Now accepting nominations! Category: Best theme song for Philippine governance
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Philippine Music Awards!
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Now accepting nominations! Category: Best theme song for Philippine governance
First nominee, “Gentle Murders” by Rage
Gentle Murders
Artist: Rage
Album: Carved In Stone
Genre: Rock
Dirty is the road to fame
Plastered with unlucky victims
Deadly if you get the blame focused on you
You can play your games with fear
Manipulate all around you
You want all, that’s why you’re here, so come what may
Win or lose, get rid of those who’re in your way
(Make a stone out of your heart)
Win or lose, so stab the knife and fake a smile
(while you sell wrong for right)
Put a foot into that door
Get in charge, start pulling the strings
Show no mercy to the poor that crawl for you
In position you’re immune
No one stops you, theres no frontier
Now you’re licensed for the kill, smile anyway
Win or lose, get rid of those who’re in your way
(Make a stone out of your heart)
Win or lose, so stab the knife and fake a smile
(while you sell wrong for right)
Gentle murders mark your way
Awful and unpunished
Gentle murderers get away
You’d be caught and locked away if you weren’t elected
Gentle murders get away
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Lord of the Flies via essayshark.com
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
What can I say? This, ah, stabs right to the heart of me.
That is so apt. Do you listen to this stuff? hahaha.
I nominate this. My Way, The Sex Pistols/Sid Vicious version, also appeared at the end credits of ‘Goodfellas’.
Please, please, Adrian. We do not refer to high art as “stuff”!!!!
(Haha, I never listen to this schtick, but the words on ‘Gentle Murders’ are great.)
Well, I like the first few bars of Rage before the singing starts . . .
I’l review your submission when my $@#! internet is working . . .
Joe, for me it’s Wowowee, that’s the theme song that’s stuck in my head when I think of the Philippines, scantily clad girls gyrating , while poor kids cry their hearts out , as rich hosts scream and laugh , the shallowness of it all … it reminded me of ‘the Running Man’ w/ Arnold:
I have no idea what that song lyrics are, all I know is Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is there, but it captures the craziness that is the Philippines for me, so WOWOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! 😉
I can still picture Filipinos guffawing and crying as they watched this show.
this one’s for the drug dealers, drug addicts, the poor and other such un-desirables over there ,
“Pumped Up Kicks” / Foster the People
Robert’s [or, Duterte’s] got a quick hand
He’ll look around the room
He won’t tell you his plan
He’s got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out his mouth
He’s a cowboy kid
Yeah he found a six-shooter gun
In his dad’s closet, in the box of fun things
I don’t even know what
But he’s coming for you, yeah he’s coming for you
[Chorus x2:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Daddy [or Duterte] works a long day
He be coming home late, and he’s coming home late
And he’s bringing me a surprise
‘Cause dinner’s in the kitchen and it’s packed in ice
I’ve waited for a long time
Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
Then say, “Your hair’s on fire, you must’ve lost your wits, yeah?”
[Chorus x2:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Run, run, run, run, ru-ru-ru-run, run, run
Ru-ru-ru-run, run, run, run
Ru-ru-ru-run, run, run, run, run, run
[Whistling]
[Chorus x4:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet
and this one’s for the ones who’ve so appointed themselves the righteous,
and this one’s for the regulars here,
(This song was intended for Johnny Cash. On Coldplay’s “Twisted Logic” tour, Chris Martin explained that this song was written for a special event and was to be performed by Cash and Coldplay together. Unfortunately, Johnny Cash passed away before this event could be finalized.)
“Til Kingdom Come”
Steal my heart and hold my tongue.
I feel my time, my time has come.
Let me in, unlock the door.
I’ve never felt this way before.
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummer begins to drum,
I don’t know which way I’m going,
I don’t know which way I’ve come.
Hold my head inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I’ve waited all these years.
For you, I’d wait ’til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you’ll come, and set me free,
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me.
In your tears and in your blood,
In your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing,
“I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummers begin to drum,
I don’t know which way I’m going,
I don’t know what I’ve become.
For you, I’d wait ’til kingdom come,
Until my days, my days are done.
Say you’ll come and set me free,
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me.
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me.
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me.
Nice entry. You are going to give the judges a workout, I see.
oh yeah, and for the recently departed over there— whatever their sins may have been…
“Now We Are Free” / Lisa Gerrard
Anol shalom
Anol sheh lay konnud de ne um {shaddai}
Flavum nom de leesh
Ham de nam um das
La um de Flavne
We de ze zu bu
We de sooo a are you
Un va-a pesh a lay
Un vi-I bee
Un da la pech ni sa(aah)
Un di-I lay na day
Un ma la pech a nay
Mee di nu ku
La la da pa da le na da na
Ve va da pa da le na la dumda
Anol shalom
Anol sheh ley kon-nud de ne um.
Flavum, flavum
M-ai shondol-lee flavu
Lof flesh lay nof ne
Nom de lis
Ham de num um dass
La um de flavne
Shom de nomm
Ma-lun des dwondi, dwwoondi
Alas sharum do koos
Shaley koot-tum
here’s some note on her lyrics, http://ecstaticspeech.blogspot.com/2007/07/lisa-gerrard-uses-her-own-language.html
“The words are in my own internal language, and mean more than I could ever explain” —- some weird stuff, for weird times 😉
Echoes of James Joyce . . . Finnegan’s wake:
What clashes here of wills gen wonts, oystrygods gaggin fishy-gods! Brékkek Kékkek Kékkek Kékkek! Kóax Kóax Kóax! Ualu Ualu Ualu! Quaouauh! Where the Baddelaries partisans are still out to mathmaster Malachus Micgranes and the Verdons cata-pelting the camibalistics out of the Whoyteboyce of Hoodie Head. Assiegates and boomeringstroms. Sod’s brood, be me fear! Sanglorians, save! Arms apeal with larms, appalling. Killykill-killy: a toll, a toll. What chance cuddleys, what cashels aired and ventilated! What bidimetoloves sinduced by what tegotetab-solvers! What true feeling for their’s hayair with what strawng voice of false jiccup! O here here how hoth sprowled met the duskt the father of fornicationists but, (O my shining stars and body!) how hath fanespanned most high heaven the skysign of soft advertisement! But was iz? Iseut? Ere were sewers? The oaks of ald now they lie in peat yet elms leap where askes lay. Phall if you but will, rise you must: and none so soon either shall the pharce for the nunce come to a setdown secular phoenish.
