IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY IT IS, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S WRONG

“It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong V” was released on May 31, 2024 and is the fifth installment in an ongoing series of loosely related, quadrennial recordings that are released during presidential election years in the United States. All songs by John Elliott (BMI) 2024.

LISTEN ONLY AT BANDCAMP!

I STILL LIKE OBAMA

I still like Obama

Even though I know now he was not as good as we thought he was

In fact, he was not good at all

But I still like Obama

I still like Obama 'cause I still wanna believe in hope and that we can be

Better than we are, and better than we were, and better than Obama turned out to be

We can change, we can be anything we wanna be

So I still like Obama even though he killed civilians with drones

And expanded the surveillance state and infringed upon our freedoms

He looked so good on a screen

Maybe that's all we want, maybe that's all we need, maybe that's all we want

I don't know I'm just trying to be the best me I can be

And I gotta believe that so is Obama

So I still like Obama and I don't think that he is to blame for what happened after him

Because we are responsible for our reactions to whatever happens

We are adults and we're responsible

We are adults are we're responsible

Some of us are children but the rest of us are not

And we need to be who we are, we need to be who we are

So I still like Obama

I listened to the entirety of his podcast with Bruce Springsteen

And I know I am precisely the target audience

And I recognize it had a lot of problems

Because two wealthy members of the elite, regardless of their backgrounds

Cannot identify with being outsiders

But I still liked the podcast

And I still like Bruce Springsteen

And I…I…I…

Despite all that has happened since

And all that has not happened yet

And everything I've grown to understand about politics and humanity

I…I…I…I still like Obama

50 STATES WITH 50 SHAPES

Let it all hang out in Florida

Keep it crazy, keep it loud

Or hold it in in Minnesota

Under a thick emotional shroud

Idaho, ho boy ho joy

You’re armed and you are free

Montana you are too with ranches

Wyoming too, also with ranches

It’s all good, it’s all right, it’s all white

Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska

We got federal farm agricultural subsidies a-plenty for ya

Grow some soybeans and some corn

Fight for God and the unborn

It’s all good, it’s all right, it’s all white

50 states with 50 ways to be

Some are shameful, some disdainful

Some for you and some for me

Whatever it is you’re after It’s in the land of the so-called free

We got 50 states with 50 shapes and 50 ways to be

New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and New Mexico

The sequel’s never as good as the original

We got Connecticut for pills and cash

Maine for when you need to crash

Massachusetts, choose it and you’ll be a Masshole soon

Haunted vacant South and North Dakota

Blood on your hands, blood in your soil

Blood in Texas too (and also oil)

Oklahoma, Jesus loves you

Mississippi, God does too

It’s an odyssey from slavery to genocide to Christ

California was so peaceful ‘till the people and the cars

Arizona, pretty sweet in the desert under stars

Burning dead and burning far from whatever it is we are

50 states with 50 shapes and 50 ways to be

Oregon and Washington, granola/libertarian

Nevada for the silver and the bets and the sex

The mess of Colorado for the rich and for the drunk

Maryland was merry, but it also stunk

For a fee, Tennessee

A tragic flaw, Arkansas

We got Georgia for ya, racists in a swamp

Louisiana, better food, also racists in a swamp

Misery in Missouri

Corruption in Kentucky

Michigan is pretty nice

Wisconsin, good for fishin’

Pennsylvania, no one can blame ya

Oh me oh my oh

What a specific place to live your life

Your one and only precious life

Oh tell me we or why oh

Would you live it in Ohio?

