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SPANNER - CRISIS

by Rebel Time Records

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1.
CRISIS A dying empire in a state of collapse Now we see how deeply we've been trapped Everybody's gotta share in this crisis and now's the time to fight for something better than this Spending our lives in the house of credit cards Rush to the sales when times get hard Drawn by empty promises and driven by excess We let them lead us into this mess Crippling debt and homes under threat The vultures circling for all they can get With so many ways to make us pay We're past the worst of it so they say Race you to the bottom, feel the cutbacks While the super rich are busy evading tax And for greedy bankers who direct the fraud It's bonus city and huge rewards for them the system never failed Blank cheque how quickly they got bailed With our money of course this is nothing new We've always slaved for the greed of the few Chorus: We're breaking ranks, death to the banks, in anarchy we trust Let's turn off this show, it's all got to go, BOOM AND BUST Talking heads line up to give their views Expert opinions to keep us confused Lots of advice on how how we can cope Chat shows and adverts selling hope With recession beating useful tips They loan us a paddle on a sinking ship Please don't panic rescue will come If we just let them do the sums The important bit is that we wait For the leaders of the market and the state Only they have the power to restructure our lives With some expertly wielded corporate knives But we've past the point of no return They're fiddling figures while the empire burns Their solution is more of the same It's time we changed the rules of the game Chorus Look around you how much more proof Do people need to face the truth None of this can be rearranged Let's turn their crisis into real change The bosses' will feel real executive stress when we take it all back and repossess Our time our future our land our homes and start living lives we can all our own Chorus
2.
T.W.A.T. The whole world stopped to watch the towers fall A playground bully got a kick in the balls U.S.A. takes a body blow Get ready for a million T.V. shows About attacks on “all that we hold dear” And the news just keeps us living in fear When everybody’s really scared The scene is set, our minds prepared It’s all straight out of Hollywood Terrorists bad, governments good Eyes glued to the TV screen Overdrive switch on the war machine Flags are flying in the land of the free for defenders of hypocrisy A minute’s silence then back to work and the dogs of war are going berserk So we’re told we have to make them pay But who is “we” and who is “they” Are they the mothers who silently pray For their dying kids who got in the way Of the superpower blitzkrieg advance No, they never stood a fucking chance Born in the wrong place at the wrong time Made to suffer for the tyrant’s crimes Smart bombs and words alike deployed To hide the truth of lives destroyed Are these the people we must hate? Is this what makes a nation great? Flags are flying in the land of the free and it’s looking good for the economy A minute’s silence then back to work and the dogs of war are going berserk “Liberated” by the action heroes But enduring freedom’s still stuck at zero War for democracy or power and oil? The corporations are waiting for the spoils Moving in to “reconstruct” But for the survivors the future’s fucked As the force of order gets let loose Human life’s nothing but a target for abuse So now it's all over - victory but everyone is an enemy they're always looking to start more wars This ain't no game with a final score In one place the dead are victims, never to be forgot In another it’s collateral damage, where life doesn’t mean a lot
3.
Work Makes You Free Well I reckon I’ve seen how the system works and there’s one thing I’ll avoid That’s allowing myself to be exploited and mindlessly employed Wasting my life by endless toiling as a serf Ain’t my idea of a useful life, I’ll not be told how much I’m worth I don’t think it’s very productive living on a production line To another cog in the money machine I will not be confined In making riches for the wealthy there’s many a soul been trapped Searching for fulfilment, fighting over scraps With the race for jobs and pay packets our lives they will divide Making sure escape’s impossible, real choices denied I won’t sell myself for the profits of the few My life’s worth more, I’ve better things to do I don’t need bosses and I won’t behave If ever they try to make me a slave I don’t owe the system any debts I won’t be held to ransom or bow to threats I’ve seen the things our rulers have done And I know what makes their system run With one hand they’ll point the finger at the menace to society While the other one’s taking all it can by official daylight robbery I’ll try not to pay taxes for bigger prisons and more wars I’ll not contribute to their progress, mine’s a different cause No way I’m chasing more and more to measure my success They’ll try to tell me what I need, I’m always happier with less See how the bosses reward themselves, they say the choices they make are hard But when there’s riches to be made there’s human beings to discard I won’t sell myself for the profits of the few My life’s worth more, I’ve better things to do I don’t need bosses and I won’t behave If ever they try to make me a slave I don’t owe the system any debts I won’t be held to ransom or bow to threats I’ve seen the things our rulers have done And I know what makes their system run I’ll spend my time doing things I know to be useful and worthwhile When work is on my own terms I’ll go to it with a smile Let’s employ ourselves at taking back all the things they stole Our lives can be our own when we refuse the work that numbs the soul There’s so much more that we can do when our labour isn’t forced Making our own choices, our lives can take their course
4.