Ramos willing to set aside the Hague ruling in China talks…
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/19/16/fvr-willing-to-set-aside-hague-ruling-in-china-talks
🙂
By the way JoeAm, you told us you can not watch movies….hahahahaha
* NHerrera says: July 20, 2016 at 10:56 am I love that song, especially the lyrics. Reply
———————————————————
C……….D………..P……….S………..C……….NC………..P……….HS………[ ]
| | | |
| | | |
ND NS C G
| | | |
| | | |
[*] [ ] [*] [ ]
1.0 China
1.1 ND – Non- defiant*
1.2 D – Defiant
2.0 PH
2.1 NS – Non-setting aside of PCA ruling
2.2 S – Set aside PCA ruling
3.0 China
3.1 C – Concession offered*
3.2 NC – No Concession
4.0 PH
4.1 HS – Harden Stand
4.2 G – Give in to China’s hard stance#
————————————————-
That depends on what is meant by setting aside of the PCA ruling.
I would like to go further and do a two-centavo worth of back-of-the-envelope kind of analysis.
Consider the sequential series of four major moves:
1.0 China
1.1 ND – Non- defiant*
1.2 D – Defiant
2.0 PH
2.1 NS – Non-setting aside of PCA ruling
2.2 S – Set aside PCA ruling
3.0 China
3.1 C – Concession offered*
3.2 NC – No Concession
4.0 PH
4.1 HS – Harden Stand
4.2 G – Give in to China’s hard stance#
NOTES:
– The asterisk [*] moves would have resulted in some relief both locally and internationally, but as it happened China’s stand was 1.2
– In an effort at moving forward, PH goes to China with a marching order to “Set aside PCA ruling” which can mean a lot of ways but let us take the positive side of that — a reasonable move considering the weak economic and military status of the country.
– If China does not offer any concession, then we are back to square one, and makes China look more like a Bully than it already is from the regional and international view. Are they going to wait for a much better version of PRD from their viewpoint? Lose the chance they have now at saving face, among others?
– Thus, 3.1 is possible. Now whether this is in the form of fishing rights of the Filipinos, or the wider resources sharing (not perhaps in the form of 1 for you and 1 for me in the Chinese view but 1 for you and 2 for me; but not in the form of 1 for you and 10 for me) is another matter. Let us see the mettle of PRD and FVR.
– If 3.2 is China’s move then PH’s stand is either 4.1 or 4.2. It is likely that PRD will not support 4.2 on the basis of China’s 1 for you and 10 for me. It is un-imaginable to me that the country will go for that.
Oops bad posting. Forget the items above the line which says: it depends on what is meant by setting aside PCA ruling. I am never good at this chart thing. Sorry.
🙂
Cheering for Leni Robredo and her stance in the spate of alleged extra-judicial killing in PH:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/797415/robredo-stop-senseless-killings-violence
Here is “Fight Song” for VP Robredo and all Filipinos who feel that there is something terribly wrong with violence, vigilantes and vultures:
JP,
the close 2nd to the Wowowee theme song for me, was Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me like You Do”—-
(Filipinos to DU30…)
I’ll let you set the pace
Cause I’m not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can’t see clear no more
What are you waiting for?
the rest of the lyrics here— very apt…
enjoy…
Thought you liked that song because of the movie. 🙂 Yup, the classic dominant/submissive relationship pattern seems to be at play in PH politics and governance.
I hated the movie, JP, too tame… false advertising! the casting was all wrong too (too much of the Melanie Griffith vibe was a turn off), it should’ve been Matt Damon and Blake Lively,
Nah, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson would have been better. In a Marvel Comics’ storyline, of course. 🙂
Thanks JP for the link. Also from the link:
*****
INQUIRER has been keeping track of the death toll since President Duterte announced he wanted dead suspected drug pushers or users as part of his anti-drug campaign.
As on 12mn of July 18, 265 people had been killed since June 30, when Mr. Duterte was inaugurated into office; 312 had been killed since May 10, a day after he was elected as President.
*****
(That is 7 times the Mamasapano death. No comment from the star of the show of yesteryear, Grace Poe? And from DFA Sec in waiting, Cayetano?)
JP: I have not yet viewed the video of the song above. But will do.
Joe: the lyrics of the song hits the bulls eye.
Great infographic.
Yes. The silence from those who have the “voice” is disturbing.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
– Proverbs 31:8-9
For those with slow Internet. Lyrics to the song below:
FIGHT SONG
(Rachel Platten)
Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion
And all those things I didn’t say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I’m alright song
My power’s turned on
Starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes
‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me
Losing friends and I’m chasing sleep
Everybody’s worried about me
In too deep
Say I’m in too deep (in too deep)
And it’s been two years I miss my home
But there’s a fire burning in my bones
Still believe
Yeah, I still believe
And all those things I didn’t say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I’m alright song
My power’s turned on
Starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes
‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me
A lot of fight left in me
Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion
This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I’m alright song
My power’s turned on
Starting right now I’ll be strong (I’ll be strong)
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes
‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me
Know I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me
The level of anguish about the murders is rather tightly limited to the educated, those who have been around the world and understand civil rights movements, and people who have studied the bible. Of the 9% who don’t trust President Duterte, maybe about 1% or less are what I would call ‘anguished’ over the killings. The problem is, they don’t know how to fight. The legislators are not fighting. Executive is pro-murder. The judiciary is sidelined or playing politics (free Arroyo). The media seem overwhelmed. There is no arena in which people can fight.
Seems like Facebook is where PH battles are being fought now-a-days. How can we turn the destructive social media tidal waves into desalinated water for the thirsty masses?
Well, I know how I’d do it, rather the way Duterte’s army was put together, but I am constrained by immigration regulations from being a rabble rouser.
To FB people here: Let us study this phenomenon and start a rumpus?
Yes,indeed. Where are those people now? Have they abandoned ship first?
