A Family Situation (for Nile Rodger's We Are Family Project after 9/11)
No More (written by Salman Ahmed for Junoon based on a poem about 9/11 by Polar Levine)
POLITICANS
Duck
D.C. Whore
MEDIA
News Goo (The More You Watch, The Less You Know)
Prettier Than You
Garbage Man
Media Wars Cribsheet
Di Hard
WORKERS
In Debt We Trust Cribsheet
Pepper Spray Tan - Which Side Are You On
May Day (demo)
Which Side Are You On (demo)
CRIBSHEETS
Home Sweet Home Cribsheet (for the Home Sweet Home Project)
In Debt We Trust Cribsheet (for Danny Schechter's In Debt We Trust)
A Family Situation (for Nile Rodgers' We Are Family Project)
Media Wars (for Danny Schechter's Media Wars)
Nelson Mandela Cribsheet (for Danny Schecter's radio show)
THE PRESIDENT OF ME
Donald Trump: all voices (spoken & sonic) David Intrator: tenor sax Polarity/1: digital instrumentation produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
Dance to the President of Me proclaiming his genius, the many words he knows, how everybody loves him. He knows more than the generals and is really rich.
WARTIME TRUMP
Polarity/1: guitar & digital instrumentation produced by: Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
Donald Trump – The self-declared “Wartime President” goes to battle in the first crisis of his presidency that he didn’t create himself. Armed with conspiracy theories, denial and mental bone spurs he attacks the press instead of the coronavirus.
A VERY TRUTHY TRUMP
Donald Trump: all voices (spoken & sonic) Polarity/1: digital instrumentation produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
loves honesty. It must be true, lotta people are saying it. No quid pro quo. No collusion. That relationship he had/never had with Putin.
MR. TRUMP AND THE WOMEN
Donald Trump: all voices (spoken & sonic) André Martinez: congas Polarity/1: guitar & digital instrumentation produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
Here’s proof that nobody respects women more than Donald Trump, the pussy-grabber.
THE DONALD LOVES TACOS
Donald Trump: all voices (spoken & sonic) André Martinez: congas Polarity/1: harmonica, congas & digital instrumentation produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
Trump asserts his love of Mexicans – y’know, those rapists and drug dealers destroying our nation. Like an angry dad to a child, Trump hollers Sit down! at a Latino journalist from Univision, a large Latin-American media outlet. Nobody doubts that he was ordering all Latinos to sit down.
BING BING BELIEVE ME
Donald Trump: all voices (spoken & sonic) Polarity/1: digital instrumentation produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
The state of the art lie machine. Only a serial liar punctuates his sentences with believe me as often as Donald Trump does. He gets funky on this track – rapping a duet with himself earnestly asserting his stand as pro-choice / pro-life, alerting an anxious America that President Obama was not born in the USA / was born in the USA. Period. You will also hear his extended treatise on climate change that, I swear, was not manufactured in my studio.
STRONGMAN SAD
Donald Trump: all voices instruments & ambience were made from Donald Trump’s voice produced by Polarity/1 mastering: Joe Lambert
All voices: Donald Trump, all instruments & ambience were made from Trump’s voice STRONGMAN SAD is a truly strange track. In Trump's speech to the CIA he whined about reports that his inauguration turnout the day before was not the big big Biggest of all time; and the photo showing empty fields – the same grounds which had been filled to capacity for Obama's inauguration; and how he looked out during his speech and swears he saw a million and a half people. He described this in the high pitched breathy voice he often uses to express shock over the criticism he gets in the media. In this case that voice was a bluesy lament – an actual blues melody. In his mind this was the most urgent issue on the CIA's plate. I made only two or three tiny pitch adjustments to the melody as typically made in any recorded song you've heard in the past few decades when the singer goes slightly off pitch. It’s not autotuned. Check out the speech on youTube. Around 9:40 in he starts on the inauguration crowd and continues after a silly, untrue allegory about the rain that day. You'll hear the melody in . I decided to make his voice generate every sound on the track. Trump is the backup vocal group and bass. Even the drums and percussion are made from chunks of his voice. It took three months of slogging away; lost sleep with dream loops full of audio shrapnel from Trump’s very broad vocal repertoire. Finally it morphed into the bluesy tango you hear.
PLUNDER
words & music: Polar Levine
for Danny Schechter’s film, Plunder
P/1: track, guitars, vocals
D.A.V.: vocals, trombone
produced by Polarity/1
---------------------------------------------------------
The shine on America's shoes got dulled
When Wall St. stepped into the Fuld
Congress paid off, workers laid off
Stanford, AIG and Madoff
Credit swaps and credit stops
Empty wallets, empty shops
Dead bank walking is triple A
Grampa loses 401k Chorus: Plunder It’s a capital crime Plunder Will anybody do the time? Money for nothing. Nothing for money
The housing bubble and the Easter bunny
The free market, Santa Claus
Fairy tales and a nation of laws
Bankruptcies, commodities
Retention bonus, credit freeze
We’re all paying for the bailout
Shakin the pitchfork, calling for a jailout
Chorus Clueless experts, clueless news
Waitin for the sound of dropping shoes
One shoe drops, the other shoe drops
One parachute drop ahead of the cops
Over-levereged, over-paid
Hard cash too easily made
Easy credit for easy crime
For the American dream - death by sub-prime Chorus Greenspan serving up the Kool Aide
Timebomb ticking on every trade
The mirror flatters; the razor.- sharp
On the company jet tootin' up the TARP
Masters of the universe.- the master's voice
Greed is the creed.- the drug of choice
Toxic assets - the master plan
Greed is the asset of the toxic man
Chorus
FREE MONEY (subprime version)
words & music: Polar Levine
for Danny Schechter’s film, Plunder
P/1: Vocals, surdos, tamborims & track
produced by Polarity/1
--------------------------------------------------------- Chorus: Got free money but you have to pay Free money but you have to pay Shop till you drop - the American way Got free money but you have to pay
From the sea to shining sea Got free money But you have to pay
Signing up for bankruptcy Got free money But you have to pay
The credit was easy, small print sleazy
The devil in the detail designed it to fail
We all got punked by the sub-prime junk
The sign on the lawn says the house is gone
Chorus
Late fee, Fi Fo Fum Got free money But you have to pay
I smell the work of a congressman Got free money But you have to pay
Being landed gentry sure feels comfy
But two jobs at Walmart won’t pay the monthly
Mama Mama did you come up short?
