Blue Macaw - The Digital Age
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1. Get Me Off
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
Internet addiction and the rise of AI algorithms.
Get me off!
Get me off.
I spend way too much time in here.
I want to be in real life,
but it's the state of things.
When you're bored,
and when you have five minutes free,
a total mystery
where this time disappears.
It has me.
It has me.
Verbal brawls
with people that I cannot see.
I never meet them on the outside,
It gets me down.
Why do I bother now?
It has me.
It has me.
I click on articles that make me mad.
Some shared from my friends will make me sad.
Most remind me that my morals are flawed.
I'm in a digital bubble because I am bored.
I could switch it off but I don't.
I could make it stop...
but I won't.
It has me.
It has me.
Get me off now.
I could switch it off, but I don't.
I could make it stop, but I won't.
2. This is Real
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
Getting revenge on social media.
This is real.
I did wrong.
Hell hath no fury
Like the one who was wronged.
But your way to retaliate,
airing out our laundry for the world to see.
That doesn’t agree with me.
That doesn’t agree with me.
The information swirls around the endless servers.
Your photographs at any time could resurface,
a digital footprint that can persist forever.
Human memory fades, but this might never.
There’s no hiding anymore.
There’s no more closing door.
Try to keep your face from the digital pages,
someone posts a photo that will last the ages.
There’s no hiding anymore.
This is real.
I did wrong.
Hell hath no fury
Like the one who was wronged.
The video you posted is worth a thousand words,
It cannot be unseen and it can’t be unheard,
I could track every copy and force a delete,
But it’s everywhere and now a near impossible feat.
You retaliate so the world won’t forget,
And taken me down without conscience or regret,
You went down this road,
Now you cannot make amends,
because the audience you goad,
are no longer just our friends.
This photo of my wife, my kids and I,
all so happy with our smiling eyes,
online just weeks ago.
It looks like I’ll reap much more than I sow.
This is real.
I did wrong.
But Hell hath no fury
Like the one who was wronged.
This is real.
This came along.
And nobody but us
can know the right from wrong.
You could write your own elegant depiction,
And nobody would care if it is fact or fiction.
If you’d accuse me of criminal acts,
I’d be attacked,
And you don’t need to prove the facts.
Truth flows quickly through Web 2.0.
But lies flow quickly through Web 2.0.
All of it sticks when they share from you.
You can say what you want and it will be true.
Everyone wants a witch at the stake.
Everyone loves someone they can hate.
3. Soapbox
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
Everybody has a platform for their opinions on the internet, for better or worse.
Everybody has a voice
Everybody can write
what they like,
can be heard
by whomever wants to read.
On their page,
there’s no cage
keeping free speech out.
We no longer need
a publisher to print
and criticise
what we write,
or an evening to share
photos and videos from a lounge chair.
Log me in to my soap box.
There’s a soap box for the disenfranchised.
There’s a soap box for artists that are passed by.
There’s a soap box for information to fly
High times for a lie!
Just a little lie.
The Earth is flat.
This pandemic is fake.
There’s a new world order.
There’s a soap box
for neo-nazis, racists,
Sexists, homophobia,
Conspiracy theorists.
It’s a great time for accusations,
Everything is ripe for misinformation,
For those with an agenda to breathe
There will be people who’ll believe.
Spreading hate is the easiest thing.
Plandemic! Plandemic!
New World Order! New World Order!
The floodgates can’t be held back.
The floodgates can’t be held back.
There’s no responsibility
and it came too quickly.
We aren’t trained to sift fiction from fact,
Truth from lies or ignorance.
Do we trust the opinions
of journalists or arm-chair experts?
Evening News or YouTube?
Scientists or bloggers?
There’s no responsibility
and it came too quickly.
We can write
what we like
can be heard
by whomever wants to read.
On our page
there’s no cage
keeping free speech out.
We no longer need
a publisher to print
and criticise
what we write.
Log me in to my soap box.
Log me in.
I don’t know everything.
In a week I can’t cram in my mind
what a scientist learns in a lifetime.
I don’t know anything.
