Fire from picture theory by Sid Jordan

I was in the tenement with JaJa in his element
bitchin bout the government, no surprise
'Have you seen the news today,
the world has blown itself away'
Same old news as yesterday, dry your eyes

Searching for the lives we’d left behind
Sifting through the traces of our minds
Realizing time could be unkind
when somebody yelled ‘fire’

Private Martinez First Class
is aiming through an hour-glass,
a portent of the aftermath of all that he could be
or could have been...
Wiping power from his hands
as he grovels in the sand

Searching for the lives he’d left behind
Sifting through the ashes of their minds
Realizing time had been unkind
when somebody yelled ‘fire’

'Mother Mary, full of grace,
bless this god-forsaken place'
Even as he speaks
the words taste bitter on his tongue
In tribute to the fallen few
they genuflect in makeshift pews
The flag flies red white and blue
as they raise their voice in song

For the lives they’d left behind
Sifting through the echoes of their minds
Realizing time can be unkind
when somebody yells fire

Salt Lake City’s Ronnie Lee blows kisses to his family
watching from the gallery as the killer’s hands are tied
A product of society, devoid of all humanity
The executioner counts to three
and the bullets start to fly

But the lives he left behind
Sifting through the tatters of their minds
Realize that time is never kind
when somebody yells ‘fire’

Proto-homosapien knows he’s running late again
but evolution waits for him to kiss the wife goodbye
With the matrimonial bed still warm
and the ice-age drawing in outdoors
he pulls the covers up and snores
the world can wait a while...

Til somebody yells 'fire'

Somebody yell 'fire'

• Acoustic
• acoustic guitar
• baroque pop
• beautiful music
• dark cabaret
• folk
• killer
• middle of the road
• neofolk
• political
• Los Angeles