I met a man from Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Who I had known from many years before
Though his hair had greyed, his smile was familiar
His words, however, warned of secret war
I paused a moment, took his hand and asked him why
And he said
“Pull your head out of your ass
“Why so hateful?
“So ungrateful!
“Maybe you should die! (ANTIFA!)”
Whoa, we got a social disconnect
When helping hands come second to delusions we protect
Whoa, social disconnect
The more we see, the more we can deflect
I met a girl in Portland, out in Oregon
She flew a flag saying we should back the Blue
“Punks in the streets, they’re threatening our business
“You gotta keep that scum away from you”
Her next door neighbor that she’s worked beside five years
Got shot standing on his lawn
Called 911
Cop pulled a gun
Now here come her tears
Whoa, we got a social disconnect
Deny responsibility, just let nature select
Whoa, social disconnect
The more we see, the more we can deflect
We’ve all got problems
We’re all clawing up for air
From underneath the same gigantic pile of rubble
And if we can’t see we all have that in common
Instead of each a fragile, desperate bubble
If we’d rather stand for silence than our neighbors
Then I hate to tell you friends
But we’re in big, big trouble
I made a friend in overpriced Manhattan
They came of age in the Recession near Detroit
Remember there was poison in the water?
And the boss said “too expensive, what’s the point?”
They said “if all lives matter, lay that money down
“No sense fighting for the crumbs
“While they get ahead
“You may wish us dead
“But you don’t own our town”
Whoa, we got a social disconnect
With each of us means to the end:
The riches they protect
Whoa, social disconnect
The more we know, the more we can correct
We got a social disconnect
Charge at an oncoming train,
Surprise! Boy, you got wrecked
Whoa, social disconnect
When con men whisper in our ears
Just hoping to infect
Our only hope is if we can connect
Don’t stab me in the back
Then pull it out halfway and call it progress
Don’t stab me in the back
Then pull the whole thing out and say “okay?”
Don’t look at me and say
“I see you’re bleeding, but I’m not responsible”
If we don’t heal the wound
The pain isn’t going away
"If you stick a knife in my back 9 inches and pull it out 6 inches, there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out, that's not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made. They haven't even pulled the knife out, much less try and heal the wound; they won't even admit the knife is there."
-Malcolm X
credits
from No Man Is an Island,
released September 10, 2021
SBL - vocals, Kohler & Campbell spinet piano, tambourine, Wurlitzer electric piano, Gibson G101 organ, Hammond A100 organ, Minimoog, vocoder, glockenspiel, cymbals, sleigh bells
Dan Collins - Ludwig drum set
Michael Wu - Nash JB63 bass
Jen Cork - vocals
Will Gelder - Danelectro slide guitar
Erik Johanson - banjo, harmonica
Benjamin Tier - shouts
Tom Heyman documents life in San Francisco circa 2023, refusing to succumb to easy characterization & instead capturing the city’s nuance. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 22, 2023