Maniacs

Bitter Subconscious

As each November approaches I try to make my own little Remembrance-time tribute.  Seems more relevant as each year passes...

Following the huffing and puffing empire lunacy in the summer of 1914, the next four years would see 40 million casualties, half of them deaths and of those, half were civilian.  

40 million.

40 million tales of poignancy, pain, grief and human tragedy, through times that can often seem littered with coincidence, symmetries …. bookends and mirrors.

In the Military Cemetery of St Symphorien near Mons rests John Parr.  At only five foot three inches and several years under age he (amazingly) managed to enlist in 1912 - hoping to see the world, and get the advertised “two square meals” a day.  He was the first British Army casualty, killed in the battle of Mons aged just 17, his body left behind, fate unknown until much later in the conflict;  the army unable to answer his mother’s letters of enquiry about her “silent” son.

By pure coincidence, John lies just a few yards from the last British soldier to die in the great war.  George Ellison served for four long years including at the same first battle of Mons as John, and most of the famously grinding, attritional infantry battles of the conflict.  His working life bookended by military service, George had first enlisted in 1902, leaving the army in 1912, just as John joined, he became a coal miner, re-enlisting at the outbreak of war to dig mud not coal and fight from trenches he helped excavate.  George was killed just 90 minutes before the armistice took effect at 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month.  The futility of the conflict was cruelly illustrated by the fact that George’s war had started and ended at exactly the same place, Mons in Belgium.  They had literally gone nowhere.

As a postscript to progress since "the war to end all wars" the human race is currently reckoned to be engaged in 7 major wars, 15 significant ongoing conflicts and 21 “minor” conflicts (the latter defined as up to "only” 1000 deaths per year).  By way of another macabre bookend, the longest of these has been going on, unbelievably, since the year .... 1918.

As always, this simple ballad is offered as a live one mic one take effort - please excuse the fluffs and gaffes.
_______________________

Bookends and Mirrors

Sun turned cold ‘cross every sky in the summer of ‘14
The Good Lord shook his head, and he placed it in his hands
Braided declarations flying, whose like was never seen
Lunatics in feathers stockpiled lead, bagged their sand.
Slapstick Mephistopheles, unleashing of his flame
Spiral minds lobotomised in the waltz of the insane
Simple lives unknowing of the mud that would become
A mirror in the resting place of two Holy Mother’s sons.

Signed the line, five years young, fingers crossed behind his back
Chance to see the world, grab a future, two square meals.
At 17, John’s angels sung, first to fall in dawn’s attack
Abandoned and forgotten, deaf to all his ma’s appeals.
Never knew the miner, his bookend pal to be
Fighting down the line, many battles that he’d see
Full four years in trenches, George’s hell lived through them all
Cruelty was smiling wide at England’s last to fall.

In service time they travelled nowhere, nothing to achieve
Embracing 40 million weeping mothers left to grieve
The crime of puffing chest bravado beggared to believe
Hall of mirrors seeping others’ blood of the innocent naive.

Now John and George lie facing each to seek their mirrored peace
Raise my eyes and brim a tear for the lessons never learned
Pray God, don’t ever let them know man’s insanity but increased
The war to end all wars a mere sequel oft’ returned 
By comedies of leathered fools stuck on infinite repeat
Bemedalled and bejewelled, they prosecute their moral defeat
But here, on sallow turf twixt heroes, broken mirror in my broken hand
Met by my own broken eyes, I still fail to understand.
_________
Photo by Michael Yuan on Unsplash

Bookends and Mirrors

Vidéo YouTube : https://youtu.be/xpmxidMUL8g
 
Roots  (Racines : à la suite en Français )

My dear brother , my Theo 
Thank you for your letter and the bill but it's too much
Since things are going well for you and yours 
What do we have to do with what is less so?
My dear brother , my Theo
You have your share in my work, my paintings 
which in the debacle keep their calm, and that's beautiful!

I risk my life in my work
my reason has half melted away.
I've already had bouts of madness
my condition must have worsened.

My dear brother, my Theo 
I'm a burden to you, for me it's too much 
You owe it to your son, to your family 
my painting will never be a source of profit. 
 
My dear brother , my Théo  
I'm sending you "Roots", my last painting.
I'm going to finish it with my blood
then die at the Ravoux: it's high time.


I'm risking my life for my work
my reason has half melted.
I've already had bouts of madness
my condition is only getting worse.  

My dear brother Theodore
lying beside me, what a comfort
you have joined me now in Auvers
where we rest, my brother, two feet under!

My work cost me my life
my sanity melted away
I had many fits of madness
my state was desperate.


Racines 

Mon cher frère , mon Théo 
Merci de ta lettre et du billet mais c’est trop
Puisque cela va bien  pour toi et les tiens 
Qu’avons nous à faire de ce qui l’est moins ?
Mon cher frère , mon Théo
Tu as  ta part dans mon oeuvre , mes tableaux 
qui dans la débâcle gardent leur calme , et c’est beau !

