Another KNOWsutra EP, with 12 variations of 3 old songs, about truth and religion—inspired by this quote from the (brilliant, deep, subtle, and lovely) one and only Joseph Campbell: "Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood metaphorically. But when it gets stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble"... because, oh boy, ain't that true, heh Murica?! ;)

@banasutra lyrics x3:

—
(V1) Metaphor’s Edge

[Verse 1]
On the edge of belief, we teeter and sway,
Caught between fact and the words we obey.
But a story untold is no story at all,
Yet frozen in truth, it leads to our fall.

[Chorus]
Oh, take the edge, the metaphor’s kiss,
Find the meaning that others may miss.
Don’t get stuck in the riddle’s disguise,
For only the open can truly be wise.

[Verse 2]
Wolves in the sheep’s clothes, prophets of gold,
Tell you the gospel, but the message grows cold.
The tale is the journey, not the walls that confine,
To walk with the wind is to walk with the divine.

[Chorus]
Oh, take the edge, the metaphor’s kiss,
Find the meaning that others may miss.
Don’t get stuck in the riddle’s disguise,
For only the open can truly be wise.

—
(V2) Sacred Shadows

[Verse 1]
Whispers in the dark, they speak of heaven’s gate,
A tale so ancient, but twisted by fate.
We worship the shadows, forget what they’re for,
In the light of the moon, we must search for more.

[Chorus]
When the sacred becomes stone, the spirit slips away,
You’ll lose the dance of night for the brightness of day.
But it’s in the shadow that truth comes to play,
Hold the sacred as fluid, don’t let it decay.

[Verse 2]
The stars above speak in riddles, in shapes we misread,
We build temples of answers, but they’re just what we need.
To feel safe in the chaos, to feel known in the void,
But if you make it concrete, all the magic’s destroyed.

[Chorus]
When the sacred becomes stone, the spirit slips away,
You’ll lose the dance of night for the brightness of day.
But it’s in the shadow that truth comes to play,
Hold the sacred as fluid, don’t let it decay.

—
(V3) The Song of the Universe

[Verse 1]
Every story’s got a secret, hiding in plain view,
It’s a mirror for your soul, shaping what you knew.
But you’ll drown in deep illusion, if you take it word for word,
When metaphors become the law, meaning gets blurred.

[Chorus]
Oh, the trouble with truth, when it’s set in stone,
Is that it loses its mystery, leaves you all alone.
Dance with the shadows, don’t hold on too tight,
For the song of the universe shines in metaphor’s light.

[Verse 2]
Priests and prophets, saints and fools, all walk the same line,
But the more they cling to “truth,” the further from divine.
The symbols are the guideposts, not the end of the road,
But some mistake the map for the meaning it showed.

[Chorus]
Oh, the trouble with truth, when it’s stuck in the past,
Is that it forgets it’s a tale, not a spell meant to last.
Dance with the shadows, don’t hold on too tight,
For the song of the universe shines in metaphor’s light.


[06] Joseph Campbell's Truth Metaphors Edge - KNOWsutra Kindness is in the Depth in BLUES

I mourn peace and freedom. I mourn checks and balances, and the democratic consensus. I mourn every innocent victim of war—every child, every dream crushed by every tyrant. How could I not? How can you not?

Being pro-people and pro-peace isn’t being anti-anyone, it’s refusing to let pain justify cruelty. I love my Jewish friends, but I also mourn the moral consensus we once called “Never Again.” Because safety matters—yours, mine, theirs, ours. Everyone’s safety matters… That’s why my heart can’t stop singing and praying for world peace. I’m not anti-anyone. I’m anti-dehumanization. My hope is that the Jewish story can end in healing, not repetition. 

I can’t help but hope… because I believe we can protect each other without inflicting new wounds. Empathy isn’t a zero-sum game; it’s what makes us human! It’s what helps us survive and thrive as one earthly, democratic tribe. In fact, empathy is the ultimate weapon against evil! That is exactly why those who cannot feel it try to divide and conquer by calling empathy weak or dangerous.