The fine print - read about it in court
Chorus
Abuse it; excuse it Got free money But you have to pay
It's all ours til we lose it Got free money But you have to pay
Buy buy buy til we die die die
Pay pay pay and get gray gray
Bumma Bumma Bumma gotta tow away the Humma
Living on the street til another con cumma
Chorus
FREE MONEY (But You Have To Pay)
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: Track, Surdos, tamborims & vocals
produced by Polarity/1
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chorus: Got free money but you have to pay Free money but you have to pay Shop till you drop - the American way Got free money but you have to pay
From the sea to shining sea Got free money But you have to pay Signing up for bankruptcy Got free money But you have to pay Everyone's a card head, blind like a crack head
They send it in the mail Soon the house is for sale
Mastercard Visa pushin' to squeeze ya
Pre-approved by Amex for credit scamex
Chorus
Late fee, Fi Fo Fum Got free money But you have to pay I smell the work of a congressman Got free money But you have to pay That card in the mail do make you feel comfy
Two jobs at Wal-Mart won't pay the monthly
Mama Mama did you come up short
The fine print - read all about it in court
Chorus
Use it lose it Got free money But you have to pay It's all ours and we choose it Got free money But you have to pay Buy buy buy before we die die die
Pay pay pay and get gray gray
Bumma Bumma Bumma
Gotta tow away the Humma
But don't worry none
Another credit card a-cumma
Chorus
WINTER IN AMERICA (Chills To The Bone)
words & music: Polar Levine
D.A.V.: vocal
P/1: track
produced by Polarity/1
----------------------------------------------------------------
He had time. Had the world in his pocket
You never rock it chilly chilly smooth
Never tip the tip the ship the ship
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
20 years drinkin' beers slappin' backs
One vacation one heart attack
Honest work honest pay honest town
Just an American lad and his lassie
20 years poppin' rivets in a chassis
American dream died in its sleep
Kids go hungry when you get the pink sheet
Your luck is down they closed the plant
We get laid off Bob gets paid off
Whatcha gonna say when you get home
It's winter in America chills to the bone Chorus: It's winter in America Chills to the bone
It's winter in America You're on your own The devil wants you on the phone
You walk the streets all day Three months no job no pay
You believe the system works for you
But it's power lunch and you're the beef stew
You walk the streets all day Three months no job no pay
You believe the system works for you
But it's power lunch and you're the beef stew
Your wife out lookin' for a slave
Four kids sittin' home alone
You tried to raise em right
Before you know they'll be suckin' on a crack pipe
Feelin' weak like a gun at your back
Kids go hungry while
Bob's kids have a Big Mac
Ok just chill
You know this won't last long
Word to the president
He says there's nothing wrong
Chorus
Birth to your fifth child
Her hunger screams are wild
What's 20 years in the union for?
Congratulations you're one of the poor
Pray to the lord for a friend
Empty pockets tell you to fend for yourself
Your self respect on a shelf
It's the last of your wealth you'll get no help
Initiation to the welfare line
Emasculation complete you're beat Broke down cryin' Chorus
Two years pass, your pride is gone
Your wife is silent, the bank took your home
Remember times when her body felt warm
Now the look in her eyes could scare away a snow storm
Children cryin' pounds your brain
Politician says, "The union's to blame"
You dream about politicians one night
You blast em with an Uzi like 1,000 points of light
Wake up from the dream feelin' fine
Spend your last dollar on a nine Chorus: It's winter in America Chills to the bone It's winter in America You're on your own The devil wants you on the phone
It's winter in America You lose your home
The devil wants you on the phone
There ain't no time to grieve
Your kids look crazy they tug at your sleeve
Your wife's eyes stab at your heart
You're up like a bomb, smack her down - depart
It's the first time you ever hit your girl
You think about the gun the mother of pearl
Your brain's on fire your legs can't stand
Is this really you with a gun in your hand? Chorus
Seven winds blow through the town
Seven shots and the flesh is torn
Seven people dead in the Detroit dawn
Somewhere out there's seven new people born Chorus: It's winter in America Chills to the bone
It's winter in America Chills to the bone
HOME SWEET HOME
John Howard Payne & Sir Henry Bishop, new lyrics by Polar Levine
P/1: vocals & track produced by Polarity/1
----------------------------------------------------------------
Some live by religion Some of us common sense
Some love their neighbors Some want to build a fence
Half of life is spirit, the rest is skin and bone
They all come together in the place that we call home Chorus: Home Home sweet, sweet Home There's no place like Home
There's no place like Home
I work hard to make a living It’s hard from nine to five
But it’s home that does the giving It’s where I am alive
The world is very hungry Sometimes it eats its own
I’m going where I’m someone I’m on my way home
Chorus
My house ain’t no cash cow Ain’t no golden goose
It don’t flip like a gymnast Ain’t liquid like juice
I watch my kids sleeping They’re real, not Kodachrome
Not living on some property They’re growing in our home
Chorus
CHARGE IT
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: Track & vocals
Rubio: Vocals
produced by Polarity/1
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tight money's causing some stressin’
Daddy's on the run cause the IRS is pressin'
Mama bought a sofa cause she's depressin'
Little man sweatin' for a BMX
Big sister shot her movie by bouncin' checks
I'm overdrawn on the Amex
How am I gonna replace my wreck?
