From the recording Double Down
This is a song about Nature observing us.
What might they see?
Imagine. It's not so hard. Our mechanical eyes observe us almost constantly too. Opinions are formed. God knows.
Here's a bit of the Sermon behind the Song:
Without Commandments, Nature has its rules. Survival of the fittest among them but, given the wealth of resources watching, studying, researching, the miracle of kindness has been seen, in active use, among so many species. Elephants cuddle, protect, and mourn. Mother Octopus nurture and protect, unto death. Family units thrive, where their habitats allow. Yes. There is a spectrum of cleverness, fitness, and luck, in their world that helps them survive.
And then there's us.
Humankind has become masters of the planet, its resources, the lives of so many because freedom of choice was declared via religious edict, subjugation or domination. Ponder that. Someone has to. The lessons of History have not been helpful.
However it happened, "we" choose what is beautiful. What is worthy of perpetuation, preservation, extermination. We choose teams. Sports, Religious, Politics, Race, Sex, Economics, as ways to bond. Each of those carries expectations of conduct, rules even, judgements. We interpret, confess to, and absolve each other. Are we Gods?
We chose what to keep as pets. How to breed them, capture them, keep them. They please us. When they do not, we cast them away, sell, or destroy them. Is it simply our nature?
We do something similar to other people, children, employees and all that we use against their will in ways that does not allow their freedom of choice. Why? Because rules?
Whose rules? God's rules?
God has been horrified by us before. We have horrified ourselves by learning how twisted bad people can hide inside many team-guises to betray, beguile and bury. Teams have been formed and, in choosing who belongs, power is built or destroyed.
But there, hidden at the core, we were given one Golden Rule and we have the capacity to follow it. Many do. Choices.
Do the bad apples ruin it? The bullies and bullets that are louder, prouder; they make a team with rules of their own. Who do we enable? Empower? Stand up to/for? Or do we hide in a bunker? Hunker with our own team? Survival of the fittest? Are we, in fact, animals?
The Good Book says God gets fed up. it's already ended in Flood once. Maybe next will be Fire. Maybe next, in the Etch-A-Sketch of life, the Angel/Demons will balance on the head of that Pin and actualize the Golden Rule.
They do say "The meek will survive." Religion aside, I'm rooting for THAT team.
Lyrics
There in the window a raven is sharpening claws
On a branch there's a knothole with eyes that can see what you saw.
What do you fear? What did you hear? From the raven that danced
the yard. Its noises are always bizarre. Are you sure you're listening?
There's a clock striking one off th alley that nobody dares walk into.
in a branch of the neighborhood no one admits is there anymore.
A memory buried in guilt and shame, where righteous and holy made
cradles into graves.
Murder, religious device, set, velvet, the audience snare. Listen to hear
the prayer. Altered by whispering lies wishing each other goodnight,
then killing with Godless delight.
The eyes of the raven remember when neighbors resort
to murder. They echo the screams to remind you of all that they saw.
A memory buried in guilt and shame. What do you fear? What did you hear?
When you turn out the lights it's the raven that knows you're still there.
Are you sure you're listening?