Simone Weil wrote: “Imaginary evil is romantic; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren.” So when I hear friends glorify revenge to justify genocide, I weep… as if trauma could explain violence because it gives despair a proud story; as if moral drama, fueled by hubris, could heal the multigenerational void of helplessness left by past and future trauma. When a pacifist says “no more heroes, no more villains, just humans,” it’s treated as a threat, as if “you’re with us or against us” were unquestionable truth. 

But Nietzsche warned that those who fight monsters must be careful not to become them, and Hannah Arendt reminded us that fear of being a victim can make us accept the role of the oppressor. Real humanism doesn’t erase trauma, it transcends it! Pacifism isn’t naïve; it’s a radical commitment to ending the cycle of identification with force. 

Winning means grounding ourselves in moral coherence. Life is sacred. It’s not about picking sides between nations (or parties)… it’s about choosing compassion over cruelty. Sigh. 

And so well now, of course, I wrote yet another song—another “Letter to My Friend,” about Never Again. 💌

—
@bananasutra – Lyrics: “Letter to My Friend”

Hey love, 
I’ve been thinkin’, the air’s gone strange.
We built a bridge, but fear made the range. 
When did caring turn into crime? 
Since when did heartbeats choose a side in time?

You think my tears forgot their tribe, 
But pain’s one language, that’s the vibe. 
If I cry for Gaza, do I leave you dry? 
Or can both our ghosts learn to sigh and fly?

I’m not your enemy, babe, I’m the echo that remains. 
Every love I add don’t steal your chains. 
Peace ain’t a prize that one can win; 
It’s a wound that heals when we let it begin. 
Oh, Bananasutra sings again…

Your roots run deep in haunted clay, 
I feel that tremor every day. 
But if walls keep empathy out of sight, 
Ain’t we just living in longer nights?

You guard your story like sacred wine, 
But I sip my sorrow... it tastes like thine. 
Can’t “never again” be a door, not a wall? 
Must one rise so another can fall?

I’m not your rival, love, I’m the ache that understands, 
Two trembling souls with open hands. 
My heart don’t subtract when it starts to expand; 
It multiplies truth in foreign lands.

Pain is pain; it don’t wear flags. 
It needs no borders, no tags. 
Fear’s a thief, babe, it steals our sight, 
Makes day look wrong and wrong look right.

Would you rather win, or rather heal? 
Would you rather numb, or rather feel? 
If trust could hum a new refrain, 
Would you hear my note through your pain?

I’m not against you, I’m just against cruel. 
Love ain’t a weapon; it’s the rebel’s rule. 
Let’s rewrite Never Again for all, 
’Cause peace built on pride’s just another wall.

So hey, my friend, come dance instead? 
We’ll sing for the living, not just the dead. 
Bananasutra’s heart don’t bend, 
It blooms, it breaks, it mends. 🪽


[12] Letter to My Friend (Never Again) - GROWsutra Tzigane Arabesk Soul Peace Fusion Gipsy INDIE

In France (where I grew up), there's a wise, old saying that goes "a glass of wine a day keeps the doctors away"...  Chez #bananasutra it's the same, but(t) with songs, hehe ✌️😽🍷🎶 #meow
--
Piano EPx5 @bananasutra #lyrics

[Intro]
We know drama begets drama,
We know trauma begets trauma.

[Verse 1] 
If we let pain justify cruelty,
If we let fear multiply tragedy,
If we let facts deny kittens die,
Woes of war will only amplify.

[Chorus]
We know drama begets drama,
We know trauma begets trauma…
Round and round the pain parade,
Different mask, same old charade.

[Verse 2]
Why do we choose not to ask but to fight?
No one wants children to suffer, right?
What happened to leading by love, not might?
And where the freakin’ fck is this going, right?

[Verse 3]
I’ve hurt, been hurt, denied my part,
Built a cage and called it “heart.”
But pain’s not truth, it’s just a clue,
To heal myself, I must heal you.