I humbly think there is an arena Joe in the modern civilized world: the LAW ARENA where fearless lawyers are gladiators. enough NOT said of Filipino lawyers.
I am not forgetting the MABINI LAWYERS who made their mark in the early years of Martial lawyers but history tested the mettle of their members and . . .
andy, are you a lawyer? i’d like to refer you to this article I wrote : https://joeam.com/2015/05/21/a-filipino-aclu-and-lawyering-in-the-philippines/
I agree with you if the Philippines can produce more Tony Oposa’s the sky’s the limit, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lfiviqao6E (ironically he’s well known around the environmentalist circles through out the world, but virtually unknown in the Philippines, I noticed… have you heard of him?)
JP, the thoughts in Rachel Platten’s song is sort of cousin to the “Not Giving In” song down below.
Yes. How can we wake up the Filipinos’ indomitable spirit from its deep slumber?
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
I heard he sang a good song
I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him
To listen for a while
And there was this young boy
A stranger to my eyes
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
I felt all flushed with fever
Embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he found my letters
And read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish
But he just kept right on
I love that song, especially the lyrics.
When Lourna Pal was sweet sixteen and was the songstress of Davao Insular Hotel, we used to hear her belt that song almost every night sometime in ’74 ; Abul Khuyr Alonto and Alex Lucman was with us some nights. We killed the long nights with Lourna’s favorite song. And when the other guys went to Marrakesh, they returned home by the garbage truck in the morning. Davao City was then a blooming teenager of a metropolis.
Killing Moon”
Under blue moon I saw you
So soon you’ll take me
Up in your arms
Too late to beg you or cancel it
Though I know it must be the killing time
Unwillingly mine
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
In starlit nights I saw you
So cruelly you kissed me
Your lips a magic world
Your sky all hung with jewels
The killing moon
Will come too soon
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
Under blue moon I saw you
So soon you’ll take me
Up in your arms
Too late to beg you or cancel it
Though I know it must be the killing time
Unwillingly mine
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
You give yourself to him
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la
La la la la la
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
You give yourself to him
La la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
La la la la la
La la la la
La la la la la
La la la
Maybe just maybe this is what a pro-Duterte would post.They are looking for a super hero.
Powerful.
I nominate “Sa aking panahon” by Rey Valera and “Bayan kong sinilangan by asin”.
“Sa aking panahon”
Ang aking bayan mahal ng kalikasan
Palaging may araw maghapon ang kwentuhan
Sa aking panahon may formalin na ang gulay
Mangidnap ng tao parang hanapbuhay
Mayro’n kaming xerex gigisignin ka sa sex
Moral naming babang-baba nangre-rape pati bata
Ito ang bayan ko ngayon
Ito ang aking panahon
Kung maaalala mo kami
Ito ang aking panahon
Sikat ang Pinatubo umalis mga kano
Ngunit ang isip namin G.I.Joe pa rin
Pagkatapos mag-aral takbo ay Amerika
Tingin namin sa bayan ay walang pag-asa
Salitang pagkakaisa ay narinig na namin
Ngunit di alam ang gagawin at kung anong ibig sabihin
Ito ang bayan ko ngayon
Ito ang aking panahon
Kung maaalala niyo kami
Ito ang aming panahon
Sa aking panahon uso ang mag-Saudi
Pag-uwi ay mayrong TV may blue seal ang barkada
May ilang linggo magbebenta na ulit
Pinayaman ibang bayan pamilya’y iiwanan
Kung marami sanang maka-Diyos sa gobyerno
At hindi na Diyos ang pera baka mayro’ng pag-asa
Ito ang bayan ko ngayon
Ito ang aking panahon
Kung maaalala niyo kami
Ito ang aming panahon
Kung maaalala (sana nga)
niyo kami (kabataan)
Ito ang aming panahon
“Bayan kong Sinilangan”
Asin
INTRO
Ako’y isinilang sa isang bayan ng Cotabato
Kasing gulo ng tao, kasing gulo ng mundo
Dahil ‘di magkasundo sa relihiyon at prinsipyo
Nagkagulo
Ang bayan ko sa Cotabato, kasing gulo ng isip ko
‘Di alam saan nanggaling, ‘di alam saan patungo
Kapatid sa kapatid, laman sa laman
Sila-sila ang naglalaban, ‘di ko alam ang dahilan ng gulo
Bakit nagkagano’n, ang sagot sa tanong ko
Bakit kayo nag-away, bakit kayo nagkagulo
Prinsipyo mo’y igagalang ko kung ako’y iyong nirespeto
Kung nagtulungan kayo, ‘di sana magulo ang bayan ko
CHORUS
Sa bayan kong sinilangan, sa timog Cotabato
Ako ay namulat sa napakalaking gulo
Dahil walang respeto sa prinsipyo ng kapwa tao
Kapwa Pilipino ay pinapahirapan mo
Ang gulo
Ako’y nananawagan, humihingi ng tulong n’yo
Kapayapaa’y bigyan ng daan, kapayapaan sa bayan ko
Bakit kailangan pang maglaban, magkapatid kayo sa dugo
Kailan kayo magkakasundo, kapayapaa’y kailan matatamo ng bayan ko
Kung ako’y may maitutulong, tutulong nang buong puso
Gitara ko’y aking inaalay, kung magkagulo’y gamitin mo
Kung ang kalaba’y walang puso, puso na rin ang gamitin mo
Ituring mong ‘sang kaibigan, isipin mong siya’y may puso rin katulad mo
CHORUS
Sa bayan kong sinilangan (bakit may gulo) sa timog Cotabato (sa timog Cotabato)
Ako ay namulat (kailan matatapos) sa napakalaking gulo (ang gulo)
Dahil walang respeto (kailan magkakasundo) sa prinsipyo ng kapwa tao (ang tao)
Kapwa Pilipino (kapwa Pilipino) ay kinakalaban mo (bakit kinalaban mo)
Ang gulo
The optimist in would say that after all’s been said and done,Everything is gonna be alright Rockabye!
