“I won't let you make a tool of me, I will keep my mind and body free.” An independent soul. Ani, of course, is the epitome of this, starting her own record company way back before anyone came up with the term “indie”. “I will not be your bankroll,” she’s still willing to say. I agree with her sentiments 100%, and have found that through the years not many people agree. Most people are simply willing to be fed what’s given them, because it’s simply too much work to be a free thinker. Thinking requires thought. “I won't forfeit my creativity to a world that's all laid out for me.” We are not born into this world craving the deaths of people ½ way across the world, we are slowly transformed into believing that someone with power knows more than us what is going on. The last 8 years should have shown us that this is simply not true. The WMD were never found. I was sucked into the army at an early point of my life, but found I couldn’t bring myself to kill people just because someone said to, so while I was facing court-martial a pastor came to me that explained the concept of conscientious objection. That fit me, and I have never figured out why that doesn’t fit everyone.
The point of this tirade is another line in this song that I agree with 100% - always have, always will: “I can't support the troops, cause every last one of them is being duped.” The simple truth is – if you support the troops, you support the false dreams of the government. The troops do not have to kill people ½ way across the world. They are choosing to. The troops each have a mind of their own, and they are choosing to use it to blindly follow lies.
Shoutouts for love songs that belie Ani’s reputation as “an angry one”, Smiling Underneath (“I don’t mind the twinge when I walk on that knee that I hurt”), Way Tight (“it's just that kind of evening that cracks open like a half shaken beer”), and Star Matter (“love sets fire to your schedule and then calls an end to time”). Ani DiFranco