[Bridge]
Beyond the wounds, it’s the walls we build,
Beyond the loss, it’s the blame we wield…
Why preach revenge like a holy skill,
Then wonder why the world won’t heal?

Your cynicism sure beats mine…
But(t) where’s the cruelty victory line?
A rabbit hole of self-foolfilled prophecy,
Vengefool honor, endless atrocity.

[Outro]
We know drama begets drama,
We know trauma begets trauma…
Silence begets silence, too, 
'Til someone breaks the loop… maybe you?
--
#savethekittens (damn it)?!


[04] Trauma Begets Trauma • KNOWsutra Whimsical Gipsy Peace Kitten Dream Piano INDIE

When did (soundtracks made of) lies became the new normal?  When did reason and consent became nothing but(t) a meme? When did gaslighting became fair play?... I'm asking because (I promise you, kids!) the music of life wasn't always that fool-on openly rotten bananas ftw 🃏🍌🎶 #revoltnow

EPx12 flows psychedelic DUB ❯ INDIE ❯ LOFI ❯ BURLESQUE ❯ ROCK

⚬⚬⚬
@bananasutra #lyrics (variations):

[Intro]
We live not by lies…
We rise where truth lies.

[Verse 1]
Kings built ballrooms on ego fume,
Shameless doofus duck dick gloom & doom,
People watched ‘em orange mimes,
And laughed with ‘em memes of times...

[Chorus]
But we live not by lies, 
We know what one denies,
And we question the whys,
with our wide-open eyes.

[Verse 2]
Some preached in suit, and sold us fear, 
Some gilded God, oh Jesus, dear.
But angels warned of holy fraud, 
And sprinkled divine on the flawed.

[Chorus]
Know we live not by lies, 
We blow what one denies,
As we outgrow the whys,
And flow, wide-open eyes.

[Bridge]
Maybe they sold their souls for real,
Maybe they bought what they can't feel,
But truth ... she cares and hums akin,
True salvation’s under our skin.

[Chorus]
Outgrow what one denies,
Let us live not by lies, 
We must question the whys,
with our wide-open eyes.

⚬⚬⚬


[04] We Live Not By Lies - GROWsutra Psychedelic Piano Cello INDIE

[01] We Live Not By Lies - GROWsutra Gipsy Poetry DUB

[03] We Live Not By Lies - GROWsutra Psychedelic Piano Cello INDIE

This is Volume 2 of "What's It's About" (because Revolution sure ain't happening and god knows the kids will pay the price...), EPx6 flows from Burlesque to Jazz, à la sauce Piano with a banjo cherry.

This song started as heartfelt social media comment… In response to a young talented disability attorney and hard-working diversity advocate basically apologizing for making one post about increasing hardship for disadvantaged people, and those who advocate for their basic, human rights. Sigh, American positivity is such a weird hypocritical superficial vain thing to me, especially in the freak context of neo-fasc!st history #ahem 
 
+++ here's my original stream-of-consciousness comment:

This is not about you, or me, it's about documenting the truth. It's about the integrity of American history. It's about exposing the abject lies and cruel actions of an authoritarian regime with no conscience nor accountability. It's about helping each others understand what(tf) is actually happening, ever since a convicted rap!st and recidivist fraudster felon "rigged the elections" (sic). It's about helping each other fight greed and corruption. It's about educating the people, equally. It's about justice, and the importance of transparency. It's about honesty. It's about being brave, and discussing the reality of fasc!sm in this country. 
It's about being kind, and that means being clear. Speaking up is the very least you, and I, and everyone MUST do.
So please, please, DO speak up! Why Not? We must, while we still can… Mass-incarcerations haven't started yet (ha hahem). 

+++ @bananasutra song #lyrics 

[Verse 1]
It’s not ’bout me, it’s not ’bout you,
It’s about the wounds that never heal through.
It’s about pages torn from time,
Truth in exile, buried in rhyme.

It’s about the silence, cold and wide,
Where history’s ghosts are forced to hide.
Not for glory, not for clout,
Just for saying what it’s about.