Chorus: Charge it
Tell me how can a poor man live?
How much interest does he have to give?
The system gettin oppressive
The loan shark at the bank
Is giving him the shank
The one in the alley is scary
We're robbing Peter and Paul
Cause we got to pay Mary
How we gonna pay for our getaway
Chorus: Charge it
Santa Clause is comin' to town
He's making a list -- no money down
Got everything you prayed for
Except that it ain't paid for
Just do exactly what Santa do
Chorus: Charge it
SWAMI RIVERS (Polar Levine) - FREE MONEY BLUES
words & music: Polar Levine
Danny Schechter's film, In Debt We Trust. Swami Rivers: Vocals, 12-string guitar,t electric guitar & track produced by Polarity/1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Got a letter this morning with a shiny card
Bought a pickup truck and it wasn’t hard
Bought a big fat sofa and a big flat screen
Got the little woman a new washing machine
Told the landlord to shove it
Bought a house with a yard
Bought the lock, stock and barrel
Of my credit card
Chorus: Got free money
But you have to pay
Free money
But you have to pay
The monthly went north and my job went south
Now the garage is empty Dog food in my mouth
Wife is out late working two shifts
Christmas tree lonely standing over no gifts
The bank took the pickup and the video game
Found out about the RV
And they’re making a claim
They’re sittin’ in my box at the Astrodome
Now the bankers are dancin’
In my broken home
But I ain’t down yet, it’s all ok
‘Cause a new card came in the mail today Chorus
IN DEPT WE TRUST CRIBSHEET
music:y Polar Levine
Voices: Danny Schechter & sound bites from his film, IN DEBT WE TRUST
P/1: track
produced by Polarity/1
HOME SWEET HOME CRIB SHEET
music by Polar Levine Sampled music: Home Sweet Home; words & music: John Howard Payne & Sir Henry Bishop; recorded by The Knickerbocker Quartet (Edison Ambersol Cylinder)
Voices: Danny Schechter & sound bites from his film, IN DEBT WE TRUST P/1: track produced by Polarity/1
AUDIOPLASM (Polarity/1 & Rubio) - I'M SO BROKE
words Polar Levine & James Fiorentino; music: Polar Levine
for Danny Schechter’s film, In Debt We Trust
Rubio: Vocals, drum programming, bass
P/1: Guitars
produced by Polarity/1
Ain’t no joke For real I’m broke
I got a ways to go and no dough
Nothing to show
Up all night. Can’t sleep right. My head’s tight
Gotta buy food, clothes, books
And it looks like there’s holes in my shoes
What to do?
My credit card’s full and it’s due
No job, no time no reason, no rhyme
Gotta get it together before I’m a mess
Walk the line between ruin and success
I confess, no joke, for real, I’m broke
Chorus: I’m so broke (4x)
hey signed me up for credit. I already regret it
Drove home with my Honda
Now the bank coming to get it
The fool from the bank knows just where I am
Gimme a ham and cheese
Waite a minute, hold the ham
Waiting on tables just to pay for the cable
And what’s left in my pocket
Goes to keep me off the docket
Credit’s a scam, led me on like a John
Just a tool for the con
Five grand poorer since the laste time we spoke
And it ain’t no joke
I’m so fucking broke
Amy D: vocals
P/1: guitar, track
produced by Polarity/1
------------------------------------------------------------------
Zit cream soda and a slice to go
I’m Sally in the alley with Curly and Moe
I’m a corporate girl in a corporate suit
Edible panties and a sack of toot
Flying company jet cause I know the boss
Dipped his résumé in my special sauce
Got my little black book and I’m ready to score
Get your dick out your pocket, I’m a D.C. whore Pre-Chorus: I pay your way, that’s right
I don’t testify
You will make my day
Or kiss your seat goodbye Chorus: Got a no-bid contract, Bob
Pussy full of gold
Ballin’ every PR slob,
To keep the trail ice cold.
Ain’t a congressman in town,
Can’t be bought or sold
So, plug it in the socket, I'm a D.C. whore
Let’s go make us a war
I’m a contract bitch on a secret mission
My tits on a hook, I’m goin’ fishin’
Going up to the penthouse to polish the brass
Serving up my biomass
Come on up baby, don’t make me wait
Tell me a secret, let’s consumate
Got bubble trouble from the subprime loan?
Gonna suck that market clean to the bone
Pre-Chorus /Chorus
It’s a money town with no meter maid
II put a bulge in your pocket; we all get paid
Main St. bitchin’ ‘bout the credit crunch?
Some property there we can have for lunch
Play the bleeding heart on the Senate floor
But you vote at the pleasure of your D.C. whore
Pre-Chorus / Chorus
ST. JAMES INFIRMARY
Public domain; new lyrics Polar Levine
P/1: vocals & track
produced by Polarity/1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I went down to St. James Infirmary
60 people were waiting there
It was 8 AM in the morning
And we barely had the cab fare
I First they handed me a pile of papers
The first page was easy to do
It said who is your health insurer
I wrote ‘none’ and turned to page two
All the same old questions
I answered 20 times before
Did they ever hear of computers?
