I don't know why, but I never heard of Natalie Merchant until today when this song was posted on Facebook. It is perhaps the most mournfully prophetic song imaginable, and beautiful. It evokes the tragic inevitability of what we can see but cannot stop. Apparently, there's much more. Lyrics below.
It’s a-coming.
Wild fires, dying lakes,
landslides, hurricanes,
apocalypse in store
like nothing ever seen before.
landslides, hurricanes,
apocalypse in store
like nothing ever seen before.
It’s a-coming.
Third-generation refugees,
street mob burning effigies,
revolution, civil war
like nothing ever seen before.
street mob burning effigies,
revolution, civil war
like nothing ever seen before.
It’s a-coming.
Pale-horse rider come,
blistered by the morning sun,
tell about what he can see,
crystal ball of mercury.
blistered by the morning sun,
tell about what he can see,
crystal ball of mercury.
It’s a-coming. It’s gonna come.
Jungle slashed and jungle burned,
the monkeys and the painted birds
the monkeys and the painted birds
climb the vines, the limbs and leaves,
the lungs that let the whole world breathe.
the lungs that let the whole world breathe.
It’s a-coming.
All the ones that failed to thrive,
starved out and buried alive,
something evil, something free,
calamity.
starved out and buried alive,
something evil, something free,
calamity.
It’s gonna come.
Space Race, the old Cold War,
atom bomb was gonna settle the score.
atom bomb was gonna settle the score.
You wait and see. It’s a long time coming
but it’s a-coming. It’s gonna come.
Third-generation refugees,
street mob burning effigies,
revolution, civil war
like nothing ever seen before.
street mob burning effigies,
revolution, civil war
like nothing ever seen before.
Like nothing ever seen before.
Haunting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gail.
ReplyDeleteAnd on another theme, I just did a post on Kunstler's new book, A History of the Future. Have a look?
http://leavingbabylon.wordpress.com
Let other women know!
Just as an FYI. Natalie Merchant is best known as the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, although she has had some solo success. There best one-size-fits-all album of 10,000 Maniacs is the MTV unplugged cd.
ReplyDeleteShe has a killer voice, but she doesn't seem to manufacture those "hooks" that consistent pop stars need to keep them in the lime light.
Thanks Gail, thanks Natalie!
ReplyDeleteYouTube:
Thick as Thieves Natalie Merchant (can't link it on this computational antique)
She did a tour in the early 90s 'Earth Buddies Tour' with 10,000 Maniacs which Mrs. Catman306 attended.
Russell1200, I doubt if Natalie ever wanted to be in the lime light, nor a pop star.
Not bad, Gail, has a nice flow to it, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHere's a video and tune by Boards of Canada that has quite the haunting, desolate and/or bleakness to it, at least according to my neurons. Yours may differ.
http://youtu.be/2jTg-q6Drt0
The tune is 'Reach for The Dead', from the Album, 'Tomorrow's Harvest'.
If you like this kind of stuff, another recommends-- along with the excellent video-- would be Port Royal's 'Balding Generation: Losing Hair As We Lost Hope'. Yes, that's the title!
http://youtu.be/tpxUHmd5fj0