[Chorus]
What it’s about…
Is the truth they drown.
What it’s about…
Is the breaking down.
What it’s about…
Is the cries unheard.
What it’s about…
Is the weight of words.

[Verse 2]
It’s about a felon crowned in gold,
Feeding lies like they were soul.
It’s about greed with a mask of grace,
Selling fear to stay in place.

It’s about schools that never taught,
And cages built from every “ought.”
It’s about naming what they shout,
Then whispering "that’s what it’s about"…

[Chorus]
What it’s about…
Is the ones they chain.
What it’s about…
Is the hidden pain.
What it’s about…
Is the smoke, the screen.
What it’s about…
Is what freedom means.

[Bridge]
It’s about the cost… of keeping still.
The hush that bends a nation’s will.
It’s not a choice to speak or not,
It’s breath, it’s blood, it’s all we’ve got.

They laugh and call it overblown,
While prisons fill and hearts turn stone.
But kindness cuts the deepest way,
And truth, my love, don’t look away.

[Final Chorus]
What it’s about…
Is the love that stays.
What it’s about…
Is the darker days.
What it’s about…
Is the voice inside.
What it’s about…
Is the will to rise.

[Outro]
So please…
Speak while we still can…
Before the silence
Takes the land.

That’s what it’s about.
Yes…
That’s what it’s about.

[end]
 
Made in the USA #circa2025 with much empathy, hope, #sunomusic and my #aivoice

[04] What It's About • Vol. 02 • BLOWsutra Revolution Ring Psychedelic Piano Trip Hop Blues JAZZ

“Synthema Sutra” is a nerdy banana philosophy explainer song, with no hooky hook, no catchy catch, no morale of the story even... It just asks what if Sutras were ancient Greek Synthemas, and strolls through each Sutra, one by one (KNOW, BLOW, SHOW, GROW, FLOW, GLOW, and BOW). One song, seven guiding principles, and a bunch of gods who totally would have benefited from #musictherapy :) Enjoy the melodic wander. Or don’t. Whatever works for ya. The gods won’t agree about it anyway, haha #truestory

EPx8 flows Indie (1), LoFi (2-3), Dub (4), Burlesque (5-7), and psychedelic Indie Punk Rock (8).

And if you're a Greek mythology nerd, or just curious about the ancient wisdom of musical storytelling gone bananas, or both, here's the split 🍌🏛️
1. KNOWsutra : Prometheus ➵ Gave fire (knowledge) to humans; punished for empowering truth. A true win-win rebel.
2. BLOWsutra : Hydra + Medusa ➵ Hydra: corrupt systems that grow stronger when attacked wrong. Medusa: demonized femininity + misunderstood power.
3. SHOWsutra : Dionysus ➵ God of ecstatic joy, chaos, music, and theatre. Shows the sacred side of silliness and subversion.
4. FLOWsutra : Hermes ➵ Trickster god of transitions, language, and messages. A master of in-betweenness.
5. GROWsutra : Persephone ➵ Her cycle (abduction and return) teaches growth through descent and rebirth. Feminine resilience myth.
6. GLOWsutra : Apollo + Hestia ➵ Apollo = light, art, and healing. Hestia = the hearth, peace, inner warmth.
7. BOWsutra : Orpheus ➵ Music so beautiful it moved the gods. Journeyed to the underworld for love—faith, failure, and awe.

♆♆♆
@bananasutra #lyrics 

[Verse 1 – KNOW : Prometheus]
Every truth you KNOW  
Flickers soft and low  
Like a stolen flame  
From a god of shame  
He gave us fire, paid the toll  
To free the know from control  

[Verse 2 – BLOW / Hydra + Medusa]
Every cruel BLOW  
Feeds the beast below  
Cut one head, three rise  
In the name of lies  
And still we cage her rage and grace  
To fear what dares to blow this place  

[Verse 3 – SHOW : Dionysus ]
Every mask you SHOW  
Hides the pain you stow  
But the sacred jest  
Is a truth confessed  
He laughs through wounds the wise won’t see  
To show what dares to set us free  