Alaska, the final frontier

Hawaii, Europeans don’t belong here

Carolina North, better than Carolina South of course

It’d be nice to live in Utah

Virginia, old dominion

West Virginia, west dominion

Vermont is verdant, gentle, kind, and cold

Rhode Island, not an island, but it’s old

From the country to the city, it’s a joy in Illinois

Alabama, Indiana, get out of you can

Delaware, so easy to forget it’s even there

50 states with 50 ways to be

Some are shameful, some disdainful

Some for you and some for me

Whatever it is you’re after

It’s in the land of the so-called free

We got 50 states with 50 shapes and 50 ways to be

I MISS THE PANDEMIC SO MUCH

I miss the pandemic so much, I miss everything about it

I miss the roads being open, I miss how everything closed

I miss how everyone I know was doing nothing

The skies were so clear like before the people were here

I could see the mountains behind the mountains behind the mountains

And the birds were louder than they’ve ever been before

I miss the pandemic so much, I miss everything about it

And yeah, I know there was a lot of suffering

But all there is every day is suffering

Whether there’s a pandemic on or not

We were all in in together

We were together for a little bit there

We grew out our hair, we got on our computers

And we connected more than ever before

And it was my favorite time on the planet

I miss the pandemic so much, I miss everything about it

COSTCO

I’m going to Costco

That’s where I wanna go

I’m going to Costco

That’s where I wanna go

Astonishing deals

I like a little Costco in most of my meals

Don’t tell me how to live my life

And I won’t tell you how to live yours

I’m going to Costco

That’s where I wanna go

I’m going to Costco

I’m not asking questions

Like where does the meat come from

And why is it all wrapped in plastic?

I’m not asking questions

I’m going to Costco

Toothpaste for a year

I’m going to Costco

For 500 beers

Nothing else makes sense

They just raised my rent again

I cannot afford it

Plus my car payment, plus gasoline

Even gas at Costco has gotten expensive

You know what I mean

Forget eating out

Forget doing anything fun now

That’s how it is

And that’s where we are

So get in the car ‘cause we’re goin to Costco

We’re gonna eat samples

We’re goin to Costco

The portions are ample

We’re goin to Costco

For a glasses prescription

We’re goin to Costco

For a glasses prescription

We’re goin to Costco

For a spending/shopping conniption

FIGHTING THE WHITE MAN

I’m Connie Chan

Do you know who I am?

I’m a local governor

I’m a virtue signaller

I’m Connie Chan

Do you know who I am?

I’m a neo-liberal

I’m a virtue signaller

I’m Connie Chan

I’m lookin out for my constituency

At least the ones who are the same as me

We’re a sensitive community

In our multi-million dollar homes that we own

We’re a sensitive community

I’m Connie Chan

I’m livin’ the American dream

I pulled the ladder up after me

We’re a sensitive community

I’m Connie Chan

Do you know who I am?

I’m fighting the white man

THE WHITE MAN

I am the white man, I have a dentist that I see

Consistently, twice a year, for an agreed upon fee

I am the white man, I have investments

And portfolios that are managed by a white man, whom I pay

Anyway I am a lot like you

I have a family too

I have a lot I am afraid of

I never owned a slave

That was long time ago

I only go to work and drive and fill my tank with gasoline

And drive some more

I am the white man

I have white privilege and fragility

That’s what they tell me so I guess I do

It’s best not to argue

And oh: we should consider reparations

But oh: there are a lot of complications

And the interracial couples on the Super Bowl commercials

Make me feel irrelevant, make me feel confused

About what I should feel and think and do now

I am the white man, I take vacations and PTO

I work so hard, it’s only fair I take some time off for me

I am the white man, I have a white wife

And white kids in an off white house

I guess it’s beige or maybe just tan

I am the white man

(And I compensate the Mexicans)

I am the white man

(Who blow the leaves and clean the house)

I am the white man

(I exchange my money for their labor)