SHAWN MULLINS
Lullaby Lyrics
She grew up with
The children of the stars
In the Hollywood hills and the boulevard
Her parents threw big parties
Everyone was there
They hung out with folks like
Dennis hopper, Bob Seeger, sonny and Cher
Now, she feels safe
In this bar on Fairfax
And from the stage I can tell that
She can’t let go and she can’t relax
And just before
She hangs her head to cry
I sing to her a lullaby, I sing
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Rockabye
She still lives with her mom
Outside the city
Down that street about a half a mile
And all her friends tell her
She’s so pretty
But she’d be a whole lot prettier
If she smiled once in a while
`cause even her smile
Looks like a frown
She’s seen her share of devils
In this angel town
But, everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Rockabye
I told her I ain’t so sure
About this place
It’s hard to play a gig in this town
And keep a straight face
Seems like everyone here’s got a plan
It’s kind of like Nashville with a tan, but,
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye
Everything’s gonna be all right
Rockabye, rockabye,rockabye, bye, bye
Bye, bye
Wow. Even at the time of this posting, we already have a great collection of song/ lyric pieces. Who says we are only a bunch of tunnel-vision bloggers-commenters weighed down by an agenda.
That speaks well of what Joe repeatedly says here: yes, we have an agenda — an agenda for the good of the Philippines.
But,in the end it doesn’t even matter(dedicated to daang matuwid)
In The End”
It starts with
One thing I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It’s so unreal
Didn’t look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on but didn’t even know
I wasted it all just to watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when…
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
One thing, I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I’m surprised it got so (far)
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when…
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I’ve put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I’ve put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
Ach, that is the difference between a nation and a love affair, for the nation, it does matter. “Time is a valuable thing” and I fear that the Philippines is moving backward through it.
I am hoping it would not all go to waste like scrapping of buttom up budgeting and possible scrapping of 4ps.
I think a lot is going to go to waste, so much good will tossed aside . . . It would be tragic, really sad, if I spent too much time thinking about it.
You don’t need to be sad nor fearful JoeAm. To the Society’s songs here and to the rhythm of the time, let’s dance the Cha-cha! One, two three, atras-abante. One step forward, two steps backward.
There is this Visayan joke that there is only one way to dance the cha-cha when one is going up the mountains. That is, everything is a step backwards.
Cha cha it shall be, then, with a few extra backward steps maybe . . . 🙂
YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG
Seems the love I’ve known has always been
The most destructive kind
Guess that’s why now I feel so old
Before my time.
Yesterday when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue.
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game,
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame.
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand.
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day
And only now I see how the years ran away.
Yesterday when I was young
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung,
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see.
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me and nothing else at all.
— Instrumental —
Yesterday the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do.
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond.
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died.
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play.
There are so many songs in me that won’t be sung,
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue.
The time has come for me to pay for
Yesterday when I was young…
The lyrics and song was composed by Charles Aznavour.
My friend wrote this song because he wanted a nice pair of pants and shoes,then the Coup happened.
Isang Lahi, Isang Dugo, Isang Musika
Makabayang Awitin
Isang himig ang aking narinig
Minsa’y nanaginip ating bansa’y umaawit
Isang himig pagibig ang hatid
Ang musika’y batid sa bawat puso at isip
* Ikaw at ako tayo ay pilipino
Isang bansa ba’t di magkaisa
Isang dugo, isang lahi, isang musika
Ang pangarap ko’y bansang mapayapa
Isang himig pag-ibig ang hatid
Ang musika’y hatid sa bawat puso at isip
Isang awit ang aking narinig
Kristiyano at Muslim
Magkaisa sa awitin
“Forty-Six & 2”
Tool
My shadow’s
Shedding skin and
I’ve been picking
Scabs again.
I’m down
Digging through
My old muscles
Looking for a clue.
I’ve been crawling on my belly
Clearing out what could’ve been.
I’ve been wallowing in my own confused
And insecure delusions
For a piece to cross me over
Or a word to guide me in.
I wanna feel the changes coming down.
I wanna know what I’ve been hiding in
My shadow.
Change is coming through my shadow.
My shadow’s shedding skin
I’ve been picking
My scabs again.
I’ve been crawling on my belly
Clearing out what could’ve been.
I’ve been wallowing in my own chaotic
And insecure delusions.
I wanna feel the change consume me,
Feel the outside turning in.
I wanna feel the metamorphosis and
Cleansing I’ve endured within
My shadow
Change is coming.
Now is my time.
Listen to my muscle memory.
Contemplate what I’ve been clinging to.
Forty-six and two ahead of me.
I choose to live and to
Grow, take and give and to
Move, learn and love and to
Cry, kill and die and to
Be paranoid and to
Lie, hate and fear and to
Do what it takes to move through.
I choose to live and to
Lie, kill and give and to
Die, learn and love and to
Do what it takes to step through.
See my shadow changing,
Stretching up and over me.
Soften this old armor.
Hoping I can clear the way
By stepping through my shadow,
Coming out the other side.
Step into the shadow.
Forty six and two are just ahead of me.
Change is coming!
A darker, tougher version of Louis Jenkins “Walking through Walls”. I love the lines, “By stepping through my shadow, Coming out the other side”, which I take to mean our memories and what we did that we don’t want to do any more.
Change is coming, eh?
“To you afficianados
Fooling with bravado
To keep me on my guard-o
And cause a consciousness explosion
It’s getting difficult to keep my mind in motion”
From my most favorite song, “Death Trip” by Cockney Rebel
So now we’re on a death trip
Listen to the blood drip
Oozing from a curled lip
Ever thought of dying slowly
Ever thought of dying totally unholy
(this first part got lost in copying)
Ah, wonderful lines, josephivo. Seems to be a lot of fooling going on, and bravado.
Steve Harley, best ever.
…. wonder how much music, poetry and paintings where made under influence? Luckily Du30 didn’t shoot them all.
Will You Be The Kadayawan Festival Guest of Honour?
On Tuesday, July 19, 2016, The Society of Honor by Joe America wrote:
> Joe America posted: “w Philippine Music Awards! w Now accepting > nominations! Category: Best theme song for Philippine governance First > nominee, “Gentle Murders” by Rage https://youtu.be/yUN8Z6QCQfc Gentle > Murders Artist: Rage Album: Carved ” >
Sure, why not.