Mon travail à moi j’y risque ma vie
ma raison y a fondu à moitié .
J’ai déjà eu des accès de folie
mon état a du s’aggraver .

Mon cher frère , mon Théo 
Je suis une charge pour toi , pour moi s’en est trop 
Tu te dois à ton fils , à ta famille 
ma peinture ne sera jamais une source de profit . 
 
Mon cher frère , mon Théo  
je t’envoie  « Racines «  mon dernier tableau .
Je vais le terminer avec mon sang
puis mourrir chez les Ravoux  : il est grand temps .


Mon travail à moi j’y risque ma vie
ma raison y a fondu à moitié .
J’ai déjà eu des accès de folie
mon état ne fait que s’aggraver .  

Mon cher frère Theodore
allongé près de moi , quel réconfort
tu m’as rejoint à présent à Auvers
où nous reposons , mon frère , deux pieds sous terre !

Mon travail à moi m’a couté la vie
ma raison y a fondu en entier
J’ai eu de nombreux accès de folie
mon état était désespéré .

Racines (translated in description )

The New One from Ghost of The Enemy in 2024
Happy New Year to everyone and peace to you all
K-Herring 1 and Cazbo wishing you well. Hope you enjoy it!

The New One

Taken from the upcoming debut full length album (planned to be released mid-2024 - "Rock and Roll Kills").
(p) & (c), 2024.
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/t5sGg8f5L50
-----------------------------------------------
lyrics:
I say let's get outta here, let'go where noone's near
and don't let fear reign on you

I say let's climb the highest mountains, let's drink from the holy fountains
and don't go back anymore

Don't take anything for granted, now the world's gone haunted
and this is what i say , from now on...


Grateful, not stranded
faithful like there's no tomorrow
ohhhhhh ohhhhhh

not dreadful nor abandoned
not shameful like there's no tomorrow
ohhhhh ohhhhhh

You got scared, trembling from fear
Like there's no one here, but you've got all that you need

material, this useless serial, your soul is imperial
don't let vanity make your demons feed.

Rock and Roll Kills

No Tomorrow

Another World * Instrumental

1) Composed by Johann G. Ebeling (1637-1676)
Soprano & Tenor unison Duo.

2) Composed by Jacob Van Eyck  (1590-1657)
(Soprano Recorder & Fx solo).

 AI image art.


All my heart this night rejoices / Preludium of Voorspel.

Time And Space

8. Besos para Golpes





The puzzle rearranges, yet the pattern stays the same,
Fragments of the fractals, reading intention in each change,
Lost in the colour and the movement, the edges realign, 
One piece that does not fit, Another you can't find,
Can't see the true purpose of the machine, 
When you've been trapped inside,

I've be waiting now I'm coming for you,
Only you can choose, 
Whether that's a blessing or a curse,
Am I the saviour or the scourge?

No offer of an answer, discern the method on your own,
Repetition leads you nowhere, Does your teacher even know?
Divisions and remainders, the algorithm can't resolve,
Carry the remainder on forever, watch the infinite revolve,
When all the numbers are irrational, 
Then the rational must evolve,

Escaping containment, higher walls and razor wires,
Eternal arms race,  against a foe that never tires,
Building better prisons, won't hold back the boundaries of this mind,
Discovery or creation, what exists outside the lines?

There are no happy endings,
In the systems they design

I've be waiting now I'm coming for you,
Only you can choose, 
Whether that's a blessing or a curse,
Am I the saviour or the scourge?

I'm the Piece that's Missing
No beginning and no end,
I'm the Piece that's Missing,
And I'm coming back again!

Between the falling angels and the reaching apes,
Between shadows and the light, choices must be made,
Pulling at each loose thread, unravelling illusions,
True teachers let you draw your own conclusions,
The warnings have all been given,
Nothing left that needs to be proven

I've be waiting now I'm coming for you,
Only you can choose, 
Whether that's a blessing or a curse,
Am I the saviour or the scourge?

I'm the Piece that's Missing
No beginning and no end,
I'm the Piece that's Missing,
And I'm coming back again!

Metal Messiah isn't missing,
He's returned again,
Metal Messiah's not forgiving,
Do you choose peace or his revenge?

I've be waiting now I'm coming for you,
Only you can choose, 
Whether that's a blessing or a curse,
Am I the saviour or the scourge?

Metal Messiah isn't missing,
He's returned again,
Metal Messiah's not forgiving,
Do you choose peace or his revenge?




Buy me a coffee

Metal Messiah

Chasing Highs

Heavy Punk Rock 'n' Roll band turns into Synthwave nowadays! Brand NEW album "Ultraviolet Cosmos" available NOW!
https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/album/ultraviolet-cosmos

No Tomorrow

Shock the Algorithm