Friday, November 5, 2010

feelgood friday

I have, despite being told my job was up a week or so ago, been given something of an indefinite stay of execution at work, and carry on for the time being. I could use the respite of unemployment right now, if I'm honest. The only real time off I've had since February was nine days in which to get married twice, interview for a better, ultimately unattainable job, and go on honeymoon. Mornings are a hazy fugue at the best of times, but these days they're met with a new level of melodrama. "I don't think I can do this much longer" I croaked to Rosie as I shambled out of bed on Tuesday. I was tired and had a mild to middling headcold, you see. My wife, who gets up earlier, works a longer day, does a more important job, commutes much further and gets paid a lower hourly rate for the pleasure gives me a hug and makes sympathetic noises when I make these statements. I must stretch her patience fiercely at such times. I've passed on the headcold to her, too.

Still, in these DJ-wanking budget-looming student-rioting garda-bashing garda-retaliatory-bashing red paint-slinging days it can be difficult to feel too fucking chipper in the morning. What we need is a song by a bunch of Canuckistanis from thirteen years ago to capture the national mood perfectly.




Do give it a listen, if you can have ten minutes to devote to full-on gloom, and feel free to mumble along apocalyptically with the opening monologue and somehow feel a little better:

the car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel
and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides
and a dark wind blows
the government is corrupt
and we're on so many drugs
with the radio on and the curtains drawn
we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine
and the machine is bleeding to death
the sun has fallen down
and the billboards are all leering
and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles

it went like this:
 

the buildings tumbled in on themselves
mothers clutching babies picked through the rubble
and pulled out their hair
the skyline was beautiful on fire
all twisted metal stretching upwards
everything washed in a thin orange haze
i said: "kiss me, you're beautiful -
these are truly the last days"
you grabbed my hand and we fell into it
like a daydream or a fever
we woke up one morning and fell a little further down -
for sure it's the valley of death
i open up my wallet
and it's full of blood


Yeah.

5 comment(s):

Conor said...

The country (and most of us in it) is in a state of absolute shite. No doubt. Enough to make anybody grey and miserable. Humour is strangely durable though.

"Speaking of wanking djs, apparently the air hostess asked him if he was having a heart attack and Neil said no, he was having a stroke."

"Lucky he didnt travel with Ryanaer or there would have been a handling charge."

(jesus, those are chronic, sorry)

Janelle said...

whoa...yip. know that song well. it's a goodie. chin chin and all that malarky...this too shall pass (along with crappy head cold) salaams x j

Radge said...

Listened to it, it's great, it's put me in very funny form. Not 'funny ha ha.'

Tessa said...

Holy shit! Only a Canadian band could come up with such a cheerful video. I used to think Leonard Cohen was your man for music to slit your wrists by, but he's downright giddy by comparison.

By the way, if you google Dead Flag Blues, as I did, you'll find that you can download a ringtone based on this song. Swear to dog, not a word of a lie. I'm guessing it would only take two or three calls on your mobile before you shot yourself in the head.

All in all, I quite like it really ... and I'm glad to hear you've got a stay of execution, so to speak, Andrew.

Andrew said...

Conor - A little chronic, but I enjoyed them thoroughly, nevertheless.

Janelle - It's passed already. I'm pretty fortunate that way, the blues don't tend to sit on me for long.

Radge - They're playing Dublin in a couple of weeks. tickets are sold out, I believe, but with the internet there's always a way.
If you're yoochoobing, try one called 'East Hastings'. One of the starting points for 28 days Later, apparently.

Tessa - I've a friend whose phone howls "Shut the feck up!" in the style of Father Jack at ther everytime she gets a text. I reckon that'd drive me cracked even faster than Dead Flag Blues.