smokepuppet

Patriotism Breeds Bad Songwriting

"I hate Patriotism?I can't stand it. It's a round world last time I checked." - Bill Hicks

Country music on the radio sucks ass enough without adding the flag-waving mentality to it. If you love your country that much, then maybe you should put a little more effort into the songs you write. The best example of this has to be the most absurd fluff piece out there, "Have You Forgotten" by Darryl Worley. Let's analyze it, shall we?

Verse

I hear people saying we don't need this war
(Did you hear their reasons, too?)

I say there's some things worth fighting for
(What's that, oil? How about protecting the innocent?)

What about our freedom and this piece of ground
(Oh right...The war against Iraq is about our freedom because they attacked us...oh wait...no, those were terrorists, not a country)

We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
(We didn't back down from the Indians, you got that right)

They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
(Some people still don't realize. It's too bad we don't have some of those soldiers occupying Iraq to tell us about the mess we're in)

Before you start your preaching let me ask you this my friend
(Preaching? I thought we were exercising our rights to express our opinions...maybe we should have written a catchy little tune instead)

Chorus

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
(No I haven't, assface...I just refuse to let my emotions cloud my logic and reason)

To see your homeland under fire
(No, we experienced terrorist attacks. "Under Fire" implies that a country attacked us and "fired upon" us...you know, like we did to an entire fucking country...make that two countries)

And her people blown away
(That's classy. What, couldn't think of a better word to rhyme with "day"?)

Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
(It's kind of hard to forget when the news uses 9/11 footage every goddamn day)

We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
(Oh wait, there were people inside? You think? I thought we were all upset because of the property damage. Douchebag.)

And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
(But...people were protesting the war in Iraq. I don't see your logic.)

Have you forgotten?
(Rhyming "bin Laden" and "forgotten". I bet your dick got so hard figuring that out that you rolled the piece of paper with the lyrics on it and fucked it.)

Verse

They took all the footage off my T.V.
(Eventually they did, yes)

Said it's too disturbing for you and me
(Well, goddamn, dude, how many times do you need to see people jumping out the windows to their deaths, you fucking sadist?)

It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
(Who? What experts? How about not showing the shit out of respect for the families of those who died?)

If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
(Yeah, so more people could buy your bullshit CD)

Some say this country's just out looking for a fight

After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
(What a great slogan for our foreign relations policy: "America...we're lookin' for a fight.")

Repeat chorus

Bridge

I've been there with the soldiers

Who've gone away to war
(Really? Were you fighting or visiting? Have you visited the soldiers getting picked off in Iraq)

And you can bet that they remember

Just what they're fighting for
(THEY know? I don't think anybody really knows why we attacked Iraq specifically. Care to tell me? Oh wait. That's right. Freedom.)

Chorus 3

Have you forgotten all the people killed?

Some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field

Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?

All the loved ones that we lost and those left to carry on
(These lyrics have to sound better sung than read?it really looks like someone from grade school wrote a poem in between classes, doesn't it?)

Don't you tell me not to worry about bin Laden
(Well it's a good thing we got him. Oh wait...)

Have you forgotten?
(Have I forgotten that our government pulled the pressure off of bin Laden and Afghanistan to prepare to attack Iraq, thereby letting bin Laden remain at large? No I haven't.)

Tag

Have you forgotten?
(Have I forgotten actual history and foreign relations policy of the U.S. in the Middle East over the past 50 years in which we create new terrorists every day? No I haven't.)

Have you forgotten?
(Have I forgotten that the terrorists weren't Iraqi and that the more secular nation of Iraq doesn't get along with extremist Muslim groups like Al Qaeda? And that there's no valid connection between the two? No. I haven't.)



I think I'll right a song called "Do You Remember"...as in, do you remember ANYTHING before 9/11? I doubt it.
And Darryl?if you're going to sing country music, put on a real shirt or put a rainbow sticker on your car, you sleeveless fruit.