Choose to refuse The elections farce keeps you on your arse Choosing which scum will attack our class Voting in thieves and hipocrites Different shades of the same shit The only choice here is bad and worse Why do so many accept this curse Your cross in a box is not much say But it helps these bastards get their way Giving them power is giving in Whoever you vote for government wins You got no choice but you gotta choose It's all an illusion you can refuse Giving them power is giving in Whoever you vote for government wins The ballot box is a well laid trap It should only be used to take a crap Politicians do nothing for me and you About real life they don't have a clue Everything they do and say is fake They make a career of being on the take Corrupt, greedy, lying scum Noses stuck up corporate bums With your votes you're saying let's have more Of a system that's rotten to the core Giving them power is giving in Whoever you vote for government wins... Kneel, bend over and vote in the ultimate show of futility and powerlessness Vote to be a spectator watching them run and ruin your life Vote X Factor, Big Brother, choose one lifeless shithead or another So much choice, it's so exciting but voting changes nothing! Giving them power is giving in Whoever you vote for government wins...
5.
Can't shake the feeling we've been here before If I could just get closer to the door Does anyone else feel the need to scream Now we've spent two hours on the colour scheme So, twelve more items we've got to discuss Well if this is anarchy, what's the fuss? Trapped in meetings without no end Talking round in circles, going round the bend But stay Calm! Reality check! What the fuck did you expect? There's no short cuts and time flies, learning to self organize With no leaders we have equal say, we're trying a different way My time disappears clearing other people's mess I'd get a "proper job" if I needed this stress If we really want to see the collapse of the state We're gonna have to learn to wash our own plate Of doing battle with the chaos I've had my quota And there has to be life beyond the rota And why if we're so many and they are few Are our sub-collectives made up of two? But here's kids coming through the door They say they've never been in before They've heard about the place and like the idea Right up for it, they wanna volunteer So much to do but our time we'll give Working together in collectives Sometimes it seems we can never agree And it doesn't look good for our autonomy All the hours we have spent in stupid, pointless arguments Oh no, here we go, it's kicking off again This bickerings driving me insane Egos clash and ideas collide It's easy to forget we're on the same side But there's friends for life who'll meet up here And many more who'll lose their fear No more living in isolation Building trust and co-operation An open space to communicate No limits to what we can create Our city's dominated by corporate shit Everywhere they're getting away with it Every last corner privatised Dragging us down with high rise More supermarkets and luxury flats To line the pockets of the fat cats And we're priced out and pushed aside Then they whinge about why has the community died But this place is for everyone We've seen what can be done With nothing but our energy Ideas and strength of community Giving for free as much as we can This is where we make our stand
6.
A Quiet Life Anything for a quiet life, eh? A life of conformity, complicity, keeping your head down and your eyes, ears and mouth well shut Where peace is the sort protected by armies and police And the quiet is the kind you find in the graveyard If ever I choose to change my ways to a normal life for the rest of my days To be a good citizen what does it take? Should I let myself be easily led by soothing voices in my head To fill my life with plastic ‘til I’m dead? I could buy a more beautiful better me with people on telly for company Put all my hopes on the lottery Should I vote for the government of liberty, shop my friends and family Feel safe with more CCTV? To be normal these are some of the things you’ll need To earn your place in the temple of greed Carry on shopping while all around you dies Well this so called quiet life means living a lie For the rich and famous we’ll line the streets, I’ll live for the chance to kiss their feet My love for leaders will be complete I’ll take as truth everything I’m told and learn to be ruthless as my life goes cold See that all things in this world can be bought and sold Should I cheer the loudest when we go to war, do my best to despise the poor When the clampdown starts I’ll be sure to stay indoors To be normal these are some of the things you’ll need To earn your place in the temple of greed Carry on shopping while all around you dies Well this so called quiet life means living a lie
7.
