"In a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a
means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message. "  -Marshall McLuhan

The Medium

It's Just Us
Stephan Ruda

Music: Gene Stephan Ruda
Lyrics: Gene Stephan Ruda, Isabelle Sellem
copyright 2012 Mindful Minstrel. All Rights Reserved.

It's just us
In the still and darkness 3 a.m.
And though I lay alone we speak,
No matter that the planet's 'tween us,
It's just us.

It's justice
In the jail and starkness 3 a.m.
And our hands are palm to palm,
A message that's just between us,
It's just us.

It's a windless night when I blow a kiss,
Which takes it's flight with an eagle eye,
And sees beyond these tears I cry,
To land upon your lips.
It's just us.

It's just us.
When eagle wings brush vibrant skin,
Tear flight waters full lips
You raise your gaze to the depth of my eyes.
It's just us.

Across the sky souls communicate
A righteous bond, an outlaw wish,
To understand that souls can mate.
To know there is no wait
For justice.

It's just for us.
The encounter of our souls subsides.
It's the silence of our laws,
And faith in a just cause.
That's just for us.

It's Just Us

Poem: Woody Guthrie 1946
Music: Martin Hoffman 1958
1st Arrangement: Pete Seeger 1959
2nd Arrangement: Gene Stephan Ruda 2019

Deportee

Frackus Crackus

Keep 'em separated...

Sadly separated into boxes,
The leavers, the believers.
The leaders frack the bleeders,
The roxys and the proxys.

Hugo VenalZola, imprinting Bolivar.
Quasi-Maduro Victor to the peepers,
Jeepers creepers, Guide-oh, gastro creepers.
Where'd you get the grim reaper?

Force a fracas in Caracas,
Natural gas and no religion.
We don't need no stinkin' badges,
Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got 'magiNation.
Imagine there's no nation.

Sadly separated...

Yanni was a friend of mine,
A kindly, displaced Bassic dude.
A black garbed rebel walked the line,
Past Che's and Chavez' gratitude.
Went off to Paris, made his way,
To find a Brand new day job.
To make his Marque, to pay to play, The exiled Look, an Ex-pat mob.

Sadly separated into boxes,
The leavers, the believers.
The leaders frack the bleeders,
The roxys and the proxys.

Hugo VenalZola, imprinting Bolivar.
Quasi-Maduro Victor to the peepers,
Jeepers creepers, Guide-oh, Gastro creepers.
Where'd you get the grim reaper?

Force a fracas in Caracas,
Natural gas, no religion.
We don't need no stinkin' badges,
Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got imagiNation.
Imagine there's no nation.


Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda, August 2018. All rights reserved.

#venezuela #chavismo #voluntadpopular #williamjames #streamofconsciousness #theoffspring #comeoutandplay #jeanpaulsartre #noexit #nobrexit #victorhugo #notredamedeparis #johnnymercer #jeeperscreepers #johnlennon #yokoono #imagine #btraven #thetreasureofthesierramadre #war #theciscokid #bobdylan #thebyrds #hewasafriendofmine #johnnycash #iwalktheline #vanmorrison #brandnewday #lennonmccartney #getback #fracasincaracas

Frackus Crackus

An original folk ballad. From a poem by Kelly Dochy. Illustration by Kelly Dochy


MayDay

Climate change the system
Change change change
Talkin' COVID-19
Strange strange strange

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Unitin' for our mother
Earth Earth Earth
Comes a grateful death
Birth birth birth

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Defend the planet's, great waltz through space
Sacred inspirals of absolute grace
Wholly embraced by the infinite Sun
Come together, right now, as one

Well Rise up, resist destruction and hate
Fail to fall like great prey to Fate 
Co-create, for the forest's sake
Comme une arbre, you'll stand tall
Cleanse the ocean, bless the small

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Climate change the system
Change change change
Talkin COVID-19
Strange strange strange

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Unitin' for our mother
Earth Earth Earth
Comes a grateful death
Birth birth birth

As we bask in the light and the mystery
We rewrite human history
And unite in solidarity 
We must heal our ailing Earth
Regenerate, recreate, rebirth

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay


Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda. Earth and May Days 2020. All Rights reserved.

MayDay

Facts About Face

In social books fraudvillain black faces
Those mighty friends in high places
Cool Prez, hope sang da 'mazin' graces
Fool Pez, poontang pimp's craven naysays

Folks post the darnedest things
T'wat tweet some other pings
Jack's checked them and they ain't the facts
GadZuk's Marked them all in whites and blacks

Watts happened Zinn's the traces
Of tear gas, riots, maces?
When marchers trip on po-laces
Lynch caused, paused human races

From M's Bondage po'lease, a license to kneel
A double ought shot down to plowshares deal
General strike, Maddog's sub-mariner, new wavy seals
Chief commander, bussed under, military court appeals

So gimme just the facts my dear old ma'mmy
Sway with funny and stay 'way from spammy
DragNet some money, wonk your world wide whammy
Loves yo Friends, and Hugs yo fammy

Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda 2020. All Rights Reserved.