I am the white man

BROWN MEN SOUTH OF BROWNSVILLE

Mother and father had a great life

They had enough to raise the six of us right

Now mother is gone and dad may as well be

He got hooked on the pills when he injured his knee

My sister’s gone heathen, she votes Democrat

The rest of us don’t know what to make about that

My brother lost his business when Obama came in

And my other brother just started drinking again

Blame the brown men south of Brownsville

Joe Rogan turned us onto the Covid hoax

Yeah, I’ve heard all the pedophile liberal jokes

But I know the truth when I hear it straight out

Of a wrestler stand up comedian’s mouth

In the ivory tower they call us all dumb

They make fun of our God, our belief, and our guns

I can’t wait to wipe off that smirk when we come

Give ‘em what they’re bargaining for

Them and the brown men south of Brownsville

The brown men south of Brownsville

We did what they told us, we followed the rules

Now they think that we’re stupid

They think that we’re fools

They think that we can’t see the games that they play

How the J-sixer patriots are all locked away

How the BLM thugs have the freedom to roam

To break into a business or burn down a home

While the God-fearing Christian whose ballot got lost

Rots in a cell and pays the ultimate cost

‘Cause of brown men south of Brownsville

If we don’t have a border our country is gone

And if our country is gone then whose side are you on?

Either get on the right side or get right with God

‘Cause we’re armed and we’re angry and we’re ready to fight

To fight for what’s ours and has been taken away

For our heritage lost in the lies that they say

For our status and flags that they made us take down

We’ll put ‘em back up and we’ll stand and be proud

‘Cause this country belongs to the strong and the brave

And the rest we will send to a treasonous grave

With the brown men south of Brownsville

IN THE 80s IN AMERICA

In the 80s in America we were causing quite a stir

We knew who we were, we knew we were better than they were

In the 80s in America we could weather any storm

We were the good guys And the good guys don’t forget where they were born

And they know every rose has its thorn

Just like every night has its dawn

Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song

Every rose has its thorn (yeah it does)

In the 80s there was AIDS yes

But it wasn’t on TV yet

In the 80s there were gays yes

But they stayed out of our faces

And with Cosby on TV we embraced our different races

We didn’t know he was a rapist in the 80s

We had fun

Boy did we have fun

It was morning again and we had fun

We were friends with Osama

We had money on Hussein

There was no way that could backfire

They both had armies that we trained

In the 80s in America we were wondrous and wild

On the face of every citizen was allegiance and a smile

Michael J. Fox wasn’t sick yet

Kirk Cameron wasn’t a dick yet

We had Growing Pains and Family Ties in the 80s

Rock and roll had riffs and hair

We were the world because we cared

We were the world and well aware of the stakes of where we stood

It was evil against good

It was Russia against us

In the 80s we knew who we could and who we could not trust

We were friends with Osama

We had money on Hussein

And their armies that we armed harmed only bad guys

As we watched the wall did crumble

As we watched the curtain fell

We had another victory to report and a freedom tale to tell

Good Lord Jesus kept us humble

Good Lord Jesus kept us clean

Good Lord Jesus kept us fed and kept us focused on the dream

The dream of freedom from the Commies

The dream of freedom for the Jews

The dream of freedom for the Muslims

And the Venezeuleans too

In the 80s in America there was freedom for us all

We had cable, we had cash, we had a ball

Every rose has its thorn

Just like every night has its dawn

Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song

Every rose has its thorn

THE LAST BLACK LIVES MATTER SIGN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The last black lives matter sign in the neighborhood

In the lower level corner apartment is not lookin' too good

They used to be everywhere around

Then everybody took 'em down

I guess that black lives don't matter

I guess that black lives don't matter after all

In this house we believe that science is real

In this house we believe that love is love

And kindness is everything

But kindness is not everything

Kindness is kindness

And everything is everything

And black lives don't matter, apparently

Black lives don't matter, it seems to me

Black lives don't matter after all

Rosa Parks showed courage one day

She rode the bus

She was told to move to a different seat

She did not

She did what she believed was right

The last black lives matter sign in the neighborhood

Is no longer there

They took it down

Sometime last night

Under the cover of dark

Why'd you take it down?

Why'd you put it up?