Mug's game So this is how it ends with crying friends and spraypaint RIPs For another young life, lost to a knife and a grieving family Scarves hung up at the scene of the ruck, the crew show their grief So are they sick of it all or will they make the call for payback and more beef Now it is on and to be someone you gotta be with the gang With so many screw face it's a dangerous place, someone's gonna get banged Wrong side of the road, wrong look or postcode, BS bullshit Inner city stress, always a test you could be the next target They say it's sick hanging with the clique making a name With hoods and caps and gangsta rap it almost feels like fame Got no job so they go on the rob masked up with tools and blades Mugging is for mugs, parasitical thugs desperate to upgrade They attack in packs to jump and jack, bikes, wallets, phones For a few more toys class unity destroyed, stealing off their own How can they believe it's okay to thieve, abuse and terrorise People down the street and when they meet will they look them in the eyes? I can understand that from where they stand the world's their enemy Surrounded by greed and unmet needs of a life in poverty Community decay, no hope, low pay what do you expect? But it can't can't excuse the way they choose to get money and respect The cops are never there they just don't care as long as it's contained In the trouble spots left to rot where they put the blame Calls for more police to keep the peace keep our rulers pleased Their solutions are fake don't make the mistake of trusting authorities Organising for ourselves, where do we begin With fear, suspicion, a war of attrition and an enemy within Gangsters and muggers with their anti social crime are all part of the game to keep us all in line Cops and robbers should have no place in our communities They stand in the way of the world we want to see
8.
Raise Your Sights They sell it as adventure and so much fun, learn to drive a tank and shoot big guns Put your manhood to the test, it’s your one big chance to be the best If you got what it takes to lose the fear, the army will give you a good career For so many this is how it all begins, turned into ruthless assassins Sign on the line to seal your fate, to do the dirty work of the state Killing for the bosses and the rich, but for all they care you can die in a ditch Joining the ranks of millions slain for capitalist power and political gain Thinking for yourself will be a thing of the past, orders are orders no questions asked Leave the decisions to better minds and leave your conscience far behind You’re already a casualty if you let them choose your enemy Keep telling yourself that you’re with the good guys “Fighting for freedom”, falling for their lies Sign on the line… The media war’s just one of their ploys to get the nation behind our boys And when they come back in body bogs politicians demand we wave their flags For the heroes who died in a far off place It’s always other people’s lives their prepared to waste Flowers, salutes and names in stone don’t bring slaughtered young men home Sign on the line… If ever there’s a weapon in my hand it won’t be aiming where they planned See the real enemy, raise your sights against the system that makes us fight Their peace means constant war and death, we will resist until our last breath
9.
Freedom Fighters A song for the brave all across the world living under attack They’ve seen too much and suffered too long but still they’re fighting back In slavery there’s no justice so they’re breaking their chains They say they’ve got very little to lose and a world to reclaim Tired of crippling poverty and living on their knees They’re taking back control of their lives in the face of tyranny Generals smile as they make a deal, the guns they buy are the best They’re drawing up plans to crush these rebels helped by friends from The West Business booms for the industry, they arm dictators well No questions asked so far removed from the genocide they sell So another village is razed to the ground as company profits rise Robbed from the poor and paid in blood by people brutalised But in time of violence there are those who break the silence They refuse to be victims any more For the words they dare to speak and the justice that they seek Their voices can no longer be ignored The freedom fighters’ struggle is hard, they’ve been fighting for a while Murderers in the highest places who never stand on trial Some fight with words, some fight with guns, so many of them have died Calling out for basic human rights the system denies But the murders and the atrocities won’t stifle the people’s dreams They long for a time of peace and no more terrorist regimes Liberty will not be given, it’s a thing that must be won And the people will dance again when the soldiers have gone Go! All strength to the freedom fighters wherever they may be For the chains that they have dared to break they’re already running free In a time of violence there are those who break the silence They refuse to be victims any more For the words they dare to speak and the justice that they seek Their voices can no longer be ignored
10.
Test Tube Future It started not so long ago, the experiment to show how little they know The scientists blindly racing forward to perform their tricks for the company board How long before we count the costs of boundaries we should never have crossed And all things living used as tools to make big bucks for corporate fools The web of life they will not see, can’t be a research laboratory Playing god with life is a dangerous game, when it fucks up will they take the blame? Test tube logic strictly followed, disinformation easily swallowed The experts say it’s safe for sure – where have we heard all this before? You’re part of this experiment, you’ve not been given a choice So will you be forced to comply or will you raise your voice? Do you want a test tube future, subject to a master plan? No, I say it’s time to resist in every way we can They say it’s carefully regulated but it’s not just the food that’s manipulated Coz the relevant authorities have strings that are pulled by the industry So they set out hand in hand sowing mutant seeds across the land As the biohazard quickly spreads no-one knows what lies ahead Unseen dangers ignored by tests in line with company interest Millions spent to deceive to ensure the guinea pigs still believe Experts decide where are future lies, don’t question them for they are wise “For the common good” you’ll hear them say and you can’t stop progress anyway You’re part of this experiment, you’ve not been given a choice So will you be forced to comply or will you raise your voice? Do you want a test tube future, subject to a master plan? No, I say it’s time to resist in every way we can Now they’re looking hard to find the genes to realise all their long held dreams With new, improved technology – unquestioning conformity Building a world of happy clones with no ideas of their own And the ones that will never suit their tastes will be dealt with as genetic waste In an endless quest to control there are those who will gladly sell your soul There’s nothing they won’t manipulate, take action now before it’s too late You’re part of this experiment, you’ve not been given a choice So will you be forced to comply or will you raise your voice? Do you want a test tube future, subject to a master plan? No, I say it’s time to resist in every way we can
11.