This is what they were invented for
By noon my little girl is bent over
The pain was getting really bad
Babies screamed, people spittin blood
The worst morning we ever had
The whole emergency unit was spinning
We had nothing to eat all day
By 3:45 she was barely alive
Nobody seemed to look our way
They finally examined her that evening
They wanted to operate
We can barely pay the mortgage
So the operation had to wait
I went down to St. James Infirmary
To see my baby there,
She was lyin' on a long white table,
So sweet, so cool, so fair
We’ll take her out to the graveyard
We’ll all be dressed in black
A family of three driving to a park
Only two of us are coming back
SWAMI RIVERS (Polar Levine) - A DOG NAMED LOU (rough demo)
words & music: Polar Levine
words & music: Polar Levine vocal & guitar: Swami Rivers
Rough demo
---------------------------------------------- Two times two A dog named Lou A smack across the chin A needle, thread and pin
I'm talking to my mother She's talking to her little brother He was sixty when he died a few years ago The numbers on her meter are all aglow She's technically alive. Two times two is five
A wagon full of fruit. Laughing in her bathing suit She can't get up or walk to the bathroom Now she's screaming, "I lived a life, now I'm ready to go, please let me go Those bastards say No. Where's Lou? Who the hell are you?"
The dog named Lou The kangaroo The dolphins jump and dive The bees in their hive They don't waste a minute pondering Who put them there, they're just being alive
They don't need tales about eternity Or comforting mythology They don't impose sanctity To force her heart to pump until it's Too late... too late To hold us in her arms and say goodbye A room full of strangers - we watch her crumble and die
SWAMI RIVERS (Polar Levine) - ONE MORE RAIN
words & music: Polar Levine
Swami Rivers: Vocals, guitars
produced by Polarity/1 ----------------------------------------------------------- I was born in the winter on a chilly day
80 degrees and going down
The sun was laughin' as it dropped away
Behind the Statue of Liberty’s crown
The New York Yankees were a baseball team
From my home town so long ago
Before they left for way up north
Where sometimes in winter they still get snow Chorus: One more rain One more rain One more day of rain You can see out the window all you need to know The water’s rising – it’s time to go
Mama reached New York at a real young age
From a place called San Antonio
Outside her window – the water's rage
Busted the gates of the Alamo
So many packed and they moved up here
Cold and muddy, without no home
An empty old ruin is where they'd stay
Till old Yankee stadium got washed away Chorus
Way far back a scared little boy Crossed the ocean on a crowded ship
A giant lady said "now you're home" Pointed to Manhattan with her finger tip
I read all about the old Broadway They say people used to walk there right on the ground
Now that giant lady the little boy saw Is standing in the water up to her jaw Chorus
My grandma told it a hundred times They warned for years ‘bout the coming change
Politicians did nothin’ while it all got worse Puppies on the leash of the corporate purse Chorus: One more rain One more rain One more day of rain You can see out the window all you need to know The water’s rising – it’s time to go One more rain One more rain One more day of rain You can see out the window all you need to know Take a last look around It’s time to go
I was born in the winter on a chilly day 80 degrees and going down
Never been that cold since then I'm tired of thinkin' what might of been
Big Mama Nature (demo)
words & music: Polar Levine vocals & instruments: Polarity/1 produced by Polarity/1 demo ------------------------------------------------ INTRO: Made it made a mess Makin’ makin’ makin’ a mess The sun goddess and the man in the moon Checking out the galaxies trying to find a clean room Space junk flyin’ out here with no space address Those damn Earth humans they can't stop making a mess Their god was exhausted after six days He half-stepped their brains then put the project away He told em they can do what they want with animals, the land and sea Then he took a long rest and left all the housework for me Adam and Eve got needy with their needs Dumping trash all over my hair then calling itweeds
Pre-Chorus: Here's a thing I should mention Did that flood get your attention? Chorus: Are you feeling me? Don't you know it's me I’m Big Mama Nature Not a global conspiracy Are you feeling me? here's the take-away From now on, baby it's pay to play Made it made it, made a mess Makin’ makin’ makin' a mess
Technology You're sure will save ya Say it Mama Nature While it's killing all the stuff we gave ya Big Mama Nature You say, Hey, no worries we’ll capitalize There’s a planet out there we can colonize I say dream on, baby Invest away It's gettin’ mighty late You might as well pray I'm temperamental, a ballbreaker Say it Mama Nature Since their God forced me to be a homemaker You think you’re gonna save it singin’ with your guitars I got a condo to sell you up on Mars Pre-Chorus Chorus
See those houses on fire Did it get your attention Those floods are gettin' higher Did it get your attention Take care of my turf I’ll treat you first class Put a frack on my back I'll put a quake up your ass Take a dump on my carpet I’ll set your hood ablaze I'm a godless slut not impressed by your praise
Pre-Chorus Chorus
PEPPERSPRAY TAN - WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON
words & music: Polar Levine
Music-trad.; original lyrics: Florence Reece;
new lyrics: Polar Levine P/1:.vocal, guitars, percussion, track
David Intrator: tenor sax
produced by Polarity/1 under-track: Goldi
————————————————————— Come all you good workers
and all you dispossessed
The perps are not in prison.
Nobody has confessed Chorus: Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, girls? Which side are you on?
