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Madman EP

by Forthteller

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1.
Carthage 03:49
Carthage To the queen of Carthage *1 We all pay homage For the faults we share For the shame we bear Dug deep into these holes It consumes our souls Though on these graves we tread We are the living dead We mindlessly consume As my hands lose their grip I sit here and stare. Drifting into a world that's taking me nowhere. Watching the years As they race off the clock Driven by my fears And I can't make it stop To Carthage then I came, where there sang all around me in my ears a cauldron of unholy loves *2 All things, oh priests How they burn How they burn Oh, how they burn *3 When will I wake The truth is we’re dying When will I see This world isn't lying Wake up wake up The truth is we're dying Wake up wake up Wake up Wake up The caverns of whores and sirens Have devoured every ounce of my strength. I can't remember what it's like to not be dying Oh God, this will be the end if me The end of me. *1 Reference to Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage *2 This reference is from the third book of St. Augustines Confessions *3 This is an adaptation from Buddha’s Fire Sermon. The combination of these to quotes was inspire by T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, which features the same juxtiposition.
2.
Shapeshifters We stare into the face of our own reflections Reflecting the smiles we fake Deflecting the eyes we meet Hollow men *1 with hollow eyes Our countenances carved to hide our inconsistencies But the constancy of our tumultuous existence is never far behind In the wake of our illusions we fill each other's heads with un-quieted delusions We choose a barren yet harmonious calm rather than a fertile Yet cacophonous tempest *2 We make believe and carry on to watch as others feed On the weakened minds of those who’ve never found a home to calm their anxious thoughts or sooth their aching bones. We'd rather play it safe and hope they never find us to be liars If I don't know, then they don't know we hide the scars we'd always wished to show. How long will we fade behind the fabricated images of who we wish to be We are the players and the patrons of our own distorted schemes! *3 We play the part our bodies take their shape Our minds grow weary counting the faces we've faked. Surrounded by bodies and the sound of shuffling feet We scurry on, known only by the promises we failed to keep Far too afraid to awaken the slumbering dead That lie dormant deep inside our heads Softly they whisper in an unknown tongue Reminding us of how the siren sung We thought that fear and love were always black and white And we listened without mind to wrong or right But now the truths revealed, no solace or impunity Just a sea of voices and a self impaired community We are conditioned for concealment We embrace these masks with such vehemence Draw out the lines that define us Break down the walls that confine you and I Draw out the lines that define us Draw out the lines How long will we fade behind the fabricated images of who we wish to be? We are the players and the patrons of our own distorted schemes! *1 T.S. Eliot; The Hollow Men *2 From The Infernal Desire Machines of Dr. Hoffman. *3 An adaptation from Shakespeares “All of us are merely players”
3.
American Beauty *1 We are the bastard sons of your all consuming greed The product of your selfish deeds Trading something real for something hollow You learned to shut up and follow Running toward the life you were sold You've left us here to die alone In the wake of the lies you've told You have left broken, shattered homes. You turned your back When we needed you the most This is the life, the path you chose The ingenuity of our existence Justifies our persistence While striving for your own achievement You leave nothing but bereavement What is this life you seek For the pride you keep In the things you own Unknown Idols carved in stone Seeking nothing more than sights and sounds *2 Your hopelessness resounds But the choices you make Effect more than the smiles you fake In the wake of your reification *3 It's our lives you take But we've seen past the fraudulence That you've shrouded in opulence *4 In the wake of the life you led You left us for dead Now we will see The end of your greed Look to the skies *5 Unlearn the lies These bodies are meant for the grave Look in her eyes Watch as she dies And realize that you bare the shame. *1 A reference to the movie by the same name. *2 from Plato's critique of the theater "lovers of sights and sounds"-the human condition *3 from Marxist philosophy. The turning of people into objects and giving objects the status of exceeding importance *4 My first serious exposure to this word "opulence" was during my reading of Herbert Marcuse's seminal work "One-Dimentional man". However, in my application of this word, where Marcuse means to suggest that the "opulence" of modern society creates a mode of Total Administration that repressive the desire for revolution, I intend to suggest that our opulence is a byproduct not of modern society, but of the human condition in general that, in this case, dismantles the family unit. *5 The Devil Wears Prada
4.
The Arbiter 03:02
The Arbiter *1 Day of judgment! Day of wonders! Hark! the trumpet’s awful sound, Louder than a thousand thunders, Shakes the vast creation round How the summons will the sinner’s heart confound! The dead awaken, Rise to life from earth and sea; All the powers of nature shaken By One look, prepares to flee. Careless sinner, what will then become of thee? Horrors, past imagination, Will surprise your trembling heart, When you hear your condemnation, “Hence, accursed wretch, depart! Thou, with Snake and slithering tongue, have thy part!” *2 *1 From Halo 2 *2 This song is an adaptation of John Newton’s Hymn “Day of judgment! Day of wonders!”
5.
Westboro 05:18
Westboro *1 Vile filth sits behind your lips Your lungs exhale from the pit of hell Cloaked in "righteousness” your perversion rots your flesh The weight of your increasing debt Is a millstone around your neck Hung by the knot tied in your words Your dwelling place is the ocean floor. *2 Drowning in the blood of those you've led astray Your charming game Is the knot you tie For selfish gain you’ve crafted our demise Pointing twisted fingers Weaving endless lies You are the wolf in the midst of sheep *3 You and I have no peace to keep! *4 Your eyes are a mirror Your heart is a mire You prey on the helpless Any last words You’ve led us to the gallows With flattering tongue You’ve led us to the gallows and harkened our ruin The hangman's noose Is where you'll rest your head The demons you've loosed Are the very ones you dread Your death will come From your arrogant blasphemes The prince of lies *5 Is counting the souls you reap Running your mouth is the only trick you know Your true colors are starting to show Turning water to tithes *6 Your end is where the worm never dies Preaching lies with hate and disgust You’ll turn to dust with the midas touch Exhaling lies until your final breath You are the harbinger of death The ground lays open for the Lives you’ve destroyed You’ve led us to the gallows With flattering tongue You’ve led us to the gallows You will be silenced! You will die, a coward's death. You’ll rot in the flesh till there’s nothing left. *1 Westboro Baptist Church, to be exact. *2 Matthew 18:6; A large portions of the references in this song are condemnations that scripture levels against false teachers. *3 Matthew 7:15 *4 Romans 12:18; This verse refers to keeping peace with brothers and sisters in Christ. *5 John 8:44 *6 John 2:1-11; This passage refers Jesus’ first miracle in which He turns water into wine. The suggestion with the reference is that false teachers are using the Gospel to garner personal wealth.

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released May 21, 2016

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Forthteller Brandon, Florida

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