FAWM: "No Illusion"

No Illusion

2 days ago by @mikeskliar

No Illusion

mikeskliar

00:00

Liner Notes

#political #protest Its no surprise that the events in Minnesota and basically everywhere here in the States, (and elsewhere too) have been disturbing and on many peoples minds lately. In this song I'm trying to take a somewhat broader and longer view rather then just react in the moment, while still being realistic. I had the first line or two, picked up a guitar, and those opening chords just came out right away- this was a fast write, which is sometimes a good thing.

This is a somewhat more elaborate production for me- started with rhythm guitar (my Taylor acoustic), then a vocal, then an electric guitar part played on a great Tele copy gifted to me by the one and only swampjaw which he built from a kit, -then added harmonica and then finally some bass guitar.

Lyrics

There are no more illusions ‘bout the motives of this regime From what we see, this just may be, the end of the American dream Slow sliding towards dictatorship, quickstepping into evil The new dark age is all the rage, change the calendar to medieval

Take a few steps back and see the outline of this beast he cons those who have little, to steal from those who have the least The lady in the harbor’s sleeping, the stars and stripes are weeping That sound you hear, the sound of fear, a barren harvest reaping

The standard strongman moves of a desperate man Will it fall apart if we finally take a stand

There are moments that define us with nobility and grace And a long and complex history that some try to erase dictators who control, with shallow selfish goals their hate may win the battle, but only love will make us whole

Some stoke the flames of cruelty, with darkness all consuming They may win this battle, but only love will make us human And that’s no illusion

Comments

@jerrypettit 3h

I keep biting my tongue, since I'm so tempted to make every song a protest song myself. So much to complain about--which is why it's so nice to have FAWM as a distraction. Great job on this! ❤️

@dkord 7h

Wonderful instrumentation and delivery. Social commentary mixed with hope and a nod to our history. I especially like the line “the lady in the harbor’s sleeping the Stars and Stripes are weeping “. Great tune!

@acousticmaddie 1d

Very relevant topic and also very heartfelt performance. I missed your voice and happy to be here again. This is a great song

@mikeskliar 21h

thanks!

@hamiltonpoolhall 1d

Man, I love your vocal delivery generally, and it's spot on here. "The lady in the harbor's sleeping" is such a good line! Extra points for harmonica, of course.

@mikeskliar 21h

thanks!

@chrisshepard 1d

So weird...I hear "Black Blade" by BOC in your verse chord progression. For a quick write, it's not a hastily-written song...and obviously, I appreciate the topic!

@mikeskliar 1d

Thanks for the listen! I didnt know what the initials 'BOC' was, so I had to do a search for a song called black blade by a band called BOC, and found, oh you're talking about blue oyster cult!. (and i don't think i know any of their songs beyond 'dont fear the reaper' and maybe one other one? Just heard a bit of black blade now- never heard it before, but yeah, same verse chords! ...so wherever that chord pattern came from in my mind, it probably wasn't there, but who knows!) Glad you're diggin this stuff tho, and yeah, keep up the good work yourself!

@siasa 1d

I guess we're all going to be writing a few political songs this year! Nice electric guitar, and being a harp-botherer myself, always good to hear a bit of moothie!

@mikeskliar 21h

thanks! (and thanks for all the listens on the other songs too!)

@dr_griff 1d

"The standard strongman moves of a desperate man "Will it fall apart if we finally take a stand"

We can only hope so. Excellent work here, man.

@gm7 1d

"dictators who control, with shallow selfish goals."....nice line. And they do it at the expense of other as always.. Nice to see your new found production chops.

@kayo 1d

Love the "lady in the harbor" lyric and "new dark age is all the rage" is excellent commentary. Great song!

@swampjaw 1d

How long have we been doing this? A freakin' decade or more? Very nice protest song, but I wish we didn't have to do so many. Bruce's song is OK, but it's not Ohio. We are going to win, though. I look forward to the news from the Luxury Bunker.

@alyak72 1d

You’ve got a wonderful song on your hands. Great lyricism and delivery. The harmonica was a cherry on top. Can’t believe this is our world :(

@mostlymediocremusic 1d

This might be an odd comment but... I strangely hear a 'School House' Rock vibe. And that harmonic solo is perfect!

#love

@mikeskliar 1d

ha! i never thought of that, but you may be on to something! thanks for the listen and comment!

@garlajoie 1d

Fuck ice!! Very solid demo, the harmonica solo made my night! I like how you tied everything together in the last stanza.

@andybalham 2d

I appreciate how you have managed to include a message of hope, despite the otherwise dark subject matter. The harmonica really helps in giving it an optimistic lift. Nice job.

@daveescoffery 2d

I love the way you shift the scansion at the end of the last line of each verse. That's really effective. I expect (and hope!) to hear more songs with this message this year. You've really laid things out clearly, and your mix of the acoustic and electric guitar really underline the lyrics perfectly! Plus, the harmonica is a great addition!