Culture: Envy: War
Youngblood Brass Band Lyrics

Culture envy culture war
The struggle to protect cultural identity against the influences of other cultures leading to conflict.

Count your dead
A warning to consider the deadly consequences of cultural clashes and war.

Kill your poor
A reminder of how the lower classes often bear the brunt of the violence and suffering in times of war.

What are you looking to find here?
A question about the underlying motivations of those who engage in cultural conflicts and wars.

Absolution, attainment
The desire for forgiveness and salvation, and the pursuit of these goals through cultural practices.

Atonement, justification
The effort to make amends and find reasons to justify one's actions, particularly in conflicts related to cultural identity.

All priced to move you
A sarcastic reference to how cultural products and practices are marketed for profit and consumption.

(Standing like it's action)
A critique of how posturing and grandstanding can be mistaken for actual action or progress in conflicts and cultural debates.

Bide time with brought rhymes
Using familiar and comforting cultural traditions and rituals to pass the time and cope with the uncertainty of conflict and change.

High five to nine for naught
A commentary on the futility of superficial gestures and actions that don't address the underlying issues and causes of cultural conflict.

Joke with misdirected lies
A reference to the way propaganda and misinformation can be used to manipulate and divide people along cultural lines.

Who the fuck aren't you kidding
A direct call-out of the deceptive and harmful tactics used to stoke cultural conflict and war.

I knew you back in school when there Were less actors to look up to Studying simplicity
A reminiscence of a simpler time when cultural identity was less of a contentious issue and people could more easily find common ground.

We still meant the laughter
Despite changing times and cultural conflicts, the desire for joy and companionship persists among people of all cultures.

If you could love yourself The way you do them There'd be life after
An observation that self-love and acceptance are crucial to finding peace and resolution in cultural conflicts and wars.

The playwrights lowered their guns There's peace pieces to up again You used to build Mind your pen Remind your pen
A reference to the power of language and storytelling to shape cultural narratives and create opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.

I'm sick of the video you've Rewound us in The headaches: Still shots taken in sequence Hung over old dreams to dry and Develop moldy cultures
A critique of the distorted and stagnant cultural narratives perpetuated by those who have vested interests in maintaining a certain status quo.

All this sun and you're sleeping In the dark room Waiting on a film caked thick within Cleaning stained windowsills Instead of taking panes Out of eyes (I'm out of rhymes)
An allusion to the need for people to broaden their perspectives and awareness, rather than being blinded by narrow, self-serving cultural narratives.

Colourless you hid behind heavy lids Eating surface shit Somewhere deep you swear Respect exists (Exits upstage right)
A criticism of shallow and superficial cultural identities, and an appeal to acknowledge the deeper complexities and shared humanity of all cultures.

Tradegy: Indefinitely more down than a kiss
A reflection on the profound and lasting impact of cultural conflicts and wars, which can often result in tragedy and suffering.

The assumed and the actual Are both a sad performane An audience will answer If you question them correct You don't see the bloody entertainers You're trying to resurrect Not knowing you're looking Is atonement cash or check? Absolved and justified Create an ego to protect
An analysis of how cultural identity is performed for an audience, and how the desire for recognition and justification can lead to an entrenched and unyielding cultural ego.

Center level center roar Is an army is a form
An observation that cultural identity can be powerful and mobilizing, but also potentially destructive and divisive.

Culture envy world over Respect drunk war sober I'll fight for no flag And battle all devices Old men divide soil spoils For us to toil indecisive Over whose music's origins Are righteous or damned Or if one is the same can both be Wrought with your hands
A call for cultural humility and respect, recognizing that all cultures have their strengths and weaknesses, and that conflict is often fueled by arbitrary and misguided assumptions about cultural superiority or inferiority.

We've wroung out all lands and brought Bought life Back to life Only this time we'll go ahead and say the Origins were white Heads in the sand that kept us warm from The rhythms of the night
A critique of how the legacies of cultural imperialism and colonialism continue to shape cultural narratives and practices, perpetuating harmful and unjust power dynamics.

You'd think history Would give fair warning But it doesn't make for good Sales or stories And don't think we're done Stealing the past Or telling it to you second-hand While tipping the hour glass And tilting our hats One-third Cock Eyed Now dance.
An indictment of how cultural narratives are often manipulated and filtered through the biases and agendas of those in power, rather than honestly reflecting the complex and nuanced history of cultural exchange and conflict.

I remember when the beat moved itself Through sacred trees and ceremonies A hapless hieroglyph soul-branded on the Open spaces of consciousness And we are all con-script scrawled across The middle canvas Draw fast - answer nothing
A reference to the deep spiritual and cultural significance of music, and the role it plays in shaping cultural identity and resistance, particularly for marginalized and oppressed groups.

There's no question they've been here Glyph lock pick pockets Patrolling the selling block For cheap/easy targets The dueling heretics of a new religion Doodling death wish on a Fluttery paper soul Draw fast
An observation that cultural conflicts are often driven by those who seek to profit or gain power from cultural division and exclusion, and who are willing to sacrifice the well-being of others for their own gain.

Black canvas impervious To shades' shame Paint the world lovely With indecipherable song Plant the flag of the insane In land unsold Forego the envious and warring To play the unknown
An ode to the power of creative expression and the potential for beauty and wonder to emerge from cultural diversity and the blur of cultural boundaries.

What is culture but the gift of dream What is life but to sing Sleep unseen
A reflection on the deep human impulse to create and imagine, and the role that cultural traditions and practices play in enriching and shaping our lives and experiences.

In an end many more
An acknowledgment that cultural conflicts and wars can have far-reaching and devastating consequences that reverberate for generations.

By now you should've died twice We're not communicating One line at a time or A version of a dying woman On my doorstep Fading fast the second time around
An urgent plea for greater understanding and empathy across cultural boundaries, recognizing the high stakes of cultural conflict and the pressing need for renewed dialogue and cooperation.

What's inside these sounds you mouth Did you hear the call From across the ages The sea takes us back too quickly And I'm far from grounded Now's the time to sail Before the last tree falls
A reflection on the power of music and artistic expression to connect people across time and space, and a reminder of the importance of preserving the natural world and cultural diversity that sustains us all.

I'm seeing my mentors sage-less Casting outside their realm Ex-spelling p.g. concepts To conjure self
A lament for how cultural traditions can be diluted or lost entirely over time as cultural identity becomes more fluid and fragmented.

I'm seeing priests Prostrate to prophecy Praying in the wrong room Count your blessings And sell the difference
A criticism of how cultural institutions and leaders can become complicit in perpetuating cultural conflict, and a call for greater accountability and humility in the face of cultural uncertainty and change.

I'm seeing indifferent sould In different cells Spilling blood like wine Just to know they've been here Hold your pitcher Kill your pour
An observation of how cultural conflict can drive people to destruction and violence, fueled by a desperate need for validation and recognition in the face of cultural erasure or oppression.

Try to clip these wings Still we soar
A celebration of the resilience of cultural identity and the human spirit, even in the face of cultural conflict and oppression.

Frantically flapping the faces Of (not) our kids Heading south to sea too soon to say 'Stay - I've seen' Nothing but envy for the green War for the greed Innumerable dead blessings And your poor peaceful resting
A sobering reflection on the destructiveness of cultural conflict and the many lives it has claimed and disrupted, even as it persists in driving people to further violence and division.