But I can pretend that I know what the scientists know.
We skeletons clap our hands!
4. The point of no return
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
I still hope the damage isn't done. I still hope that everybody's wrong.
Zika
Rising global temperatures
I fear...
Melting polar ice,
I fear...
Sea levels rise,
I fear we are past the point of no return.
Toxic waste rife,
Are we waiting for the world to burn?
Strangled wildlife,
To Burn? To Burn?
Air poisonous,
Will we put our barriers and walls in place?
Melting ice caps,
Keep out those we’ve helped displace?
Sea levels rise.
Watch a billion starving people die?
Watch a billion starving people die?
Watch a billion starving people succumb?
Like we’ve always done?
There won’t be enough for all of us.
If we lose a billion lives,
will some of us survive?
I still hope the damage isn’t done.
I still hope that everybody’s wrong.
The starkest picture, that through my mind races,
Are all of my present and future children’s faces.
Innocent, frightened, but dead-eyed and still,
Waiting to be killed, or ready to kill.
Growing up into this deadly stage
That they are powerless to change.
Looking in their eyes with shame
And knowing that we are all to blame.
I still hope the damage isn’t done.
I still hope that everybody’s wrong.
Please take back everything you say.
That the planet is warming.
Ice caps melting and declining.
The insects aren’t swarming,
but by millions they are dying.
Add mammals to the list,
they’re quickly ceasing to exist.
There’s rivers and oceans,
with waste and poison in perpetual motion.
Overpopulation.
Deforestation.
The planet warming,
Ice caps melting.
Insects, mammals
dying, dying.
Rivers, oceans,
waste and poison.
We put poison in the air,
We can see it everywhere,
But we’re still not ready to care.
I still hope the damage isn’t done.
I still hope that everyone is wrong,
Please take back everything you say.
5. I am nothing
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
The universe is infinite. We're smaller than we could know.
I am nothing I just exist
Who cares what I think?
I am born and I die
The world will then sweep me away.
All these plans,
All this pressure,
Are just drops of sand,
In the dead dry desert
We're in our bubble floating in an endless world.
Yet we care who lives?
And we care who dies
At the end of the earth
Where we don't reside.
And we worry when there's nothing we can control.
Our planet could die,
Our Sun could explode,
But life would go on,
For all we know,
and we know nothing,
Nothing much at all.
The universe is infinite.
We're smaller than we could know.
6. Immortal
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
Would God be satisfied with what his children have accomplished and how we've treated each other?
I sit and watch from on high
The days and nights of petty lives
The sadness, the joy, the good times
Watching wistfully from the moon at night
I whisper through the trees
I walk through the seas
But I can never rest my eyes
Until the end of time
I walk the earth from dawn 'til dusk
Lost in the shadows of the world's fuss
I labor the earth, I feed the herd,
While the winds whip throughout the world.
I whisper through the trees
I walk through the seas
But I can never rest my eyes
Until the end of time
Until the end of time
Until the end of time
Hail! Hail! Hail!
Hail the immortal!
Hey run along, follow him to the chosen land.
He watches over you, over me and all that is man.
As wind through the trees,
As a storm, rain and breeze,
Travels here, travels there,
Travels here, travels there.
We worship him,
We give all that we store,
We know all the ways
to make him love us more,
He will save us from harm,
He will nurture all we farm,
He will help us reproduce
and expand our influence.
Hey, I see the starving die,
The greedy fight.
I hear the planet cry,
the coldness bite.
Time ticks by.
Hey, I run away with the rushing wind.
I run away with the burning sun
to the stars.
We know he hates us eating certain animals,
certain habits, certain clothes,
he considers them all sins,
we will stop all of those
who would propogate these things.
We will banish all those.
And discourage them to grow.
And those that don't change
we will beat them 'til they try
until they all yell in pain
and in pools of tears they cry.
We will get them to confess.
We will torture them to death.
And those that confess,
we will cut off their heads.
Hey, I see the starving die,
The greedy fight.
I hear the planet cry,
the coldness bite.
Time ticks by.
