The end of 2008 saw Grieves enlisting the help of friend and collaborator Budo to co-produce Together/Apart bringing his signature swiss-army knife, multi-instrumental backdrop to Grieves' hauntingly poignant narrative. The album began taking shape in New York as the two built off the success 88 Keys and Counting had generated and paired it with the intensity they developed from their live performances. The recording process began to shadow the theme of the album as it saw tracks recorded in Colorado and Washington in addition to New York, infusing it with a mixture of regional influences while still maintaining a cohesive sound. As the album neared completion the title took on a double meaning for Grieves as he explored new subject matter in the absence of trust, refuge in addiction, acceptance and honesty in self-reflection, and trying to find his place in the world without forgetting his roots.
Identity Cards
Grieves Lyrics
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Out of site out of mind these days
They want to tell me
I can go but can't stay
They want to put me in a box just to keep me in place
They want to give me a number and then forget my face
They want to give me an identity card, an identity card
(Verse 1)
I'm just a frame in a picture
A flicker on a screen
A slave on a stage for the public to see
A stain in a suit, a number if you please
A barcode, a beep, a statistic to feed
The chorus of this song, “Out of sight out of mind these days / They want to tell me I can go but can't stay / They want to put me in a box just to keep me in place / They want to give me a number and then forget my face / They want to give me an identity card, an identity card,” is a powerful statement on the impact of societal evaluations on individual identity. Grieves speaks about how society, and its systems of classification, can restrict our movement and define us in ways that we do not necessarily agree with. The desire to give someone an identity card underscores the human tendency to define people in terms of who they are in relation to others, rather than who they actually are as individuals. Grieves laments the fact that individuals are reduced to numbers, statistics, and barcodes, which serves to dehumanize them and strip away their individual identity.
The first verse of the song, “I'm just a frame in a picture / A flicker on a screen / A slave on a stage for the public to see / A stain in a suit, a number if you please / A barcode, a beep, a statistic to feed,” emphasizes the various ways that society can strip individuals of their identity by fitting them into pre-existing molds. Grieves uses visual imagery to describe how individuals are framed, flickering, or turned into slaves for public consumption, which highlights how society can reduce an individual in order to fit them into a certain classification. From a stain in a suit to a barcode or beep, Grieves seems to suggest that societal norms and systems of classification can be constricting to an individual's true identity.
Contributed by Connor L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ryan Schuler
"Look at me, im not covered in gems. I dont know what hyphy means dude and neither do my friends." Hell yeah Grieves, killin this shit.
hazolhoof
sweet beat, We need more like this
Þorbjörn Guðmundsson
This song will always live!
alfaxen1
11 years later, still awesome
Christian Spraungel
just saw grieves with atmosphere and blueprint last night at first avenue in minneapolis, minnesota. that was the sickest show of my life, grieves kills it
Matt New
This needs to be shared with the WORLD, somebody find a way to stream this to time square in NYC lol
jordanfb13
I love this song.
MyChannel
It's times such as this that I'm glad I listen to pandora.
James S.
..."bouncers don't like me cause i look sixteen but make a damn fine living off a good sixteen"...dope.
Tom Collins
saw him last night...i hate how the concert is over