My daddy was a banker
but I'm not a banker's son
I refuse to profit
from the pain of anyone
My mama was a waitress
and I'm a waitress' girl
I take nobody's orders
I'm here to feed the world Chorus
We'll occupy the city
We'll occupy the town
We're an occupational hazard
till justice comes around
Corporate-owned country
eating corporate ruined food
We'll be making lots of noize here
cause we won't be subdued Chorus
PEPPERSPRAY TAN - TURN THIS MESS AROUND
words & music: Polar Levine, rap lyrics: rCyn
Scott Allen: lead vocals rCyn: rap P/1: guitars, banjo, track, lead & BKG vocals Chagmion Antoine & Daniel Baez: BKG vocals produced by Polarity/1
The money isn't playing nice When greed is a virtue, justice is a vice We can hear it. In the chaos is a choice Get near it. Turn a need into a voice
Coastal cities, inland towns
In the street together. Step up
Chorus: Turn this Turn this mess Turn this mess around Turn this mess around Fight it Fix it Turn this mess around Turn this shit aroundt
We can hear it Get near it
Coastal cities Inland towns
In the street together
We gotta turn this mess around
Chorus
The heart of the cop is in our zone
But his hand is ready on the Coppertone
Action banging in the iPhone
Digits pumpin the genome
The genome connected to the justice bone
Buried in the rubble of a home loan
The hive is alive. Arrive We gotta turn this fuckin mess around
Chorus:
PEPPERSPRAY TAN - Occupy THIS!
music: Polar Levine
P/1: guitars, percussion, track
David Intrator: tenor sax
produced by Polarity/1
THE BLOOD
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: lead & background vocals, track Scott Allen: background vocals Produced by Polarity/1 -------------------------------------------------------------------- It is known that we have been abused
But now you think the world
Is owing you some kind of dues
Now you lie. But you told me you were fair
There's vengeance in your smile
And your love has just grown weak and bare
Now I no longer feel that we're bound
But when I sleep you call to me, Israel
When I sleep You call to me, Israel
Through the years we were the chosen few
Who were given the message
Look what hatred can do
Now your armies are chewing up the land
Disowning your own brothers
While your valley is turning back to sand
The dove won't fly
Your arrogance has chained it to the ground
But when I sleep you call to me, Israel
When I sleep you call to me, Israel Chorus: You cut through my veins You're in my bone You're in my blood But you'll never be my home You cut through my veins You're in my bone You're in my blood And you won't leave me alone
You cut through my veins. You're in my bone
You're in my blood. But you'll never disown me
You can't disown me, You shed your blood
You're shedding the blood
And I know you're not alone
70 VIRGINS
words & music: Polar Levine
In memory of the victims of 9/11 and the war in Iraq
For Salman Ahmad, Sherry Ahmad and Junoon
P/1: Programming, digital drums & percussion,
metal shaker, vocals
Jim Savitt: Lead guitar • David Gervais: Guitars
D.A.V.: Background vocals
produced by Polarity/1
--------------------------------------------------------------------
A blue sky is dripping red
A sea of oil
Anoints the dead
Tell me again, what's that you said?
Who is that you're paying?
I hear somebody praying
The innocents will foot the bill
The guilty aren't speaking
The God of greed is the son of the man
This was not some cosmic plan Chorus: 70 virgins in the sky [3x] A tank full of gas and a plane to fly
Tithing in the church of fear The rabbis cheer
Say again, where it's in the book
About that girl you're flogging
And that land you're hogging
The innocents will foot the bill
The guilty aren't speaking
The God of hate is the son of the man
This was not some cosmic plan Chorus
Sweet revenge for the chosen son
Wave the flag Salute the gun
Tell me again, what's that you said?
What is it you're hiding?
The news you're not providing
The innocents will foot the bill
The guilty aren't speaking
The God of war is the son of the man
This is not some cosmic plan Chorus: An S.U.V. and a rockin' band [3x] A tank full of gas and Disneyland
A FAMILY SITUATION
words & music: Polar Levine We Are Family by Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards
Released as part of Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Project, A Family Situation is a funk/hip hop track including snatches of interviews and singing taken from Danny Schechter's film, THE MAKING OF WE ARE FAMILY. The film documents the recording sessions of WE ARE FAMILY and the tragic events leading to Nile Rodgers' decision to record the song. The interviews and vocal samples include Rodgers, Danny Schechter, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Rosie Perez, Joan Osborne, Spike Lee and many others.
Pete McCann: Guitar P/1: vocals, track: D.A.V.: vocals produced by Polarity/1 --------------------------------------------------------- Madness! Terror makes a fist from a kiss
Genocide —
call it what you will Dogma —
a crutch that make the blood spill
Now the ew the e eele flies With a bomb in its beak
The terror shreiagle flies With a bomb in its beak
The terror shriek — the goo of news-speak
Nine One One Oh One Hate like a cloud covers the sun
The future’s begunWe won, we won — we’re free!
'Cause we’re a family
Amy D: vocals P/1: guitar, track Produced by Polarity/1 --------------------------------------------------------- Zit cream soda and a slice to go
I’m Sally in the alley with Curly and Moe
I’m a corporate girl in a corporate suit
Edible panties and a sack of toot
Flying company jet cause I know the boss
Dipped his résumé in my special sauce
Got my little black book and I’m ready to score
Get your dick out your pocket, I’m a D.C. whore Pre-Chorus: I pay your way, that’s right I don’t testify You will make my day Or kiss your seat goodbye Chorus: Got a no-bid contract, Bob
Pussy full of gold
Ballin’ every PR slob,
To keep the trail ice cold
Ain’t a congressman in town,
Can’t be bought or sold
So, plug it in the socket, I'm a D.C. whore
Let’s go make us a war
I’m a contract bitch on a secret mission
My tits on a hook, I’m goin’ fishin’
Going up to the penthouse to polish the brass
Serving up my biomass
Come on up baby, don’t make me wait
Tell me a secret, let’s consumate
Got bubble trouble from the subprime loan?
Gonna suck that market clean to the bone Pre-Chorus /Chorus
It’s a money town with no meter maid
II put a bulge in your pocket; we all get paid
Main St. bitchin’ ‘bout the credit crunch?
