The political landscape of the last year was defined by mass mobilization, polarization, and uncertainty. Visions of final confrontation seemed to be projected everywhere. Just around the corner, on the tip of the tongue, was a culminating conflict between us and them, with the power to pit neighbor against neighbor and destroy families from the inside. A question loomed: How bad could it get?
This song was our response, a trip into the psyche to face the terrifying reality that peace and safety are always tenuous, often conditional, and never guaranteed. The evidence is everywhere: demonizing enemies quickly leads to dehumanizing ourselves.
But no matter how bad it gets, no matter how far down that path we walk, we still hold the power to change any situation. Even when it all falls and chaos and confusion reign, if I listen to the truest voice inside me, nothing will stop me from saving your life.
lyrics
When It All Falls
I remember we were at the brink of civil war
it was written on billboards and metal floors
I was crying out the visions I was living for
troubadour on the titanic I was still aboard
in the face of the opposite force responding
watching crowds move like waters before tsunamis
sides chosen higher ground’s wide open
but me I’m trying twisting the plot like it’s origami
will you even say my name
will you even save my flame
nothing is the same anymore
did you lose your faith in the law
or did your pain mean something more
feeding the feeling of war
it will be naked and raw
facing what we thought we were
replace it with what we can trust cuz it hurts
aborting a dream that should never been birthed
what- what- what ya gunna do?
what ya gunna do when it all falls down?
what- what- what ya gunna do?
what ya gunna do when it all falls down?
all falls down
lost that ground
what ya gunna do when it all falls down?
winter is coming
adrenaline pumping
glasses fogged up when the engine is running
but both sides fall when the center is done in
one percent of a hundred’ll benefit from it
who are you who am i
brutal lies
computer eyes
troops lined up like it’s do or die
rumors fly boomerang beget suicide
we’re suffering from mass hypnosis
i’m taking you alive
will you even say my name
will you even save my flame
nothing is the same anymore
did you lose your faith in the law
or did your pain mean something more
feeding the feeling of war
it will be naked and raw
facing what we thought we were
replace it with what we can trust cuz it hurts
abort a dream that should never been birthed
carnage has gotten us honest
and tarnished the crosses we
clutched when we fought with the godless
and that was the start of our problems
bleed in reverse
false worship has deepened the curse
weren’t ready for last to be first
with panic rehearsed
got our number like chapter and verse
the faithful retreat
from a legion of thugs
who scream with disease in their lungs
raise your hand shape shadows on the landscape
moonlight battles for the soul
holy spirits filling you
write letters to your seventh granddaughter
all consumed by the resurrection of the blossom bloomed
that will soon die
i remember when we saw the writing on the wall
united in denial or divided when we fall
i was in the middle i was trying to resolve
false symmetries and broken treaties
there was an opening
there was an option
the spirits were watching
the devil was craving a fight
the prophet said there is clearing beyond right and wrong
a conspiracy saving your life
what what what you gonna do...
credits
released June 4, 2021
Writers: James Laurie, Stephen Brackett, Andrew Guerrero, Kenneth Ortiz, Joseph Shull, Sarah Hubbard, Sean Blanchard
Produced by: Joseph Shull & Flobots
Mixed by Andrew Berlin @ The Blasting Room Studios, Fort Collins CO
Mastered by Jason Livermore @ The Blasting Room Studios, Fort Collins CO
Artwork: Mike Tallman, Add Noise Studios
Players:
MCs: James Laurie & Stephen Brackett
Violin: Sarah Hubbard
Guitar/Vocals: Andrew Guerrero
Drums: Kenneth Ortiz
Production: Joseph Shull
Featuring dual MCs as well as a full band, Flobots are a progressive rap group from Denver, Colorado with a political
conscience, musical chops, and a powerful live show. Influenced by progressive rappers such as the Roots and Common, as well as alternative hard rock bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Tool....more
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