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Long Road Out of Eden
Apr. 17th, 2009 | 12:12 am
mood: 
relaxed
Moon shining down through the palms
Shadows moving on the sand
Somebody whispering the 23rd Psalm
Dusty rifle in his trembling hands
Somebody trying just to stay alive
He got promises to keep
Over the ocean in America
Far away, the master sleeps
Silent stars blinking in the blackness of an endless sky
Gold, silver satellites, ghostly caravans passing by
Galaxies unfolding and new worlds being born
Pilgrims and prodigals creeping toward the dawn
And it's a long road out of Eden
Music blasting from an SUV
On a bright and sunny day
Rolling down the interstate
In the good old USA
Having lunch at the petroleum club
Smoking fine cigars and swapping lies
They say, "Give me 'nother slice of that barbecued brisket
Give me 'nother piece of that pecan pie"
Freeways flickering; cell phones chiming a tune
We're riding to Utopia; road map says we'll be arriving soon
Captains of the old order clinging to the reins
Assuring us these aches inside are only growing pains
But it's a long road out of Eden
Back home, I was so certain; the path was very clear
But now I have to wonder - what are we doing here?
And I'm not counting on tomorrow and I can't tell wrong from right
But I'd give anything to be there in your arms tonight
Weaving down the American highway
Through the litter and the wreckage, and the cultural junk
Bloated with entitlement, bloated on propaganda
Now we're driving dazed and drunk
Went down the road to Damascus, the road to Mandalay
Met the ghost of Caesar on the Appian Way
He said, "It's hard to stop this binging once you get a taste
But the road to empire is a bloody, stupid waste"
Behold the bitten apple, the power of the tools
But all the knowledge in the world is of no use to fools
And it's a long road out of Eden
-------------------
I feel this song sums up metaphorically, what's with the world today. We're still trying to find our Eden.. in our own way.
Anyway, I love the live version of this song.. The Eagles has always been able to blend powerful lyrics and guitar strains to form a potent mix of entertaining music and vivid images in one's head.
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The Lessons of If
Jul. 1st, 2008 | 04:56 pm
mood: 
lazy
music: The Goat Song - Adam Sandler
Rudyard Kipling's If is timeless, it speaks to us today as it did a long time ago.
I love its candour and wisdom, with wit sprinkled amongst every line. Kipling's "If" forms a key part in the thoughts of the man in charge of stabilising Iraq at the moment, Gen. David H Petraeus. It holds lessons for effective counterinsurgency efforts, to ensure that the players of this game have calmness of mind, willpower and yet be adaptable to fluid circumstances that shift from goalpost to goalpost.
It's a battle of ideas as well as a battle of bullets. Keep your head up, and walk amongst the people you serve.
(Why this? Well, I was reading up on the syllabus for a module I'm doing next semester titled The Study of War.)
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
I love its candour and wisdom, with wit sprinkled amongst every line. Kipling's "If" forms a key part in the thoughts of the man in charge of stabilising Iraq at the moment, Gen. David H Petraeus. It holds lessons for effective counterinsurgency efforts, to ensure that the players of this game have calmness of mind, willpower and yet be adaptable to fluid circumstances that shift from goalpost to goalpost.
It's a battle of ideas as well as a battle of bullets. Keep your head up, and walk amongst the people you serve.
(Why this? Well, I was reading up on the syllabus for a module I'm doing next semester titled The Study of War.)
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!