Some property there we can have for lunch
Play the bleeding heart on the Senate floor
But you vote at the pleasure of your D.C. whore Pre-Chorus /Chorus
DUCK
words & music: Polar Levine
For the victims of Hurricane Katrina. P/1: Track, lead & background vocals Rubio: Rhodes & background vocals Katy Martin: Xtra vocals produced by Polarity/1
-------------------------------------------------------
Weasel droppings on the flooded skyline
Gassy foam from the tabloid byline
Waiters and getters Goiters and betters
Corporate bedwetters, aiders, abetters
Spin their story of Storyville City
Where the folks is happy
And the jazz so pretty
America dreams on an oily lake
Golden goose-step for Jesus' sake
Department of sleepwalk
And binary small talk
Cakewalk on water to attend the wake Bridge: Notable notables keeping score
Donut holes on the ballroom floor
K Street paid to handle the door
for the donut holes on the ballroom floor
You don't hear what you say
You don't say what you know
You beg for my vote like a crackhead ho
Bullshit flow goes only to flip flop
But you don't live
Where the rust goes drip drop
Streets you deplete
Are not where your kids go
We follow the leaders
You follow the dough Chorus: If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck
Looks like a duck – It must be a hunter
Duck, brother, duck
Spyboy hanging up top the mast
Gettin' heavy on the levee but relief not fast
Play some of that good ol' jazz
(Yeah, play dat jazz)
For that gang of Texans
marching back to the past
And livin' large, Sarge
And not takin' charge, Sarge
Of the Mardi Gras on the sinking barge
Root toot goes the second line
Drinkin' wine spodee odee
On the 50 yard line
A fine job, Brownie just fine
Blackie on the housetop, watchin'
his family dyin'
Smells like death, yo. Yo, hold your breath
Excuses flyin' like crystal meth Bridge Chorus
PEPPER SPRAY TAN - MONEY (That's What They Want)
Janie Bradford & Berry Gordy PARODY: new lyrics by Polar Levine
Daniel Baez: Vocals
P/1: Guitars, track
produced by Polarity/1
-------------------------------------------------------
The best things in life are free
But it's only true for you and me. Chorus: They want more money
That's what they want That's what they want, yeah That's what they want
Your money gives them a thrill
They'll use your money to pay their bills Chorus
Money buys them private air-o-planes
So please don't tax them on their capital gains Chorus
Money don’t get every thing it's true
But it's only true for me and you. Please give them Chorus
PEPPER SPRAY TAN - YOU REALLY GOT ME
Ray Davies; PARODY: new lyrics by Polar Levine
Daniel Baez: Vocals
P/1: Guitars, track
produced by Polarity/1
--------------------------------------------------------
Bank You got me going now
You got me so I have no house to live in
Bank You really got me now
I have no place to sleep at night
Yeah You really got me now.
You got me so I have no job to go to
Oh yeah You really got me now
You got me marchin' and ocuppyin'
You really got me You really got me You really got me
Bank You really got it now
You made it so you own the government
Bank You really got me
You got me so I can't get out of debt
Yeah You really got me now
You got me so I have no healthcare plan
Oh yeah You really got me now
Got me marchin' and ocuppyin'
You really got me You really got me You really got me
Debt Will never set me free
You made it so I'll never pay it off
Bank You really got me now
You are a legal Bernie Maydoff
Yeah You really got me now.
You got me so I have no job to go to
Oh yeah You really got me now You got me
marchin' and ocuppyin'
You really got me You really got me You really got me
PEPPER SPRAY TAN - (Can't Get No) SATISFACTION
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards; PARODY: new lyrics by Polar Levine
Daniel Baez: Vocals
P/1: Guitars, track
produced by Polarity/1
-------------------------------------------------------- Chorus: He can't get no satisfaction
He can't get no satisfaction
But he'll try, and he'll try
and he'll try, and he'll try.
He can't get no He can't get no
When he's drivin' in his .car
and he sees a house with a bigger pool
Now he's thinkin' more and more
about some useful information.
So he can gain some market traction
He can't get no Oh, no, no, no
Hey, hey, hey that' what I say
Chorus
When he's watchin' stock returns
And that number on the board is tellin' him
How white his shirts could be
If he could get that house with the bigger pool
Gotta sell some junk to a hopeless fool
He can't get no. Oh, no, no, no
Hey, hey, hey that' what I say
Chorus
SWAMI RIVERS (Polar Levine) - (It Wasn't God Who Made) HONKY PSYCHO BANKERS
Jay D. Miller; PARODY: new lyrics by Polar Levine
Swami Rivers: vocals, Guitars, track
produced by Polarity/1 -------------------------------------------------------
Chorus: It wasn't God who made honky psycho bankers
With superPac money up their sleeves
It wasn't God who kicked famililes out their houses
And made the USA a den of thieves
You may remember when the middle class was solvent
Or it maybe was before you were born
It was all changed by an addiction to money
And morality deep-fried in porn.
Chorus
I want my little girl to go to college
And be free of the stupidness of men
And to never sell the world like a default swap.
Or trade people like a hedge fund or a yen
Chorus
NEWS GOO (The More You Watch, The Less You Know)
words & music: Polar Levine
D.A.V.: rap, BKG vocals
P/1: BKG vocals, track
produced by Polarity/1
---------------------------------------------------
Communication Breakdown Pause for this message Wake up
Every station is identification
Global syndication is shaping the nation
ABC-Disney, NBC-GE Murdoch is Foxy and we're the hen
He owns the pen, the camera, the sword.
Buy a Coke, buy a Ford Gettin broke? Getting bored?
Selling attitude like food for the masses
Junk consumption. We're lumpen
A bumpkin to the corporate state
You cannot satiate what you can't negotiate
Your will's been snatched, The bill's attached
Flim-flam diagram, data-jam, handi-cam
Caught it Yo, you bought it
A mind is a profitable thing to waste
Ya want another taste, baby? We got
Chorus: News Goo - What we need to know
News Goo - What we want to know
News Goo - What we think we know
Got remote control to choose the show.