[Verse 4 – GROW : Persephone]
Every time you GROW  
You descend below  
Like the seeds she sows  
Where the silence knows  
That roots need dark to rise again  
And grow through loss, not just through gain  

[Verse 5 – FLOW : Hermes ]
Every word you FLOW  
Is a place you go  
Past the borderlines  
Of the gods' designs  
Hermes walks where logic ends  
To let new meanings flow through bends  

[Verse 6 – GLOW : Apollo + Hestia ]
Every time you GLOW  
Through the ache and slow  
You become the spark  
In the temple dark  
He sings the wounds she warms to heal  
They glow in silence, soft and real  

[Verse 7 – BOW : Orpheus ]
Every time you BOW  
To the here and now  
Like Orpheus did  
For the love he hid  
You trust the gods to give it back  
But some truths die when we bow to lack  

[Outro]
Synthema… Sutra…  
We know… we blow…  
We show… we grow…  
We flow… we glow…  
And sometimes… we bow…  

♆♆♆

[02] Synthema Sutras - SHOWsutra Banana Tzigane Conscious Soul Fusion Indie LOFI

“No Fear, My Dear” is a new bluesy humanist piano jazz kinda psychedelic soul torch song EPx19—a love letter inspired by and dedicated to the one and only Nina Simone, all strong women, and to the simple, not-so-radical idea that freedom only begins when fear ends 🕊️

EPx19 is a no BS BLOWsutra (Revolt Now) meditation, an agnostic prayer hour for truth, justice, & solidarity (for a world gone mad bananas)... yet another empathetic and courageous pep talk of light for dark times, to help our guts know, our hope grow, and our hearts glow  ❤️‍🔥

Side A (1-10) honors Nina's love for timeless acoustic bluesy piano jazz magic 🪄
Side B (11-19) indulges my love for psychedelic dub + indie folk + banjo blues + gipsy lofi experimental genres fusion  🏴‍☠️

❢ ❢ ❢

@bananasutra song #lyrics
 
[INTRO]
“I’ll tell you what freedom means to me…
No fear, my dear, freedom means no fear.”
And if my voice should tremble,
Let it ring loud and clear.

[VERSE 1 — “I Had a Dream”]
I had a dream we woke as one,
No hearts undone, no souls outrun.
A world where truths walked side by side,
And no one had to run or hide.

[VERSE 2 — Strong-Women]
My mother said, “Stand tall, my girl,
Don’t bend your fire to fit their world.”
She taught me souls can crack and break,
But dignity’s our own to make.

[HOOK]
No fear, my dear, the light inside us glows.
No fear, my dear, true spirit always knows.
No fear, my dear, freedom grows from our spark.
No fear, my dear, bow out their goddamn dark.

[VERSE 3 — Sound-as-Salvation]
Some pray in halls of dust and stone,
Some kneel where tired saints have gone.
But I find truth in rhythm’s rise,
Where basslines pull the dark to light.

[VERSE 4 — Mirror of the Times]
We watch the days grow mean and cold,
Let’s join our hands, and break that mold.
Let artists shine where lies appear,
Hold a mirror against the fear.

[BRIDGE]
If sorrow’s got you by the throat,
I’ve walked that road, I know that note.
Storm winds can strip us to the bone,
And still we rise, don’t feel alone.

They’ll call the truth a threat, a scar,
They’ll twist the past to dim a star.
But breathe, my love, hold your own mark.
Let freedom burn their toxic snark.

[HOOK]
No fear, my dear, the light inside us glows.
No fear, my dear, true spirit always knows.
No fear, my dear, freedom grows from our spark.
No fear, my dear, bow out their goddamn dark.

[OUTRO]
If your voice should tremble,
Let it tremble to the light.
No fear, my dear,
Let’s sing it through the night…

❢ ❢ ❢

Side B [18] No Fear, My Dear • BLOWsutra Revolt Now Psychedelic Gipsy World Fusion Indie LOFI

Oh hi, sweet honey bun… how’s the land of the fussy felon freak king of the Disintegrated Slums of Murica treating your sanity, heh? 🙈🙉🙊🍟 #ahem #revoltnow

✯ ✯ ✯
@bananasutra #originalsong #lyrics

[Intro]
Oh hi, sweet honey bun
See us coming undone?
Please, let’s sing together,
Let’s think louder, higher!

