JJ Cale meets Kenny Burrell (I wish) with a song re what can actually be perfect in the imperfect world as per Plato

Lyrics: Must be Perfect (Plato)
I’m looking for something 
It has to be the perfect kind
I’m looking for something 
So far it is just in my mind

Chorus
It needs to be perfect
With no sign of a flaw
It needs to be perfect
All rejects will be shown the door

I know I won’t find it
Walking down the street
I know I won’t find it 
If I do I will be complete

Every facet,
Every curve,
A perfect body to observe
The ideal form in every line
Perfection is so divine

I’m looking for something 
It has to be the perfect form
I’m looking for something 
It certainly not the form

Must be Perfect (Plato 424/423 – 348/347 BC)

Exploring  whether we exist or not....

Lyrics: Maybe or maybe not (Pyrrho/Sceptics)
Do you know that this is a fact
I’m not sure you can justify that
I don’t trust a word that you say
As you don’t exist anyway
And as for me, I can’t really say

We Know nothing, our senses lie
Making judgements to satisfy
That the truth will bring disarray
As you don’t exist anyway
And as for me, I can’t really say
But you don’t exist,
They don’t exist, Nothing exists anyway.

Millions of opinions with multiple voices
Illusions of being a multitude of choices
Call me a critic, a sceptic a doubter 
As you don’t exist anyway
And as for me, I can’t really say
But you don’t exist,
They don’t exist, Nothing exists anyway.

Maybe Or Maybe Not (Pyrrho c.365-c.270 BC)

Jackson 5 ABC groove with funky and distorted guitar with a song about keeping it simple (Epicurus 341 - 270 BC)

Lyrics

Keep it Simple Epicurus (341–270 BC)
I live a simple life
The pain of failure isn’t worth the strife
Success is not a lure for me
Why fret when it might not be.

Chorus
I was not
I’m no longer there
I am not and I do not care

I don’t fear for my death
I’ll be gone with my last breath
I will have had my time 
To worry more would be a crime


Keep it simple free from stress
It gets better when you do less
Chance are you dreams won’t come true
So, relax and have a brew

Why dwell on the future, 
Live for now, it’ll be cooler
Just enjoy what you have in life
Chance for fun will be rife

Keep It Simple (Epicurus 341 - 270 BC)

Light, skippy guitar dancing across a bass riff with lyrics inspired by the Stoics

Lyrics: Learning not to care! (Stoics)

I can’t make you love me
Just like I can’t stop the rain
But I can be stronger
Its in my power to reduce the pain

We are just adrift,
Battered by tide and wind
Bur we are not on a journey
We are living a life half-skimmed

Chorus
Everyday that passes, we age a little more.
Have we missed the chance to even up the score,
If there is a change, we must be aware
The one thing we should be doing is learning not to care.

You may reduce your own unhappiness
But you need to let joy in – you must confess
You become cold and heartless 
If emotions die within

Learning not to care! (Epictetus 55-135 plus other Stoics)

If you don't always ask question you might as well live your life as a cow

Lyrics: Live Like a Cow! (Socrates)

Do you believe it is wrong to lie
But to deceive can save a life
To stop a killer
To stop a thief
To trick a sinner
To lighten grief

Chorus
Always asking, Always probing
Always asking for proof
Twisting your words, Twisting your thoughts
Trying to get to the truth

It can make you angry,
It can make you sad,
But it will bring meaning
In a world that’s mad

Is life worth living, 
If your not thinking about what you are doing
Doing right now
If you don’t examine your every action/deed
You might as well live like a cow!

Live like a Cow! (Socrates c. 470–399 BC)

According to Plato in his book "The Republic" the top people would be trained philosphers - if you let people vote you'd get people who had charisma and mass appeal - not the most skilled etc. You might elect a clown - maybe he has a point!

Unknown Album

A Dangerous Clown (Who might make you laugh, but hasn't a clue)(Plato  424/423 – 348/347 BC)

Anselm and Aquinas

I you think of th greeatest thing you can imagine the only way that could be improved on - is if it was real.  And that is God! 

The counter is that you can think of a pefect island - but it doesn't matter how much you imgaine that island it won't exist.

A Beautiful Island (Anselm c.1033-1109)

All is one, but we are not in control. We may love the universe but it won't love us back.  Everything can be explored and questiond even God.

Our life is preordained, but the one thing we can control is how we react, especially our feeings, but in the end - we are not in control!

Not In Control (Spinoza 1632 - 77)

If this amazing world was designed why are there flaws. Miracles do they really happen?

Mistakes (Hume 1711-76)

We were born free and need to break our chains and be free.  However, to do that you must follow the General Will, but what if you don't want to....

Break Our Chains (Rousseau 1712 - 78)

History is unfolding - moving on.  Our Spirit will be free in the final phase

Moving On - The Owl of Minerva (Hegel 1770 - 1831)

Riff heavy take on how painful life is, is life worth it as we always want more.

The line "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower" is by Dylan Thomas

Life Is Painful (Schopenhauer 1788-1860)

So What if you say something  that doesn't make a practical difference. If nothing hangs on the answer what is the point in saying it!