But the more we watch, the less we know
Ignorance grows on the spirit like a tumor
Till freedom is a rumor
What we WANT What we NEED What we WANT What we NEED
Do we even know who plants the seed?
You think the media works for you but it's a job for them, they're just selling brew
Who owns the media? Who does it speak for?
Your butt on the sofa, leave your mind at the door and that's what entertainment is for.
It's the drug of the century, the soul's penitentiary
Sad what they call a news report: Who's fucking who and OJ in court
News is not supposed to entertain, to drug the soul to kill the pain
But it all adds up to someone's capital gain
News goo - no explanation We're lost in the fields of information plantation
We'll be back after this station identification
Chorus
So where's the news of a people left out? Put a camera in my face just to hear me shout
But they don't wanna hear what I shout about Ya love it when we're cuffed.
but not a people rebuffed We never play a lead in the sitcom you call the news
Unless we are accused, the positive refused
It's the poor and unschooled that most need dope but it's the inside dope that holds the hope
Can't cope with the selling of news like toothpaste, spitting out headlines in mad haste
We gotta stop the flow of news goo keepin' us drunk on a sugary brew
In the Information Age what we lack is information
Just a crew of haircuts and info-pretension with a pun and a smile to hold our attention
Like we're a nation of children Goo goo is the intention
We are what we eat - we are what we know but information is owned
By those who own the show and control the flow More when we return. Gotta go
Chorus
Westinghouse and Minnie Mouse in the house makin' heat in the executive suite
The future conceived on the bottom line and
when the contracts are sorted - truth is aborted
I'm not a niche group or a fool or a poll Their dumbing us down is gonna take it's toll
There's money to be made for making me a pawn The bill gets paid when democracy's gone
With every corporate merge ya know there's a purge
They splurge on the debt and the news gets the net
The public sector needs a news dissector to separate the hairspray from the Mayday
The Press is supposed to educate, cast light on the snake - not force-feed the cake
But the state of the Press is a crime, it's fake
500 hundred channels - no reason to rejoice We have too much choice and not enough voice
We now resume our regular programming
Chorus
PRETTIER THAN YOU
words & music: Polar Levine
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: lead & BKG vocals, guitars, surdo, track Rubio: Rhodes, organ, bass, synth, digital drums, BKG vocals Xtra vocals: Jamie “Chicken Sal” Fiorentino, Katy Martin produced by Polarity/1 ------------------------------------------------- Intro: Somebody's got a message Someone's got a message Somebody's got a message for you
There's a very handsome man He got something to say to you There's a very pretty girl She got something to say to you They got better things for you They got better things for you They got better things for you More than your friends can do They got better things for you More than your friends can do They got better things for you Improved and brand new
Chorus: So lay back my baby Lay back my baby Lay back my baby There's nothing for you to do So lay back my baby Lay back my baby Lay back my baby Not a thing for you to do And they know everything you do 'Cause they're prettier than you And everything they say is true 'Cause they're prettier than you
Turn on the TV Turn on the TV Turn on the TV Baby don't mind me Jump back in the kitchen Jump back in the kitchen Jump back in the kitchen Got three minutes Stop twitchin' Jump back in the kitchen Open up a can Jump back in the kitchen Chicken sal san
Chorus
There's money to make over here There's money to save over there Jesus and MTV and women in their underwear Got everything for you Just sit in the blue light Nobody's got to know Go ahead take a bite Nobody's got to know Nobody's got to pay So lay back my baby The message is on the way
Chorus
GARBAGE MAN
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: .Guitar, keyboards, programming, blues harp, caixa, repinique, triangles, lead & background vocals
Rubio: Rhodes, digital drums, keyboards, BKG vocals produced by Polarity/1 ----------------------------------------------------------------
Chorus: I am, I am [3x] Garbage Man I am, I am [3x] your garbage Man
Laugh lines drip down Botox face
That's me, baby, parkin' in your private space
Got a tickly throat and some dental floss for the
Pits from the fruit of your special sauce
Amour mama, and a sleek toupee
Better save your coupons
Where the hound dogs pray
So let's sit around and uh, chase our tails
You can rev your Jetson on my monorail
Go 'head - eat that stanky gourmet cheese
I’m gonna eat that chicken you holdin'
'Tween your knees Chorus: I am, I am [3x] Garbage Man
I am, I am [3x] your garbage Man
I spit more trash than your TV can
Get me on your talk show Feed me any line
Gonna spin my mojo where the sun don't shine
I can whistle Dixie You ain't heard nothin' yet
Like that Fox who's howlin' on your TV set
I'm howlin' sweeter than Wolf or John Cocaine
Where the hills are alive like Kurt Cobain
I'm smokin' TNT, drinkin' liquid spite
I hope the FCC start a fight Chorus: I am, I am [3x] Garbage Man
I am, I am [3x] your garbage man
I spit more trash than your TV can
I am, I am [3x] your garbage man
Well, The fathers don't know But Mrs. Neilson understand
MEDIA WARS CRIBSHEET
music: Polar Levine
credits coming soon
DI HARD
words & music: Polar Levine
P/1: lead & BKG vocals, track
Scott Allen & Sabina Sciubba: BKG tvocals
produced by Polarity/1
------------------------------------------------------
Di! The photographer screamed and she died Everybody cried
We're dizzy - sleeping off a lifetime snooze
Wasted on celebrity news Intelligence abused
By the fools who kill or this stuff
Our hunger for fluff; awareness is snuffed
Do we ever get enough? Flash cubes Trash news
The lame lead the lame and the good die young
The paparazzi made the chase
But who really deserves to be hung?
