This is one of the oldest 'proper' songs I wrote, obviously Stuart and Kieron helped to mold it into what you hear here, I'd originally intended it to be fast all the way through, but Stuart was having lactic acid problems. this is also why there's a slow bit before the Guitar solo...
Lyrics
Tired, I'm too tired for the lies of the man
Fight, human rights are the height of all you can.
You, they're watching you as you follow your leader down
Christ is only one, just a man like those around you.
(chorus)
Don't back up,
Don't look back down
Don't try to run
Don't make a sound
Trust the way I see, the way I lead you on
And who said he's just a man? Did they see him die?
Another one of the oldest tunes ever, this is a dark tale of a nasty man who stalks ladeez of tha night. Lyrics by Kieron Cheek, music by me, Stu and Kieron... We always though it was a bit on the cheesy side, but back in '99 / 2000 it was one of our most popular songs (with our three fans...)
Although written post-snow crash, I always intended this song to be part of the band. It was the first song where I actually felt like I'd worked out how to use compression, and that you could hear everything that was going on! It was also fun playing two guitar parts... drums are just samples off a Computer Music magazine CD.
Lyrics
I heard some people say that you have been playing away
When I went down,
and I am looking at a different picture
Of the uncontrollable crowds
And there has to be a logical reason
why they played it down
and you weren't the last to see me
as you were walking away
(chorus)
When the man in the middle spoke up you cried
And I ran undercover til I nearly died
When they threw the gas in I was still playing away
to the ever-loving crowd,
and the thought of having to face the black army today
couldn't last, so I wrote it all down.
(chorus)
I see the fear behind their eyes
And it's all just a cover for their lies
(middle 8):
You held all the cards you know I never realised that someone quite so beautiful as you could tell so many lies and when we sit here undecided the detritus of you crime I wonder if we really needed you to get us here and why why why did you go?
I wanted you to think again,
I wish that you would think again
As you say wait in line...
(chorus)
I though you looked back before you dived
and I though you smiled into my eyes
So I waited and I watched as you were walking away
and my hands were being tied
You looked like the essence of your soul had been taken away
I wrote this song right at the end of Snow Crash's existence as a band, so had to record everything myself. It's nuts crazy funk and tells a story about megalomania, magic and the close correlation between these and madness. Note the use of Native Instruments Hammond B4 plugin, Fruity Loops for the drums, and a cheap flanger...
LYRICS
Did you ever hear the one about the one-eyed man,
how he opened up a grimoire in another land?
Coz when you’re seeing in mono you’re seeing red
and if anyone can the one-eyed man can
When the magic got out he knew the book was bad,
Saw too many others had the same thing that he had.
Tried to build an army but it drove him mad,
got into his brain like a thousand-eye freight train
Formed his plan in Astrakhan,
If you ever need a pickup then the one-eyed man can
I ain’t making excuses for the following war,
no-one really knew what they were fighting for.
He knew everyone’s secrets but he wanted more,
like all the little cities on the Caspian sea shore
As soon as the East was one-eye land,
he moved into Europe in a big old transit van
The Americans failed to put up a fight
and the rights of the righteous fell by the wayside
CHORUS
And if the universe seems smaller than it did before
now you see in stereo and more...
You were never satisfied, got more powerful and I
can’t escape your omnipotent stare
CHORUS
So we covered our heads in hats of lead
and cowered in the back of a nuclear shed in Cannes
But the pressure was high and people died
and the man with the plan in astrakhan went mad
Now you’ll see him in the square with the scientist hair
selling ices to the masses with a maniacal stare
You should never try to talk coz he cannot lie
and he’ll show you the method of your demise
(if anyone can you know the one-eyed ice cream man can)
Drives his van, in Astrakhan
If you ever need a pickup then the one-eyed ice cream man can
And if you wind up standing alone
The world can seem so small
And if you're needing a friendly smile
Don't come to me.
(CHORUS)
I could never understand
why you always had to try me, why me?
It's only a little way behind
but it's always how you find me
and I can't get away from you
So if you find that I'm not helping,
sometimes you should leave
I am locked inside
a tiny world of my own
CHORUS
(the missing middle 8)
When you look at me with your brown eyes I wanna cut you up
to see what you have got that makes you so one-sided
this is not a dream, it's how I feel and it is so fsked up
the world is closing in, and I can't escape it now
So when you wake up and realise
that we could never last
don't look back, just keep on walking
and try to forget
We just wanted to start with something funky, a sort of break to show off what we could do and wake everybody up before we launched into the plangent rock. ...read more »