Right-wing commies.
Leftist Nazis.
Point their fingers.
Rumours linger.
—
Lies and slander in vain try to shame us.
Riots, protests, violence just makes us famous.
—
Hate hate hate hatred for all – one and all.
No matter what you believe.
Don’t believe in you – and that’s true.
—
Well, shit comes in all hues.
Now this means you.
’cause things ain’t always like they seem.
Like they seem.
Very good, sadsad. “Things ain’t always like they seem.” Isn’t that the truth!
“I’d Love to Change The World”
Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity
Tax the rich, feed the poor
‘Til there are no rich no more
I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you
Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money, No none for me
I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you
Oh yeah!
World pollution, there’s no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor
Senators stop the war
I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you
Ahhhhh, this one has moved to the forefront of the competition, I think.
Off topic.
TRUST RATING OF PRESIDENT DUTERTE
For a blogsite that gives the different sides equal opportunity to be heard, here is starting point for trust rating survey of PRD as we move forward. I will not comment on the why. It was conducted by Pulse Asia.
Here is Pulse Asia:
President Rodrigo Duterte is starting his term on a high note as the results of the latest Pulse Asia poll showed that nearly all Filipinos place their trust on him.
The results of the July 2 to 8 poll, which were released on Wednesday, showed that 91 percent of Filipinos trust the President.
…
According to Pulse Asia data, former President Benigno Aquino III previously enjoyed the highest trust rating of any public official, starting his term in July 2010 with an 85 percent trust rating. Aquino then had only two percent of Filipinos distrusting him while 13 percent were unable to say if they trust or distrust him.
Duterte’s 91 percent rating is the highest trust grade achieved by any individual since Pulse Asia started its trust surveys in 1999.
I feel that there is big distortion on these trust ratings.
“Things ain’t always like they seem.”
91% should embarrass us to the international community☹️😔
ARE YOU GOING TO SCARBOROUGH SHOAL?
My adapted lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel’s “Are You Going to Scarborough Fair?”
Inspired by Dr Alfredo Robles’ article in Raissa Robles’ blog.
(suggest you run the Youtube video of the original instrumental as you sing it)
Are you going to Scarborough Shoal?
Partly rock, blue coral and lime
Remember me to one who claims her
She once was a true part of mine.
Tell them to leave us alone and in peace
Partly rock, blue coral and lime.
Without no ships nor those red flags
She still is a true part of mine.
Tell them to find their own acre of land
Partly rock, blue coral and lime
Between the salt water and sea strands
She once was a true part of mine.
Tell her to let us fish there unhampered
Partly rock, blue coral and lime
Without no ships nor those red flags
She still is a true part of mine.
Are you going to Scarborough Shoal?
Partly rock, blue coral and lime
Remember me to one who claims her
She once was a true part of mine.
Nosi Ba Lasi by Sampaguita
“Snakecharmer”
by
Satellites and, pair of mirrors and, and a man without a home
With a horse, and a rider, and a clever, cunning killer
Silent in error and vocal in spotlights
Lying always sucking on a bottle of, that sweet, indulgent fluid
Oh greed oh yes oh greed oh yes!
Oh greed oh yes
Yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Your friendship is a fog
That disappears when the wind redirects
You!
Yes you!
An empty dream
A selfish, horrific vision
Passed on like the deadliest of viruses
Crushing you and your naive profession
Have no illusions boy
Vomit all ideals and serve
Sleep and wake and serve
And don’t just think just wake and serve
Yeah!
Yeah! (Left channel – 26 years in this stage
Yeah!
you’re 26 years in this stage)
Yeah!
Yeah! Thanks, MGR.
Pariah by Black Sabbath
Here’s part of the lyrics:
Do you believe that I’m from Heaven?
That I descended from the sky?
The graven image of a pseudo icon
To worship me on high?
I’m not your saviour,
I got no wings to fly
Just your pariah
Don’t look to me when your life is over
I’m your pariah
For your desire
Ain’t no messiah
Just your pariah
Ain’t no messiah
Just your pariah
Jamala with 1944. This actually won a song contest in Sweden last May.
Part of the lyrics:
When strangers are coming
They come to your house
THEY KILL YOU ALL
And say we’re not guilty, not guilty.
I missed Eurovision this year – usually the stuff there is corny but that is definitely not…
typical Eastern European depth of feeling coming from that area with a tragic history. Reminded me of this theme song from Oliver Stone’s “Savior” which is about Bosnia…
That’s what’s happening, isn’t it? Thugs, police, who knows . . .
Funny I was just thinking the other day how commenters here have been turning to poetry lately and language and compositions so beautiful and elegant they serve the same purpose poetry does to elevate and lift up one’s consciousness and understanding of the world we are in.
And now this, an invitation from Joeam to set the poetry to song. Why of course, there is no better escape, no salve better than poetry and music together in a powerful song to inspire or at the very least cajole. Or to find catharsis and let go of the pain, frustration, anger one can sometimes feel. I like rock and metal myself for the latter. So this time, my vote might just go to Joeam’s choice.
What I’d like to add to the collection though might just hit closer to home. The song itself was composed and recorded by a couple of Brits but the accompanying music video is set in the Philippines and tells the story of two brothers trapped in the squalor and desperation of the streets of Metro Manila. One brother succumbs to a life of drugs and criminality while one finds escape in breakdancing. The story told in the MTV is actually based on the real life story of Mouse, a Filipino breakdancer who has made a name for himself in the UK. Thrown out by his father at the age of eight, his mother found him on the streets when he was sixteen, took him with her to the UK and the rest as they say, is history. The MTV director is a friend of Mouse’s , that’s how he came to know of his story and chose it as the backdrop for Rudimental’s song, Not Giving In.
To Filipinos who find their egos stroked whenever another Filipino makes a name for himself in another country, Mouse’s name and story would have been another one to add to the FB postings and the twits of how great it is and how proud one should be to be a Filipino. They celebrate the likes of him as if they actually had something to do with their success. As if they possessed the same grit and determination to make something of the desperate circumstances life threw his way.
