us-
On the top of a mountain in the
Amazon rain forest,
You'll find garbage.
Garbage.
Garbage North,
Garbage South,
Garbage in my nose
Garbage in my mouth
Garbage up my ass
Garbage in my ears
Garbage accumulated all these years-
Whatever happened to yesterday's dreams?
Why aren't you what you seem?
Look real pretty nice and cute
Talking garbage like f**king puke-
Garbage-
Garbage East,
Garbage West
Garbage in my girl-
Garbage in my bed-
Garbage in my lungs
Garbage in my head-
Garbage makes me dead.
I hate all the pretty sounds
Fit for garbage dumping sounds
Garage garbage makes me cope
Ans some stupid garbage dope-
Garbage-
Everything is beautiful*
In it's own way
Life is full of summer nights
And winter days
There are none so blind*
As those who cannot see
We must changes our minds
And let our hearts be free
Sing it children
Sing it in the garbage.
You can't escape it,
Not when it's in your head-
This garbage
Makes me dead.
Dead.
(c) Damon Norko (except * verses by Ray Charles)
|
||||
45. |
||||
|
ANARCHY LOVE
We were swinging round and round
We were partners, nowhere bound
And now I can't remember when it last was
Oh, so long ago-
Every two or three years we run into each other
And we lie awake together feeling dawn
A decade away-
My pillow smells like oceans
And I'm tired of emotions
So I bow and let myself go,
Giving way to
Anarchy love.
Too much history has conspired against me
And now it's time for me
Now it's time for me to be free-
You know I want something,
You can tell by the way I sing
I want that kind of love that songs
Can never bring
Anarchy love.
You're falling down with
Anarchy love
Falling down.
(c) Damon Norko
|
||||
The Submensas Baltimore, Maryland
A Damon Norko lyric-fueled rock band that inhabited the Baltimore-Washington area from 1983-93.
UPDATE:
We're baaack!
Check out our awesome new releases from our latest studio session!
And look for The Submensas coming to a venue near you!
... more
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This Is All We Ever Get
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Knockout debut from a Buffalo, New York-based hardcore band who like their riffs sick, their drums fast, and their choruses sticky-sweet.
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On their ferocious self-titled debut, the Australian punks pit d-beat percussion against gnarled, metallic melodies.
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Escape From New York
by Cash Bribe
New York hardcore meets classic thrash metal meets Jane's Addiction-esque alternative on the Brooklyn crushers' sensational debut.
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