These lyrics are sharper than a scalpel, angrier than a crazed rabid mob and loaded with infinite despise. And what better way to accompany this punch in the face of corporate and political kiss-asses then with a couple of merciless guitar and some creepy synths?
Yeah, this one goes to you, those that chose the dirtiest ways to adapt: lies, manipulation and all the other kinds of spineless trickery. Get an earful of this, jelly-people, and who knows, maybe you wake up and stop sabotaging your and others’ growth.
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/03804-ClawfingerZerosHeroes-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Clawfinger – 15 Minutes Of Fame’ desc=’These lyrics are sharper than a scalpel, angrier than a crazed rabid mob and loaded with infinite despise.’]
One day, this song will be reviewed outside the unfortunate social context from which it emerged, a social context where it really had very little chance of earning the accolades it deserved. That’s because this rallying call against organized religion was, is, and will continue to be for some time, a dangerous song.
And when that day comes, this song will win prizes. A great many of them. A prize (and the most important one), for lyrics that don’t miss a single syllable. It’s just one unrelenting, harmonious but unforgiving stream of rhymes. Another prize for diverse orchestration and the way spoken word, heavy riffing and a redeeming choir are fused together in a celebration for freedom and intellectual evolution. And another bunch of prizes for the band releasing this as early as they did, for touring it and for doing what they could to wake their peers up.
Until that day comes, all we can do is celebrate it amongst ourselves.
Disclaimer: I am spiritual, I don’t think all forms of organized religion are bad, I respect all religions and Gods. It’s just the horrible crimes committed by some humans, dirtying Divinity, that make me a sad panda. That being said…
“There’s nothing a god can give to me that i can’t give to myself
I put my beliefs in the things I believe and a god can take care of himself
there’s not enough love in the world for me to think about wasting my time
It’s not that I don’t believe at all but I don’t need a heavenly sign
I can achieve the things I need without getting down on my knees
I can respect your religion but i don’t want to pay your fees
I don’t want to hear you talk about the things you think that i need
so don’t help me back on my feet again until you can hear me plead
Just look in the holy book of crooks and tell me what you can find
all the rules and the regulations made to manipulate your mind
don’t pretend that you’re blind just open your mind and study historical times
the bigger the loss the bigger the cost the bigger the cross and it’s crimes
I don’t believe in a god that I need to worship
I don’t believe that I need to get down on my knees
I don’t believe that a voice from above can help me
I only believe in what I can see and the things that I can achieve
Whatever belief you belong to there is always a reason to doubt
and there’s always another opinion as to what life is all about
there’s always a bigger dimension and a different point of view
so I don’t want to try to change you that decision is up to you
Whatever your final choice is and however you choose to live
you better be happy for what you can get and happy with what you can give
there’s only one thing to remember there is only one thing you can do
and that is to do unto others as you’d have others do unto you”
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This song is looking for trouble from the first second. If all of the world’s human inhabitants would understand the meaning of (and history behind) these lyrics, then politics as we know it would immediately cease to exist. If that would be good or bad, we’ll probably never know, because this song is history and mainstream media is not preoccupied with educating the population about the horrors committed by their leaders behind closed doors (guess who controls the media?).
And that’s why Clawfinger’s message must be delivered alongside a bunch of angry guitars! Power to the one who doesn’t want it!
“You’re politically correct no matter what you say
convincing us all in every single kind of way
cos you frame the words so that we really believe
that there’s a depth in the message that you’re trying to achieve
so you twist your tongue to make it all sound true
making us believe that we haven’t got a clue
you tell us all exactly what you think we want to hear
with theatrical tactics to boost your career
every promise you make is just a promise you break
and you can never admit that you could make a mistake
because you say one thing and you mean something else
you only care about yourself and your wealth
so all i say is
power to the one who doesn’t want it!
do you want it? why do you want it?
with your military mind you were born a leader
and discipline and order is an everyday procedure
so bring out the man in every innocent boy
and teach them how to kill so they can search and destroy
to protect and to serve and die with honour and pride
you say you’re fighting for peace but that’s the biggest lie
you’re preparing for war and your martial law
but you don’t know what it’s for anymore
so all i say is
power to the one who doesn’t want it!
power is a sickness power is to blame
power is a weapon and it’s driving me insane
power is an enemy
power is pain
power is a war but to you it’s just a game
power is glory
power is gold
power is chaos and you’re out of control
power isn’t freedom
power is a cage
power is your sin and it feeds my rage
power to the one who doesn’t want it!”
Clawfinger is one of the most socially-aware music acts in the world. The group’s lyrics are firmly rooted in the sad realities of the late 20th and early 21st century when social decay at the hands of corporations and corrupt governments caused an immense amount of grief and social trauma.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any way of purchasing the album digitally from any ethical shop (such as BandCamp).
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Here’s an hymn for change if there ever was one! And what’s the best music to stimulate change? How about a couple of rabid guitars riffing against relentless percussion? The occasional synthesizer touch is there to bring diversity to an already good song. Even for those that aren’t fans of rap-metal, the lyrics of this song are an ode to change of fascinating intensity.
There aren’t many metal bands that manage to make good music and write decent lyrics. There are even fewer that make excellent music and write excellent lyrics. Clawfinger is one of them. The band’s lyrics are firmly rooted in the sad realities of the late 20th and early 21st century when social decay at the hands of corporations and corrupt governments caused an immense amount of grief and social trauma. This isn’t the last Clawfinger Weekly Song you’ll see around here! Oh, I’m just gettin’ started :).
“Are you satisfied with everything the way it is
Are you stuck in the conformity of minding your own biz
Does a confrontation make you want to turn and run
and do you think about the things you’d like to have undone
Are you scared of looking back at all the things you’ve said
and do you keep the words you’d like to say inside your head
well nothing changes by itself without some kind of clash
and there’s always gonna be some barriers to smash
Are you scared to be, scared of what you see
Are you scared to change, scared to rearrange
There’s a chance that you never take the chances you get
If you never move ahead you’ll keep on looking back
the only thing you’re doing is just filling out the cracks
Another coat of artificial paint won’t change a thing
unless the whole foundation gets a brand new colouring
What is there to lose except some insecurity
that you replace with faith to not be scared of what you see ‘cos every little risk you take breaks down another wall the biggest chance that you can take is just to let it fall”
[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/02111-ClawfingerClawfingerChances-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Clawfinger – Chances’ desc=’Here'’s an hymn for change if there ever was one!’]
Because being informed is just not enough anymore…