[Verse 1]
Why trust it’s truth, when it’s a dumb trap
Why add your name on a poisoned map
Why wrap people in gilded wrong 
Why say fair questions don’t belong 

[Pre-Chorus]
They whisper “grace” with a hissing smile
Redefine “dissent” as thinking awhile
And build more prisons, like caring is vile

[Chorus]
Why call it freedom? Bias ain’t true tongue
Please question logic, or lives shall come undone
Know “restoring order” ain’t like holy rain
When it’s like steel boots stomping truth again

[Verse 2]
Learn what’s legit, why they closed a gate
Say “biological” and decree more hate
How ruling our wombs’ increases gloom
How they preach pro life, while filling more tombs

[Pre-Chorus]
They claim it’s science, but it’s scripture they shout
Wrapped in cheap flags, it’s logic they ripped out

[Chorus]
They call it freedom, while FOTUS builds cages they burn your page
Know what’s a villain, who’s burning the page
Who Says “liberty” loading a gun
Calling it peace once the purge is done

[Bridge]
Watch out for double speak, let them hear us cry
We simply ask for truth, why do they sell us lie?
Why let dumb decrees defile sacred truths like a meme
Use your brain, your heart, question men with no shame

[Final Chorus]
They call it freedom, with a serious tone
Like syrup on razors, like velvet on stone
They call it healing while poisoning us, hon
Beware of white gospel, hum, or we’ll all come undone

[Outro]
Let’s shine so bright 
We’ll feel god’s light,
reKindle our holy spark?
Please, let’s Come out of the dark!

Sing all that is fair and good
So we may all have some food,
Blessed be the bold, the brave,
Please, feel free to leave that cave!

✯ ✯ ✯


[07] They Call It Freedom (Oh Hi, Sweet Honey Bun) • BLOWsutra  (Revolt Now) Psychedelic Dubby Americana Indie LoFi FOLK

[02] They Call It Freedom (Oh Hi, Sweet Honey Bun) • BLOWsutra (Revolt Now) Psychedelic Gipsy Dadadam Indie LOFI

… because life on earth is a Psychedelic Cabaret, and “music is the only religion that delivers the goods” (like Frank said). 

To be clear, all I really know is I dunno shit about fck (like Socrates said:)—music and songwriting included. But(t) I feel it, the music, so damn deeep in my soul! I’m just a humble existential fool, a silly banana who likes to play and share, to question and learn. Words are my oldest best friends, hearing myself sing is a freaking miracle (trust me on that lol), and I believe curiosity and #gratitude are the keys to happiness… So voilà, there’s that.

Also, (if you’re curious) BananaSutra is not just a made up BS brand kinda word, it’s actually the name of my DIY Bible—a collection of songs telling true stories of faith, to help me (and perhaps you) make sense of a world gone wild, like bananas gone foul in shallow ignorance and deadly malevolence… Think of it as an agnostic testament of sorts, an audio book of songs with quirky lyrics about things that matter, like the definition of right and wrong, and the meaning of truth, joy, justice, peace, grace, and awe 🕊️

Some call it Artificial Intelligence, but(t) I call Authentic Imagination, Alternative Ideas, Augmented Innuendos, Abstract Illogisms… hopefully, you get the gist? The point being, life is the story we tell ourselves and LYRICS matter—each @bananasutra song has a wondering root and a loving purpose, guided by one of (my) 7 (bananas) sutras: 
- KNOWsutra : is it fair?
- BLOWsutra : is it foul?
- SHOWsutra : is it fun?
- GROWsutra : is it fear?
- FLOWsutra : is it free?
- GLOWsutra : is it fab?
- BOWsutra : is it awe?

[06] Joseph Campbell's Truth Metaphors Edge - KNOWsutra Kindness is in the Depth in BLUES

bananasutra

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