"Happy (or not so happy) 250th" : FAWM

Happy (or not so happy) 250th

5 hours ago by @mikeskliar

Happy (or not so happy) 250th

mikeskliar

00:00

Liner Notes

#folk #protest #July4 In most if not all the 50/90 songwriting challlenges I've done (which always started on July 4, the US independence day) I would start with a kind of 'state of the union' reflection on what's going on. There's no shortage of bad news in that department, of course, so I channeled just some of my thoughts on the subject..

NOTE- there are those who will disagree with that second half of the second verse- I'm not trying to provoke, but that section is something I feel very strongly about, so if you have strong feelings, I'd ask--please, please, this is NOT the forum to discuss mideast policy or any of that. Let's keep it to songwriting- if you have such strong feelings , hey, use that to write your own song, let's not argue here!

All that being said, enjoy... this is a very quick iPhone recording, and the first song I've written since February, I think!

Wondering if I should have used the second (last) chorus as a title or does that spoil the kind-of-joke at the end? (edited that at Bill's suggestion to not give away the joke)

Lyrics

Two hundred fifty years less smiles, more tears one troubled anxious nation

gerrymandered, new standard democracy crash-landed with ever-shaky foundations

Rational thought is vanishing into thin air Pick a team, start to scream, same story everywhere

Happy birthday USA A quick decline or a slow decay? Happy birthday USA Will we find a better way

Corruption, disruption On the eve of destruction A Hard rain, we’re in a leaky boat

whole thing’s a big horseshoe the left and right both blame the Jews make just one country a scapegoat

people are divided, apathy is multiplied algorithm, new rhythm, everything’s cut and dried

Happy birthday USA A quick decline or a slow decay? Happy birthday USA Will we find a better way

2nd chorus Happy birthday in Hell We started strong but then we fell Happy birthday, in Hell See you at the afterparty, wish you well

Comments

@chipwithrow 32m

Preach, brother Mike! Sounding awesome as usual. Sharp lyrics, including the name drop of a couple classic protest songs. I am actually of the mind lately that we will find a better way. Cautiously optimistic, and flying three flags outside this Independence Day, super-patriotic liberal that I am.

@newukenewyork 1h

I think “Happy Birthday USA” is a nice title that not only doesn’t give away the final chorus but also makes it more of a surprise. You’ve got a nice handle on the rhythm of your words here. Musically it hangs together so well.

@swampjaw 5h

Nicely done. I'm trying to figure out what the descending bass note is reminding me of, really good groove. And I'm not sure we really started strong -- the whole history is lows and sometimes-not-so-low.

I definitely felt better about stuff 50 years ago, though. Jimmy in office, we're moving to the metric system, and we had solar panels on the roof of the White House.

@mikeskliar 2h

thanks! and yeah, I remember 1976!

@billwhite51 5h

love that chorus and the way it musically emerges from the verse. i opt for the second option, the slow decay. i like it that you avoid particulars, making the song universally relevant. no matter what angle you look at it from, you cant escape the reality. . one afterthought - you gave aeay the ending in the liner notes after saying you did not want to spoil the joke.

@mikeskliar 5h

thanks, Bill- and yeah, I edited my liner notes as per your suggestion!

@jamesvonlenz 5h

Amen man! Love this. Especially this line: “Rational thought is vanishing into thin air Pick a team, start to scream, same story everywhere“ Excellent work!

@mikeskliar 5h

thanks!