I think it was the band “Korn” that revolutionized my thoughts on music and what I choose to “like” and “not like.” See, I didn’t like Korn’s first albums at all…despite their popularity and promotions. In fact, it went beyond just not liking them; I went out of my way to let people know how much I thought they sucked. Time passed and an album of theirs came along that knocked me down and had all the synergy and magic that I look for in music. It was at that point that I decided to be more careful about declaring a band “unworthy” (for a lifetime) of my ears. I don’t mean anything negative, but rather imply that I prefer not to listen to crap and readily and consistently choose to listen something that interests me. In a way, this event helped me to be even more open minded, and moreover patient, with music and the evolution of bands. It took hating something with all my being to being discovering a nugget of great music from the same source to learn…this coming from a guy that was all ready cultured in decades of music; everything from classical and jazz all the way up “hard” music like metal and industrial.
Another band, Eminem, followed the same patterns with me…worse, for me anyway, it made no bones about being “rap,” a genre that is generally not appealing to me. Nothing against it, but most of it’s ignorant, insignificant and uninteresting drivel. Having learned a better way, I chose not to pass judgment…and glad I am…because it seems Eminem has stepped up his thought & rhyme to a level where can appeal to me. In his song, “Mosh,” his words speak much truth, albeit still slightly misinformed…yet, for me, it’s not the commentary but the message of hope, the message of “the people run things around here” that I feel is critcal for Americans (especially today’s youth) to be exposed to. Eminem has risen to the podium of activist leadership and has reminded me again; there is hope because people that have a far greater voice than I are paying attention and resisting this world that is being forced down around us. I hope that his activism stays true and guides him to wisdom and knowledge.
[flv]https://old.jeffwhiteside.com/video/eminem_mosh.flv[/flv]
Mosh Lyrics:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God
Indivisible
It feels so good to be back..]
Scrutinize every word, memorize every line
I spit it once, refuel, reenergize, and rewind
I give sight to the blind, mind sight through the mind
I exercise my right to express when I feel it’s time
It’s just all in your mind, what you interpret it as
I say to fight you take it as I’m gonna whip someone’s ass
If you don’t understand don’t even bother to ask
A father who has grown up with a fatherless past
Who has blown up now to rap phenomenon that has
Or at least shows no difficulty multi taskin’
And juggling both, perhaps mastered his craft slash
Entrepreneur who has held long too few more rap acts
Who has had a few obstacles thrown his way through the last half
Of his career typical manure moving past that
Mister kiss his ass crack, he’s a class act
Rubber band man, yea he just snaps back
Come along, follow me as I lead through the darkness
As I provide just enough spark, that we need to proceed
Carry on, give me hope, give me strength,
Come with me, and I won’t steer you wrong
Put your faith and your trust as I guide us through the fog
Till the light, at the end, of the tunnel, we gonna fight,
We gonna charge, we gonna stomp, we gonna march through the swamp
We gonna mosh through the marsh, take us right through the doors
To the people up top, on the side and the middle,
Come together, let’s all bond and swamp just a little
Just let it gradually build, from the front to the back
All you can see is a sea of people, some white and some black
Don’t matter what color, all that matters is we gathered together
To celebrate for the same cause, no matter the weather
If it rains let it rain, yea the wetter the better
They ain’t gonna stop us, they can’t, we’re stronger now more then ever,
They tell us no we say yea, they tell us stop we say go,
Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell we gonna let em know
Stomp, push, shove, mush, fuck Bush, until they bring our troops home come on just . . .
Come along, follow me as I lead through the darkness
As I provide just enough spark, that we need to proceed
Carry on, give me hope, give me strength,
Come with me, and I won’t steer you wrong
Put your faith and your trust as I guide us through the fog
Till the light, at the end, of the tunnel, we gonna fight,
We gonna charge, we gonna stomp, we gonna march through the swamp
We gonna mosh through the marsh, take us right through the doors, come on
Imagine it pouring, it’s raining down on us,
Mosh pits outside the oval office
Someone’s trying to tell us something, maybe this is God just saying
we’re responsible for this monster, this coward, that we have empowered
This is Bin Laden, look at his head nodding,
How could we allow something like this, Without pumping our fist
Now this is our, final hour
Let me be the voice, and your strength, and your choice
Let me simplify the rhyme, just to amplify the noise
Try to amplify the times it, and multiply it by six
Teen million people are equal at this high pitch
Maybe we can reach Al Quaida through my speech
Let the President answer our high anarchy
Strap him with AK-47, let him go
Fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way
No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our soil
No more psychological warfare to trick us to thinkin’ we ain’t loyal
If we don’t serve our own country we’re patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes, it’s all lies, the stars and stripes
They’ve been swiped, washed out and wiped,
And Replaced with his own face, mosh now or die
If I get sniped tonight you’ll know why, because I told you to fight
So come along, follow me as I lead through the darkness
As I provide just enough spark, that we need to proceed
Carry on, give me hope, give me strength,
Come with me, and I won’t steer you wrong
Put your faith and your trust as I guide us through the fog
Till the light, at the end, of the tunnel, we gonna fight,
We gonna charge, we gonna stomp, we gonna march through the swamp
We gonna mosh through the marsh, take us right through the doors
[Eminem speaking angrily]
And as we proceed, to mosh through this desert storm, in these closing statements, if they should argue, let us beg to differ, as we set aside our differences, and assemble our own army, to disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president, for the present, and mosh for the future of our next generation, to speak and be heard, Mr. President, Mr. Senator