Meanwhile very little thought goes to the rest of Mouse’s siblings and friends who didn’t make it , those who didn’t find the exit sign; save for a few who show up to light the way or lend a hand. The rest would rather have nothing to do with them, would rather they disappear and not bother or threaten their sense of safety and security. Rudimental’s “Not Giving In” is not their song. They do not deserve it because they will not/ refuse to understand.
But let’s play it anyway. Because sometimes a prick deserves one.
*******
Cha, thanks. Insightful.
*****
“Not Giving In”
Well, it’s time to start the show,
Lost my heart and lost my soul.
Now it’s the time that you won’t know,
Lost my mind and lost my goal.
Mm, not giving in.
I’m not giving in,
Not giving in,
Ooh I’m not giving in, yeah.
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in,
This time, I’m gonna be stronger, no, I’m not giving in.
Waste my time which makes things worse,
Lost in mine, my love is cursed.
Mm, time to make these things feel right,
Mmm, let’s start this show for one last time.
Oh, I’m not giving in,
(Not giving in)
Not giving in,
(Not giving in)
Let me tell you no, not giving in,
Not this time,
(Not giving in)
Not gonna give it in.
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in,
This time, I’m gonna be stronger, no, I’m not giving in.
Nooo, not giving in.
Not giving in
(This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in)
I’m gonna be stronger
(This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in)
I’m gonna be stronger
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in,
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in.
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in,
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in.
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in,
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in.
Wooh
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in.
This time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in.
Not giving in
Not giving in.
Yeah, not giving in!
OUT OF TOPIC
Ironic Trivia:
“Believe it or not, a section of the Philippine police force ordered a print of the movie (Dirty Harry) – for use as a training film!”
http://www.clinteastwood.net/filmography/dirty/
Chickens coming home to roost?
Who polices the police, I am inclined to wonder? From the Mamasapano hearings, we learned that NAPOLCOM (The National Police Commission) does the investigations and disciplining within the ranks. This is a Constitutional mandate that separates the police, to some extent, from the excesses of an over-ambitious Executive. But what if the Commission is negligent? Can the Ombudsman take any action?
Evidently, there are initiatives underway to seek the resignation of Ombudsman Morales.
The pillars of checks and balances on civility may be eroding . . . are BEING eroded . . . right before our very eyes.
Anyway, I think maybe I’ll look at who is on the Police Commission and try to judge if it is a professional or political body. (Which inclines me to ask, ARE there any professional bodies in the Philippines?? Human Rights Commission. Ombudsman. Okay, that’s two. Vice President. Three.)
*******
[Harry is getting a dressing-down for his most recent arrest]
District Attorney Rothko: You’re lucky I’m not indicting you for assault with intent to commit murder.
Harry Callahan: What?
District Attorney Rothko: Where the hell does it say that you’ve got a right to kick down doors, torture suspects, deny medical attention and legal counsel? Where have you been? Does Escobedo ring a bell? Miranda? I mean, you must have heard of the Fourth Amendment. What I’m saying is that man had rights.
Harry Callahan: Well, I’m all broken up about that man’s rights.
*****
Ah, life imitating art?:
newsinfo.inquirer.net/792554/duterte-wants-death-for-drug-addicts
That; and to “inspire” the police with a film to do more of what they are doing. If Harry can do it why not us? Goodness, have we come to this. Using a Dirty Harry film as a tool?
I am beginning to think, except for the few voices enumerated above, that we are living in a different world. It is indeed understandable to shout — STOP, I want to get off this planet!
Yes. The irony of it all blows the mind.
JP,
I’m a fan of the Dirty Harry films, and Charles Bronson… but police work it is not, they’d be better served watching old Dragnet and Adam Twelve episodes, also NYPD Blues and Law & Order,
but since it’s ultimately about drugs and education, HBO’s the Wire is where life imitates art for sure , and lastly, they should have posters of these hanging inside locker rooms,
i nominate an artist who can put up a tent city in an island to house and rehabilitate the so many drug users abusers who gave themselves up to the local authorities. in this tent city in an island, they…the druggies can better themselves again thru expert supervision under the watchful eyes of the relieved (hopefully retrained) bilibid prison guards from the high security prison hotels. they all can heavy metal rock as part of their therapy and sing all the songs and your recommended songs for as long as they want. of course they need to work too (like plant camote and kankong) so that they may eat, as another part of their rehabilitation regimen.
folks, we have an epedemic, an illegal drug use catastrophe in the country and we are not ready to face it. we do not have enough publicly funded rehabilitation centers now that it rained heavily with druggie-surrenderees that we became flooded of them and the country does not know what to do about them.
if during yolanda, we were able to put up tent cities, i believe we can survive the toktok katok tsunami bang bang other than kill them before they kill us law enforcers. do you guys have any ideas how we can provide rehabilitation services to the druggie surrenderees? i am an artist, i act my life but one thing i am not is a rehabilitation artist nor a murder artist. i nominate you all to find the nominee worthy to the cause…bang boom kaboom
Are you nominating Jim Paredes?
But, you know, I like your approach because it BUILDS something (new lives among a share of those wasted on drugs). The current approach merely destroys.
Kudos.
This posting is likely to find its way to my Facebook postings later today. Absolutely the best suggestion I’ve read here as the rest of us rather wail about the injustice of it all . . .
“When the pain is great, we turn to song. That’s the step before marching, I think. It is the way we get right with God. and with ourselves.” – JoeAm
I remember Radio Veritas. back in the days before, and during EDSA 1, they repeatedly played “Onward Christian Soldiers”…on another front, Bayan Ko (by Asin), Impossible Dream, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon”
for the OFWs and the rest of the 16M they influenced, who mistakenly thought that PDu30 will be the answer
“Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?”
“Blowin’ In The Wind”
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Joe, I hope I am not being paranoid but I kept getting this message: A problem occurred with this webpage so it was reloaded. I hope the usual culprit is not monkeying with your webpage. The occurrence is so frequent it may just make the contributors quit and just come back later. Or is it just from me — the most benign of the critics.
*******
Oz here – no glitches.
