Reduction
Ghostlimb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and long gone before
from the crowded nursery
to troughs and cresting waves
in a sea of shit
our potentes carry us along
until we don't even know
if it's the carrot or stick
can you quantify your use
or qualify your subsistence
the bottom demands action
in the oil spread
over troubled waters
in the jobless city
in the depressed polity
frustration is the thesis
browbeat back by force
the bruised and battered corpse
of the every (wo)man
Context:
Reduction
Economic fraud can only go so far before it collapses under its own weight. Due to both overstretched means, advantage manipulated from the top and systemic provocation of cut-and-run ethics, we end up back where every "depression" rests: at the expense of the people who cannot pay for it. So, now universities and state nonprofit subsidies — as well as personal financial security — are set back years because of easily navigable loopholes. Frustration is the thesis when subsistence wages and "getting by" are the standard.
The lyrics of Ghostlimb's song "Reduction" delve into the themes of economic fraud, exploitation and frustration faced by the common people in a society that prioritizes profit over humanity. The opening lines of the song hint at the fact that the exploitation of the masses has existed since time immemorial and has been carried forward through different eras. The nursery mentioned in the song probably refers to society feeding its unsuspecting citizens lies and half-truths until they are old enough to be manipulated by the powers that be. The line "in a sea of shit" could be a metaphor for the overwhelming chaos and confusion in which the common people struggle to cope.
The potentes mentioned in the song refer to the powerful and the elite who control society and use their influence to force their agenda onto the vulnerable masses. The lyrics suggest that the masses are so used to being beaten down that they cannot even differentiate between the carrot and the stick - the rewards and the punishments offered to keep them in line. The lines "can you quantify your use, or qualify your subsistence" imply that the people are being treated like resources to be manipulated and squeezed for maximum profits rather than as individuals with agency and dignity. With "the bottom" demanding action, the song hits on the idea that the lowest of the low are the ones who suffer the most in a broken system.
The chorus of the song, which talks about "oil spread over troubled waters", "the jobless city" and "the depressed polity", highlights the effects of globalization, industrialization and urbanization on the common people. The frustration and anger felt by the common people is palpable in the last lines of the song that talks about their battered and bruised selves being ignored by society.
Line by Line Meaning
Since the tide of yore
Since ancient times
and long gone before
and even before that
from the crowded nursery
from birth
to troughs and cresting waves
to the ups and downs of life
in a sea of shit
in a difficult and unpleasant situation
our potentes carry us along
those in positions of power push us forward
until we don't even know
until we lose sight of
if it's the carrot or stick
whether we are being promised rewards or threatened with punishment
we're being beaten with
we are being coerced with
can you quantify your use
can you measure your value
or qualify your subsistence
or justify your means of survival
the bottom demands action
those at the bottom demand change
in the oil spread
in the spreading of wealth
over troubled waters
in difficult times
in the jobless city
in areas with high unemployment
in the depressed polity
in a society suffering from economic decline
frustration is the thesis
frustration is the main theme
browbeat back by force
pushed back by violence or intimidation
the bruised and battered corpse
the beaten down and marginalized people
of the every (wo)man
of the common people
Contributed by Declan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.