On The Hard Drive Now, MP3, 160kbps (3.6MB)

Notes on the tune:

I believe Democracy is one of the strongest forces for potential good on the planet today and that it’s been a long time coming in the history of the world. What makes us, and keeps us, strong as a nation is that we are not afraid to shine a light in the darkest of places. We not only question the world around us, but we also question ourselves.

I am one of that generation who was told not to worry– that social security cards would never be used to identify us—that people would never be just a set of numbers.
Oh yeah, and the “hide under your desk, nuclear bomb thing”—that, and other former certainties still make me measure twice and cut once when I am building. So, I do tend to look at things and ask, “Why are we doing this? What are the unseen consequences?”

Technology has given us awesome tools. But just like understanding that the atom can be used for good or for harm, I believe surveillance—or any— technology brings the same moral imperative for us to not only examine its use, but to also consider the long-range social and political consequences of the actions we take. There are many historical examples of where that can take a nation if we don’t do so.

In case the song is ambiguous about where I stand, I believe this particular technological marvel can and will permanently change our lives, our society, our nation, and how we think of ourselves as a people. I even found myself thinking twice about putting this tune up on the net. That itself is a sad commentary about being made to feel uncomfortable in the spotlight, fearing to be singled out and put at risk for holding an opinion that differs from the current popular thought.

Thanks to Steve for the “hook”, to Daubie for sitting in on the tune and figuring out it went D-G-A-D), and to Chris for recording it—all within 24 hours— Memorial Day, 2006.

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Lyrics:

We’re on the hard drive now. We’re on the hard drive now.
We used suspect words and we were overheard. We’re on the hard drive now.

It’s not too tough to figure what words will trigger.
All the paranoia just keeps getting bigger.
Used to be loose lips sink ships.
Now it’s –when the truth slips, it links chips.

Just a few key words start the hard drives spinnin’—
Mexican immigrants! Palestinians!
Terror and Iraq—now there’s no turning back—
Meth lab, Arab, Mac attack!

We’re on the hard drive now. We’re on the hard drive now.
We used suspect words and we were overheard. We’re on the hard drive now.

Bombs bursting in air. AK-47.
Rockets red glare. 911.
Kill’em all now. Sort ‘em out in heaven.
Pick me up a Coke at the 711.

Automatic, Democratic, PR seduction;
Halliburton, uncertain weapons of destruction
Exxon, Enron, pipeline production,
Red state, blue state, buy an election…

We’re on the hard drive now. We’re on the hard drive now.
We used suspect words and we were overheard. We’re on the hard drive now.

It’s best not to question. It’s best not to talk.
No sense getting yourself outlined in chalk.
It’s bound to go away before too long.
We don’t need no erudite books and those damned, funny folk songs

We just need patriots listening in on the net.
Wake up, Joe McCarthy! You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
We’re going to make you proud, just you wait and see.
‘Cause there’s no one questioning this democracy… ‘cept you and me… and…

We’re on the hard drive now. We’re on the hard drive now.
We used suspect words and we were overheard. We’re on the hard drive now.

We’re doing hard time now. We’re doing hard time now.
We used suspect words and we were overheard. We’re on the hard drive now.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 3rd, 2006 at 12:43 pm and is filed under General Info, Robert's His-Story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.