Hey, I run away with the rushing wind.
I run away with the burning sun
to the stars.
We will spread ourselves to the far away land
to find all of the places where sinners still stand.
We will show them the truth
And those that us refute
We will force them to change
to save them from themselves.
And all those that don't change
we will beat them until they try
until they yell in pain
and in pools of tears they cry.
We will get them to confess.
We will torture them to death
and those that confess
we will cut off their heads.
Why do you do those things in my name?
Why must I stand here and watch in vain.
I walk with the wind, I stand in the sun.
My mind is at peace like an unloaded gun.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!
All alone and left to stand
Left to wander this barren land
I whisper through the trees
I walk through the seas
But I can never rest my eyes
Until the end of time
7. The bomb that swept everything away
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
Nobody knew whether it was the humans, or the AI that handled military strategy, that dropped the bomb the swept everything away.
8. All alone
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
When the bombs exploded, I was all alone. Our survival and my our memories are all that matter now.
Everybody's gone,
They've left me all alone.
So I write alone,
and I play alone,
As the fire burns,
The world somehow still turns.
I sit with my guitar,
alone.
All the bands with which I've sung,
All the songs I wrote when I was young,
Now that everybody's gone,
Alone I play them to the setting sun.
So I write alone,
and I play alone,
As the fire burns,
The world somehow still turns.
I sit with my guitar,
alone.
The excess has been stripped away,
Everything that's important will stay.
Talents and skill that are in your brain.
And only what you can carry on your way.
There was a brother,
his friend and no drummer.
The first band of mine
that did not survive.
Whether I'd play the bass or if I'd sing,
all the bands that I was in
had Rock star dreams on their album cover.
All ended up hating each other.
Toxic dust falls into ashes,
Overhead the lightning flashes
Letting me know life goes on
As I sit here writing a song.
Everybody's gone,
They've left me all alone.
So I write alone,
and I play alone,
As the fire burns,
The world somehow still turns.
I sit with my guitar, alone.
9. Don't forget your phone
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
After the pandemic, even after the bombings, there were still a few untouched places. The musicians who survived carried their instruments, met in abandoned shopping centres and started bands and orchestras. To inspire those who would rise again.
If you want to survive an apocalypse - travel lightly. A phone and a solar panel are essential.
One bike, with bell,
One phone, solar cell,
Spare batteries,
Lots of memory,
SD cards
You can store
every book you want to read,
every song you’ll ever need,
Maps of every nation,
Survival tips for every situation.
Science, engineering
At your fingertips.
History can be preserved.
Art that can never more be seen or heard.
Don't forget your phone,
Don't forget your phone,
Survival is just for show,
If we lose everything else,
Though the environment is in the ground,
And the drones are flying around,
And it seems we’ve lost control
And humanity is in the hole,
But if we stand as one,
We will overcome!
One bike, with bell,
One phone, solar cell,
Spare batteries,
Lots of memory,
SD cards
We are free
We can stop killing each other
We can trust one another
and rebuild our society
But if the guns show no sign of stopping
and the bombs keep on dropping
Just let us stand as one,
Let us all stand up as one!
Stand up together and we’ll overcome!
But don't forget your phone,
Don't forget your phone,
Survival is just for show,
If we lose everything else,
No cars, but we can still ride our bike.
No power stations, solar chargers while we hike,
Our culture in our pockets by our side,
Somehow we will survive.
We sing our hope in song,
Life will carry on.
If we stand as one,
We will overcome!
We will overcome!
10. DA231
from Blue Macaw's The Digital Age.
After the bomb finished off three quarters of the population, Drone DA231 completes its mission.
DA231 Artificially Intelligent Lethal Autonomous Weapon Activated.
Hunter Software Version 2,494,738 synchronised 6:11am 24th May 20??
Booting...
Please wait...
Please wait..
Weapons detected
- SR25 Semi Automatic Sniper Rifle. 100 rounds.
- 40mm DLP6 Grenade launcher. 5 Grenades.
- Bowie knife arm
Authority = maximum security.
Mission Program = Termination.