*****
The site may be under some kind of attack, I suppose. Have we earned such enmity, do you suppose? Are we such a threat, I wonder? You are the second person who has brought odd behavior to my attention. The other reported that he got a message saying this site had a suspected virus. The site is a humdrum Word Press site maintained by WP, so I leave it to them to sort this out. If we go dark, my advice to people is to set up their own blogs, and we shall find you, and replicate in multiples what they are trying to suppress.
Two things:
First, it is far from humdrum.
Secondly, in fact, it may be considered as a pain in the behind by some.
Raissa’s stite had loads of it some time back.
There are two types of WP publishing platforms. One is their standard format, and the other is customized by the blogger. The self-maintained one gives more bells and whistles (numbered comments), but is less secure. The standard one is less vulnerable to attack, but no bells, no whistles. Raissa’s is self-maintained, and was therefore vulnerable. They can probably try a denial of service attack on my blog, but I wouldn’t mind a few days off. I’d go to Irineo’s blog where I can swear and raise cain.
All about mangoes and the veneration of them by the Chinese. Read it for enjoyment — not the mangoes, silly — but their veneration of them as relics from Mao Zedong because of his act:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/95794/chineses-mango-mania
It seems, the way development is going, some relics of PRD will be venerated in such fashion soon.
Now, there, Joe — your website will now be allowed to operate peacefully.
Hahaha, thanks for your kind service, NH.
Thanks for the flood of memories with all these songs.
Too bad many of these are morbid, though fitting nominations in view of the killings going on in the country.
To many, the sounds of the bullets whizzing by are sweet music. The sonic booms of the AR assault riffles give them a high. Perhaps a higher high than the drugs give to the addicts. And as macho boots kicked down doors and media flashlights blitz in blinding frenzy, it builds to a crescendo to the cheers of 16 million Filipinos.
To everything, there is a limit. To the madness, a day will come when good people like Jolly Cruz will wake up from the stupor.
I nominate not a song, but from a stage of long ago :
“If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.”
…………….Shakespeare…12th Night.
*******
NOMINATIONS – MY SCORING
1. Nominator: AC
Entry: 1944
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Political repression
My Score: 4
2. Nominator: Adrian
Entry: My Way
Singer POV: Duterte Himself
Theme: Justification of deeds and misdeeds
My Score: 3
3. Nominator: Andrew
Entry: Are You Going to Scarborough Shoal?
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Territorial imperative
My Score: 4
4. Nominator: Cha
Entry: Not Giving In
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Fighting back
My Score: 3.5
5. Nominator: Chivas
Entry: Forty Six & 2
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Metamorphosis (though not chromosomal)
My Score: 3.5
6. Nominator: Irineo
Entry: Savior movie theme song
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Political repression
My Score: No score due to no lyrics
7. Nominator: Jack
Entry: Pariah
Singer POV: Duterte/Critic
Theme: Outsider who recognizes no messiah; or Duterte who knows he is not a messiah
My Score: 4
8. Nominator: John
Entry: Killing Me Softly
Singer POV: Duterte Follower
Theme: Empathy with singer
My Score: 2
9. Nominator: Josephivo
Entry: Death Trip
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Death as an inappropriate solution
My Score: 4
10. Nominator: Juana
Entry: Fight Song
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Fighting back
My Score: 4
11. Nominator: Karl
Entry: Dear Duterte
Singer POV: Duterte Follower
Theme: Love of Duterte for fear of crime
My Score: 2
12. Nominator: Karl
Entry: In the End
Singer POV: Optimist
Theme: Wasted time for a lost love. Nihilistic?
My Score: 2
13. Nominator: Karl
Entry: I’d Love to Change the World
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Analysis paralysis
My Score: 3
14. Nominator: Karl
Entry: Isang Lahi, Isang Dugo, Isang Musika
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: National unity
My Score: 2
15. Nominator: Karl
Entry: Killing Moon
Singer POV: Duterte Follower/Victim
Theme: Surrender to Fate
My Score: 3
16. Nominator: Karl
Entry: Shawn Mullins Lullaby
Singer POV: Optimist
Theme: Compassion in times of trouble
My Score: 3
17. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Love Me Like You Do
Singer POV: Duterte Follower
Theme: Confused fanatical love (appropriately from 50 Shades of Grey)
My Score: 3.5
18. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Now We Are Free
Singer POV: Duterte Victim
Theme: Healing by Jesus
My Score: 3
19. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Pumped Up Kicks
Singer POV: Duterte Himself
Theme: The revenge of a psycho against privileged kids
My Score: 2
20. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Ride of the Valkyries
Singer POV: Duterte maids and policemen
Theme: The slaying of the “other kind” of human beings
My Score: 4.5
21. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Til Kingdom Come
Singer POV: Duterte Victim
Theme: Waiting for love
My Score: 3
22. Nominator: LCpl
Entry: Wowowee
Singer POV: TV Host
Theme: Distraction by TV prize games
My Score: 1
23. Nominator: Manuel
Entry: Nosi Ba Lasi
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Fighting back
My Score: 3.5
24. Nominator: Mary
Entry: Blowin’ In The Wind
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Protest song
My Score: 4
25. Nominator: MGR
Entry: Snakecharmer
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Lying and killing politicians offering empty dreams
My Score: 4
26. Nominator: NHerrera
Entry: Yesterday When I Was Young
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Nostalgia
My Score: 2
27. Nominator: Sadsadgirl
Entry: We Hate Everyone
Singer POV: Duterte Himself/Followers
Theme: Indiscriminate hostility
My Score: 2
28. Nominator: Sup
Entry: Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
Singer POV: Duterte Victim
Theme: Regret
My Score: 2
29. Nominator: Twisted Thoughts
Entry: Sa Aking Panahon
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Lament for country in this time and place
My Score: 3
30. Nominator: Twisted Thoughts
Entry: Bayan Kong Sinilangan
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: National disarray for lack of respect and principles
My Score: 3
***
MY CRITERIA
1. Relevance
2. Beauty of lyrics
3. Presentation
***
MY WINNERS
1. Category: Tragedy
Entry: Ride of the Valkyries
Comment: The casual slaughter of the innocents is a must see… if one has the bandwidth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqtehtSB0LI
2. Category: Fighting Back
Entries: Fight Song and Not Giving In
Comment: The first for the lyrics, the second for the video.