Fashion Victims So many people trying to be different but all doing the same thing As millions of others stuck in traffic who are also wondering Why it seems they can never be happy now all their money’s spent And is it normal to feel so totally fucked – don’t know where the weekend went There’s a part of them that knows full well it’s driving them insane But soon it’s put to the back of their minds and they’re doing it all again Buying substitutes for real life, all the things they can’t afford Forming orderly queues to nowhere where everyone looks so bored Shop Shop Shop til you drop – Will you ever get enough? Will it ever stop? Shop Shop Shop til you drop – Will you ever get enough? Will it ever stop? While we’re busy doing sums the real costs are never seen Coz it all adds up to ecocide the damage done by our routines So when seas turn black, the world’s on fire and ancient forests fall He who dies with the most toys wins – it’s the rule of the shopping mall But everyone’s a loser in this inhuman race Burying our future under tonnes of toxic waste And burying your head up your arse coz it’s easier to ignore The misery and lifelessness of our endless quest for more Shop shop shop ‘til you drop – Will you ever get enough? Will it ever stop? Shop shop shop ‘til you drop – Will you ever get enough? Will it ever stop?
12.
There is a young boy lying face down in the dirt He's trying to hide how much it hurts As he hurries to the gates of the playground Away from the big boys who push him around Class idiot at the back is doing her best But she just can't cope with all these tests Sick of being treated like a fool, Punished, abused and ridiculed 42" screen his neighbours can't compete And his car is the envy of the street But still he hasn't found the key To be quite as good as the celebrities CHORUS Do you ever stop to think About all the damage done? By endless competition, looking after number one? Tit for tat, an eye for an eye and nobody can see All against all and the world against me Climbing the ladder of success Treading on the heads of all the rest Going to the top at all costs She'll crawl her way to one day be boss Raging inside he's at his worst And he'll do what it takes to get there first He's a time bomb ready to explode And he'll kill or die for this piece of road The boys are out in force on the town Looking for a ruck someone's going down To prove their manhood and show their might So it's any excuse to start a fight CHORUS Do you ever stop to think About all the damage done? By endless competition, looking after number one? Tit for tat, an eye for an eye and nobody can see All against all and the world against me A young blood with so much to prove Is running with a gang his life is on the move Until one night it gets cut short Another senseless stabbing on a news report Bigots make a stand for all things white And there's racists attacks every day and night They say we're overrun, we shouldn't let them in This is how fascism begins Survival of the fittest makes the world go round And war on this earth is everywhere to be found Man versus nature, ecosystems in the way Racing on the fast track to the end of our days
13.
Frightened Of Freedom Is this really the way you choose to live? Can you trust you elected representatives? Can you really say what you want or is their democracy just a front? How safe do you feel with more police and do you accept that war is peace? How much are you prepared to sacrifice, for your so-called freedom what’s the price? Frightened of freedom so you choose to believe them When they say we need more control And everything’s fine if you stay in line And quietly fulfil your role Under all the control with which we’re faced most of us just accept our place Never stand out from the crowd, live your life within what’s allowed It’s with all the little rules that you obey that you build your own prison every day There’s a guard that’s living in your head – you won’t be free until he’s dead But he’s only as powerful as you let him be - you don’t have to surrender your will to be free Frightened of freedom so you choose to believe them When they say we need more control And everything’s fine if you stay in line And quietly fulfil your role More cameras in the streets. More weapons for cops on the beat. New laws to punish hard. Private security. I.D. cards. More powers for the secret state to listen in and infiltrate Try doing some things you never dared – each time you do you’ll be less scared Say the things people don’t like to mention – bare your arse to social convention Anything’s possible – imagine a life without rules or discipline Learn to pick the locks of mental cages – disobedience is so contagious Lose the fear of being on you own and realise anyway you’re not alone

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Crisis LP can be ordered in Can/US/Mexico at www.rebeltimerecords.com

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released December 9, 2012

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Rebel Time Records Hamilton, Ontario

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