Parameters:
Target = ListAllResidents, deceased=False.
Target Zone = Australia Mainland
North = 10.68916667, 142.53055556
East = 28.63750000, 153.63722222
South = 39.13888889, 146.37388889
West = 26.15138889, 113.15500000
Generating Target List from ListAllResidents...
24,628,228 entries found.
24,612,152 entries confirmed deceased.
16,076 possible targets.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
Target acquired: George Abbott, 16. location confirmed. Distance to target 1.4km.
Distance to target: 500m.
Distance to target: 100m.
Distance to target: 50m.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Target out of sight. Activate Grenade Launcher.
Deploy grenade.
Scanning for target... termination of target confirmed.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
14,322 possible targets.
Target acquired: Graham Lee, 27. Location confirmed. Distance to target 5.8km.
Distance to target 3.6km.
Distance to target 1.2km.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Termination of target confirmed.
Additional Targets Acquired: Janet Lee, 29, Joseph Lee, 6, Sophie Lee, 4.
Target, Janet Lee, in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Termination of target confirmed.
Targets Joseph Lee and Sophie Lee out of sight.
Position calculated.
Activate Grenade Launcher.
Deploy grenade.
Termination of targets confirmed.
====================
11,145 possible targets.
Target acquired: Jason Smith, location confirmed. Distance to target 15.8km.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Target out of sight. Activate Grenade Launcher.
Deploy grenade.
Termination of target confirmed.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
9,255 possible targets.
Target acquired: Michael Johnson, 52, location confirmed. Distance to target 12.2km.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Termination of target confirmed.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
7,115 possible targets.
Target acquired: Jackie Murphy, 45, location confirmed. Distance to target 22.2km.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Termination of target confirmed.
--------------------
Fuel low.
Ammunition low.
Secondary goal activated: remunition.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
4,342 possible targets.
Target acquired: James Douglas, 27, location confirmed. Distance to target 42.2km.
Target in visual range.
Additional Targets Acquired: Jonathan Douglas, 24, Lisa Brown, 22, Matthew Smith, 24, Joseph Williams, 23, Sarah Martin, 23.
Activate Rifle.
Termination of target confirmed.
Ammunition exhausted.
Deploy grenade.
Termination of target, Jonathan Douglas, confirmed.
Deploy grenade.
Termination of target, Lisa Brown, confirmed.
Damage to body.
Rear Left Propeller destroyed.
Activate knife.
Termination of target, Matthew Smith, confirmed.
Termination of target, Joseph Williams, confirmed.
Target out of sight.
Searching...
Searching...
Target in visual range.
Termination of target, Sarah Martin, confirmed.
--------------------
Return for repair and remunition.
Travelling to Repair Bay (-37.6635292, 142.2016109)
Docking at repair bay.
Power save mode activated.
Power save mode deactivated.
--------------------
Scanning list for closest target.
12 possible targets.
Target acquired: Chris Busietta. Location confirmed. Distance to target 2780km.
Distance to target: 500m.
Distance to target: 100m.
Distance to target: 50m.
Target in visual range.
Activate Rifle.
Target out of sight. Activate Grenade Launcher.
Deploy grenade.
Scanning for target... termination of target confirmed.
Scanning list for closest target.
0 possible targets.
Mission program complete.
Travelling to Repair Bay (-37.6635292, 142.2016109)
Docking at repair bay.
Shutting down.
Credits
All music and lyrics written, arranged and performed by Christopher Busietta
All artwork and photography by Christopher Busietta, except the element of Planet Earth taken from Wikipedia Commons.
(c) 2021, Christopher Busietta. All rights reserved.
Thank-you to everyone who has followed and encoraged me as I wrote and recorded this album - especially during lockdown.
If you have bought a physical copy of this CD, you are amongst my biggest fans - thank-you for continuing to follow me on my musical journey.
Thank-you Dad, Geeta, Mehmet Ali, Lou, Steve and Ramsay for listening to the early versions of the album.
And a special thank-you to my wife, Hélène, and to my son Leonard for requesting and dancing to all my music. I love you both so much!
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