3. Category: Comico-tragedy
Entry: Wowowee
Comment: Cry, the beloved country.
4. Category: Special Mentions
4.1. Entry: Are You Going to Scarborough Shoal?
Comment: For creativity.
4.2. Entry: Blowin’ In The Wind
Comment: This was my un-entered nomination. From Wikipedia: “The refrain “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind” has been described as “impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind”.
*****
edgar,
I’m listening to the Wowowee theme (since the lyrics escape me) as tragedy/ironic , maybe if said theme was superimposed and listened along w/ images of dead bodies of purported druggies?
Please give this one, one more listen. 😉
oooops, never mind, just read MY WINNERS. sorry.
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LCpl_X,
Sorry, I can’t, I just can’t subject myself to such torture.
*****
🙂
A score is kindly requested for the article song, “Gentle Murders”. That is my nomination.
Thank you.
Joe from America
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Ahaha! I went through all the nominations except the main post.
31. Nominator: JoeAm
Entry: Gentle Murders
Singer POV: Patriot
Theme: Acquired power grants absolute immunity from prosecution and impunity from punishment.
My Score: 5
Comment: This entry is scored 5 for relevance, 5 for lyrics and 4.8 for presentation.
However, it is disqualified from competition as it was premeditated!
Motions for reconsideration will be accepted.
*****
Motion for reconsideration of the score of 5 denied with finality. (Hahaha. Buttering it up with the bossman. 🙂 )
Ahahahahaha, you conniving moralist you. 🙂 🙂 🙂
You can scream on top of your lungs and ask what’s going on,but just don’t get high.
“What’s Up”
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
[2x]
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Ooh, ooh ooh
And I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time
In this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
[2x]
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
Marvin Gaye also asked the question.
On”
Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today – Ya
Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what’s going on
What’s going on
Ya, what’s going on
Ah, what’s going on
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
Mother, mother, everybody thinks we’re wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
Ya, what’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you what’s going on – Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
I think what the human rights movement in the US did in the 60’s and 70’s is to present the unfairness of it all, and the marches and protests, with Martin Luther King at the center of it all, finally got through to the greater population, and the government, after his assassination. Until that point, MLK was considered a troublemaker. Now he is viewed quite differently.
One would think that the oppressed class would recognize its oppression in a bit more vivid terms in the Philippines. It is the “enlightened class” that is yapping about the unfairness of it all, and the poor downtrodden underclass is trusting in President Duterte.
One suspects a deeper and richer education could have prevented all this.
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/what-is-destroyed/
“as long as we see our countrymen feel privately ashamed, hearing the growl of their rebelling and protesting conscience, while in public they keep silent and even join the oppressor in mocking the oppressed; as long as we see them wrapping themselves up in their selfishness and praising with forced smiles the most despicable acts, begging with their eyes for a share of the booty, why give them independence?”…”if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow”. Padre Florentino, a native priest says this to the revolutionary Simoun, who has taken poison to not get caught alive by the Spanish…
he also says something similar to this (don’t have the Fili with me now): “we have to educate people and give them dignity first”. Both education of the mind and of the heart are lacking in the Philippines. Not only among the poor, among the rich as well.
Thank you, Irineo. Most sobering.
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“Both education of the mind and of the heart are lacking in the Philippines. Not only among the poor, among the rich as well.
In this regard, there does not seem to be a fault line between the rich and the poor, between the rural folk and the country folk, between the professionals and non-professions, between the aged and the young, between church-goers and priests.
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Yay, what’s all these gnashing and twisting all about?
In more ways than one, we are all complicit in this murderous rampage because we all have accepted, with nary a question, the unchallenged narrative that drug use and/or drug possession is a crime.
“Humans have used drugs of one sort or another for thousands of years. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But not until the 19th cent. A.D. were the active substances in drugs extracted. There followed a time when some of these newly discovered substances—morphine, laudanum, cocaine—were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments. They were available in patent medicines and sold by traveling tinkers, in drugstores, or through the mail. During the American Civil War, morphine was used freely, and wounded veterans returned home with their kits of morphine and hypodermic needles. Opium dens flourished. By the early 1900s there were an estimated 250,000 addicts in the United States.
Throughout the years, the public’s perception of the dangers of specific substances changed. The surgeon general’s warning label on tobacco packaging gradually made people aware of the addictive nature of nicotine. By 1995, the Food and Drug Administration was considering its regulation. The recognition of fetal alcohol syndrome brought warning labels to alcohol products. The addictive nature of prescription drugs such as diazepam (Valium) became known, and caffeine came under scrutiny as well.”
You could contribute to end the Duterte instigated drama and tragedy by advocating to :
1. de-criminalize drugs
2. heavily regulate its use and distribution
3. treat addiction as a medical condition, not a crime
Excellent, excellent. That would be a superb advocacy. Thanks for the idea for a blog.
The title of the video is “Why The War on Drugs Is a Huge Failure”. I didn’t watch it as success is not found in killing people.
It’s not what you think Joe. The video actually makes the case that there’s an alternative approach to solving the drugs problem other than the violent and immoral method being deployed by Rodrigo and his berdugo.
Joe,
There was a very interesting discussion on this same issue between Micha and jameboy, to which I jumped in on jameboy’s behalf. A very good talk.
https://joeam.com/2015/04/27/open-discussion-our-philippines/#comment-120934
Micha,
How about an article on this, as a con to jolly cruz’s coming article pro-DU30’s drug strategy, and Joe can publish both along side each other! but for me, I’m more interested in your number 2. regulation… the logistics of this.
The fact of the matter is that I could not view the video anyway, as my internet connection is too slow. Which is why I repeatedly ask people to explain links, not just drop them off.
To that point, I note that there are 16 links in my morning reading of the comments, none of which I will go to, as I am on a bandwidth limit of 800MB per day before my speed is reduced from turtle to snail, and thereafter to inert.
I would point out that, while links can be convenient, the purpose of this blog is original discussion. So they ought not be dropped off in lieu of discussion, but as a supplemental resources.