Those who profit from this disease
Please have no doubt: they put this contract out
A real person forced to take flight
In the tunnel of a Paris night
Like a monkey on a chain to entertain us with her pain
Yeah, the good die young and the bad get paid
You know it's depraved
She's worth more in pain than healthy and sane
We're all being sucked. And who pulls the chain?
The sickness we use to entertain our blues She couldn't survive
But the Church of Murdoch still gonna thrive
A real person forced to take flight in the tunnel of a Paris night
Like a monkey on a chain to entertain us with her pain
Chorus: Will this thing that we call God come down
and help us start this song again
To learn to live inside our skin
and sing it right next time around
We elevate our best then shoot them down
Self-hatred we were taught The dogma we bought
We gotta make the stars fall
- a drug to help us feel less small
This damn web we made and those fools get paid
To dig up the dirt and beat the drum in our sad parade
of the lonely, the lost like ghosts we're tossed by
the latest consumer breeze
We're squeezed - played in this material world
The next Jesus will have to be a pretty girl
who we'll worship and diss, stalk and chase
in our pornographic need to fill a space
as we fade into blue with a surgical grin
and we're told again and again and again
how we're so full of sin
Thrown out of the garden, our emptiness grew
"she took you in and she belonged to you"
A real person forced to take flight in the
tunnel of a Paris night like a monkey on a chain
To entertain us with her pain
Chorus
IN DEBT WE TRUST CRIBSHEET
music: Polar Levine
Voices: Danny Schechter & sound bites from his ilm, IN DEBT WE TRUST P/1: track
produced by Polarity/1
PEPPER SPRAY TAN - Which Side Are Your On
Music-trad.; original lyrics-Florence Reece; new lyrics-Polar Levine
Come all you good workers
and all you dispossessed
The perps are not in prison.
Nobody has confessed Chorus: Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, girls?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a banker
but I'm not a banker's son
I refuse to profit
from the pain of anyone
My mama was a waitress
and I'm a waitress' girl
I take nobody's orders
I'm here to feed the world Chorus
We'll occupy the city
We'll occupy the town
We're an occupational hazard
till justice comes around
Corporate-owned country
eating corporate ruined food
We'll be making lots of noize here
cause we won't be subdued Chorus
SWAMI RIVERS (Polar Levine) - May Day
words & music: Polar Levine
Swami Rivers: Vocals, guitars
produced by Polarity/1
--------------------------------------------------------------
Big ship on the ocean going up in smoke
One part dancing, ninety-nine parts broke
The captain gets a bonus even if it sinks
While the rest of us will fade away
Chorus: Workers in trouble. It's time to shout May Day
Unions gettin' busted. Got to shout May Day
Decent people need a decent Pay Day
Sing it - MayDay MayDay MayDay
Bring it - MayDay MayDay MayDay
Miner's juggling chunks of coal
A waitress spinning a salad bowl
A teacher grading papers cause she thinks it's cool
And we cut 'em off like they're weeds
Chorus
Dead in the water, everybody's scared
Outsourced the lifeboats; nobody cared
We get what we pay for. Noone will be spared
Free market won't save the day
Sandy left a message; it was very clear.
Get off that carbon or you’re outa here
But Exxon Mobile owns the atmosphere.
People left out in the rain
Chorus
SWAMI RIVERS Which Side Are You On (rough demo)
Music-trad.; original lyrics-Florence Reece; new lyrics-Polar Levine
Swami Rivers: Vocals, guitars produced by Polarity/1 -------------------------------------------------------------- Come all you good workers
and all you dispossessed
The perps are not in prison.
Nobody has confessed
Chorus: Which side are you on, boys?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on, girls?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a banker
but I'm not a banker's son
I refuse to profit
from the pain of anyone
My mama was a waitress
and I'm a waitress' girl
I take nobody's orders
I'm here to feed the world
Chorus
We'll occupy the city
We'll occupy the town
We're an occupational hazard
till justice comes around
Corporate-owned country
eating corporate ruined food
We'll be making lots of noize here
cause we won't be subdued
Chorus
HOME SWEET HOME Cribsheet
music: Polar Levine
Voices: Danny Schechter & sound bites from his film, IN DEBT WE TRUST Sampled music: The Knickerbocker Quartet - HOME SWEET HOME (John Howard Payne & Sir Henry Bishop) Edison Ambersol Cylinder music: Polarity/1 produced by Polarity/1
HOME SWEET HOME Cribsheet
music: Polar Levine
Voices: Danny Schechter & sound bites from his
film, IN DEBT WE TRUST Sampled music: The Knickerbocker Quartet -
HOME SWEET HOME (John Howard Payne & Sir Henry Bishop)
Edison Ambersol Cylinder
P/1: track
produced by Polarity/1
A FAMILY SITUATION
music: Polar Levine We Are Family by Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards
Released as part of Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Project, A Family Situation is a funk/hip hop track including snatches of interviews and singing taken from Danny Schechter's film, THE MAKING OF WE ARE FAMILY. The film documents the recording sessions of WE ARE FAMILY and the tragic events leading to Nile Rodgers' decision to record the song. The interviews and vocal samples include Rodgers, Danny Schechter, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Rosie Perez, Joan Osborne, Spike Lee and many others.
Pete McCann: Guitar P/1: vocals, track: D.A.V.: vocals produced by Polarity/1 --------------------------------------------------------- Madness! Terror makes a fist from a kiss Genocide - call it what you will Dogma - a crutch that makes the blood spill Now the eagle flies with a bomb in its beak The terror shriek — the goo of news-speak Nine One One Hate like a cloud covers the sun The future’s begun We won, we won - we’re free! Cause we’re family
MEDIA WARS
music: Polar Levine for Danny Schechter project
Credits coming soon
NELSON MANDELAS CRIBSHEET
music: Polar Levine for Danny Schechter's radio broadcast
VIDEOS
