And I say, do you know where the power lies
And who pulls the strings?
Do you know where the power lies?
It starts and ends with you
--Rancid, The 11th Hour,
…And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Smash It All
Truth bounces off the walls by the end of day—
No need to raise more questions or to sigh
In desperate attempts to persuade—
It’s pointless no matter how you try.
The drinks will take effect on tired brains
That spent long hours on debating lies—
As every day you feel new spasms of pain,
Awaiting some conclusion to arise.
This war takes no prisoners, my friend,
With every victory, you face a new defeat—
You hold the line until the very end,
Until the demolition is complete.
You tried their way, the way of compromise,
Of yielding to the status quo a bit—
To the diversity of conformity and lies,
Corruption, degradation and deceit.
Go ahead, my friend, say f*** it all
Until you are autonomous and free,
And with your spirit take the wrecking ball
And smash it all for all eternity.
Which could be, coincidentally, quite an apt modern analogue of the inner core of 'plaint forcefully made by that masterful Welshman, back in the early 50s (and somewhat molested here):
Do not go gentle into that terrible night,
Though youth may burn and rave at close of day;
Rage still against the dying of the light.
Though older men at end of day know dark is right,
Because their daylight dreams have fallen flat, they
Do not go gentle into that dread-filled night.
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Do not go gentle into that terrible night,
Though youth may burn and rave at close of day;
Rage still against the dying of the light.
Though older men at end of day know dark is right,
Because their daylight dreams have fallen flat, they
Do not go gentle into that dread-filled night.
Etc., etc., etc.