So What! (James 1842 - 1910 & Pierce 1839 - 1914)

People's lives are in your hands but someone will die!
Runaway Train Dilemmas

You Will Be Blamed! (Foot 1920-2010 & Thomson b. 1929)

We would be fools not to learn from our mistakes

Lyrics: Learn from our Mistakes (Popper 1902-94)
 
Baby I can see clearly now
I must have got it wrong somehow
I realise I wasn’t thinking straight
And my theory doesn't hold any weight. 
I thought I was right 
but something came to light
 that proves my idea wasn’t water-tight.
and I know my reality must move along
 but I must soon be that headstrong

 we must learn from our mistakes 
and see that we've learnt something new
 everything that is being disproved 
adds to the knowledge that we accrue 

come on now you must realise 
we just can’t guess that would be unwise 
theories have got to be tested 
and  we can let our ideas go unmolested
 if you have an idea that can’t be disproved
 if it can’t then I be frankly unmoved
You just can't go call anything a science
 if you do will call you out in defiance


we must learn from our mistakes
 and see that we've learned something new 
everything that has been disproved 
adds to the knowledge that we accrue 

sometimes somethings appear that changed the way we think
 when these occur, we mustn't step away from the brink If you find something doesn't fit 
it doesn't mean that you go ahead and quit
 just means a knowledge doesn't knit 
and we're entering a paradigm shift 
we've got to rethink everything we know
 abandon old knowledge away must go 
design a new framework 
clear away the Murk 
start over again 
old knowledge is now arcane 



we must learn from our mistakes
and see we've learnt something new 
everything that has been disproved 
adds to the knowledge that we accrue
we must learn from our mistakes 
and see we've learnt something new 
everything that has been disproved 
just adds to the knowledge that we accrue.







If you find something doesn't fit 
it doesn't mean that you go ahead and quit
 just means a knowledge doesn't knit 
and we're entering a paradigm shift 
we've got to rethink everything we know
 abandon old knowledge away must go 
design a new framework 
clear away the Murk 
start over again 
old knowledge is now arcane 



we must learn from our mistakes
and see we've learnt something new 
everything that has been disproved 
adds to the knowledge that we accrue
we must learn from our mistakes 
and see we've learnt something new 
everything that has been disproved 
just adds to the knowledge that we accrue.

Learn From Our Mistakes (Popper 1902-94)

If we designed our world not knowing who we would be - would it be a fairer place.

"Who would clean the swimming pool, Who would get a yacht?"

The Veil Of Ignorance (Rawls 1921 - 2002)

How can we tell if machines really think and understand and if they do what does that mean?

The Handshake of Man and Machine (Turing 1912-54 & Searle b. 1932)

Doghouse Hill

We all have made mistakes and have regrets and wonder "What If" but we need to move on!

What Ifs And Move On

Your fate is in hands of the wind and the tides - but they can't care what happends to you.

The Wind And The Tides

The Moaning Of Lif

F4CTS

Got It All!

Feelings

Everything Is Empty

Follow Me

My Redemption
I don’t think that I’m an angel
Not the devil incarnate
I’m just man stumbling through life,
Trying to survive as people do

Chorus
I’m not looking for salvation
I can’t wipe my slate clean
I’m just  looking for redemption
To give me back some self-esteem

Life is like a deck of cards 
but you’re dealt a hand that you can’t fold
most people bluff and blunder 
never having the guts to be too bold
1st Bridge
I could have treated people better
I shouldn’t have been oh so mean
I shouldn’t  got them to do my bidding
Wish my motive could’ve been clean
2nd Bridge
No-one cries for the bad man
No-one sheds a tear 
Its Good riddance to the bad man
No-one misses the fear

I let the Red Mist fall too quickly, 
I’m too quick to lie and cheat
But now I will try to be a fair man
Just before my death that I must meet.

My Redemption

Join the Rat Race, Work hard and make your boss rich!

Smell The Coffee

Unhappy People
I see you running around the place, constantly doing everything 
Always brisk, always busy. Always absent from yourself
As you were never really present. You were never truly here
Always looking for something in the past or in future yet to appear.

Always looking for that something 
For that thing which will make you feel so whole
Always searching, always seeking
Always looking outside for your goal.

If you stop and take your time
You will see what is near to you
If you don’t look within yourself
You cant find what might be your breakthrough

Chorus
Unhappy people are never present,
Never present to themselves
Always looking to the future
Or there are living in the past

You know your essential nature, you think you know the substance of your life
You think you know who ideal of being but, from the truth you are fleeing
You are trapped in your own memories, searching for something to occur
Either way you are moving further, from the truth in a searching blur

Unhappy people are never present,
Never present to themselves
Always looking to the future
Or there living in the past

Unhappy People

A Million Seeds

A non-singer songwriter! Writing a series of songs (Double Album) about western philosophy and philosophers while trying to keep them rockin'. These song explore western philosophy inspire by Nigel Warburton's Book "A Little History of Philosophy" and I started writing them to aid my poor muddle memory.

Picked up the Electric Guitar during lockdown after 20 years and haven't looked back - why did I put it away!

Looking at recruiting a proper singer and other band members to make live music once again.

Writing music and playing guitars (inc bass) keeping me sane in a mad world!

Main influence is 70s Rock, but into blues, soul, funk and jazz. I also play the spanish guitar classical guitar and dabble with the ukelele!

Drums provided by Roland "The Boss"

All songs recorded mainly in my kitchen on a Boss BR 80 and refined/remixed (badly) on Audacity!

Popular tracks by Little Furry Despot and the Pumpkins of Doom