I guess that black lives don't matter

Black lives don't matter

Black lives don't matter after all

REPRISE

We all poop and wipe our butts after we poop

We all seek out opportunities to have an orgasm

We all drink fluids and pee out those fluids

We all breathe the same air, we all have variations of hair

We are all mostly made of water

We are all have a mother and a father

We all are subjected to an endless barrage of commercialism and consumer culture, especially around Christmas time

We all see gas prices, we all see grocery store prices

We all wish those prices were lower than they are

We all wanna blame someone for those prices

We all interact with electronic devices

We all have feelings

We all have reasons

We all have hopes and desires, disappointments and regrets

We all have things we want to do that we haven’t don’t yet

We all have things we want to see before we die

We all die and we are all born

We all get forlorn, we all get mad

We all have to get money and we all spend money

We all think about money

We all want more money

Even if we talk about gratitude and having enough and being grateful for what we have we all want more money

We’re all the same (sometimes lame)

We’re all the same (in 50 states)

We’re all the same (in different shapes)

We’re all the same (with different ways to be)

We’re all the same (we’re all to blame)

We’re all the same (let’s tone is down)

We’re all the same (let’s take a deep breath)

We’re all the same (before this all gets out of hand)

We’re all the same (from coast to coast)

We’re all the same (from sea to sea)

We’re all the same

You and me and them and they and her and him

And LGBTQIA2+

It’s a lot I know I don’t understand it either but I love and trust and support it though because we are all the same

Let’s aim higher

With love not guns

Let’s inspire

With what we say and what we do

Let’s do better

Let’s improve

Let’s grow

Let’s roll

Let’s go

All words written by John Elliott 2024.

It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong IV

“It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong IV” was released in October 2020 and is the fourth installment in an ongoing series of loosely related, quadrennial recordings that are released during presidential election years in the United States. All songs by John Elliott (BMI) 2020.

LISTEN ON BANDCAMP

Alternate Timeline

There are many possible worlds, there are many possible worlds

So we didn’t lose Betty, we didn’t lose Betty

Betty is alive in another timeline

Betty didn’t die in the tower, Betty didn’t die in the tower after all

And Pete never went to the war

And if Pete never went to the war

Then he may not have any swords and I may have never met him

If Pete never went to the war, that’s one more cycle ended

One more violent cycle ended

In another timeline Wallace never hears a buzzing sound

In another timeline Charlie and Charlie are together

2012: the Mayans were right

Hurricane Sandy was a timeline switch

From that world to this, from that world to this

In that world Mitt

In that world Mitt wins

And none of this happens

A Return to Normalcy (2020)

I just wanna drive my car and go to the store

Nothing more, nothing more

Buy an açaí bowl and a phone or four

Nothing more, nothing more

I know I won’t be rich, but I don’t wanna be poor

Nothing more, nothing more

I want a place to be with a roof and a door

Nothing more, nothing more

Give me a job and a salary

Direct deposit it straight to me

I’ll use it for rent and for groceries

Dignified and free

I want a return to normalcy

We need a return to normalcy

I want a return to normalcy

I feel it deep inside of me

We need a return to normalcy

I wanna go drinking with my pals

I wanna creep up on all the gals

You know, all these crazy changes are affecting me too

Me too

I’m affected

I want a return to normalcy

Products as far as I can see

We’ll eat at a restaurant twice a week

I’ll take you out dancing cheek to cheek

I wanna get loaded up and drive

Take out a payday loan and thrive

It’s only several easy payments of $19.95

(There was a time) It’s almost all forgotten

(There was a time) When each race knew their place

(There was a time) The middle classes thrived

(There was a time) The white folk could survive

(There was a time) Survive!

I want a return to normalcy

Purchase a house with a college degree

Buy a sedan and an SUV

Have a couple kids or three

We had a supplemental fridge

We barely used it, but we did

You know, all these crazy changes are affecting me too

Me too

I’m affected

Me too

I’m affected

Evicted

Grab your toys kids and grab your clothes

We gotta go, we gotta go

Maybe to the shelter, maybe to my mom’s

I don’t know, I don’t know

Sheriff at the front door armed for a war

A platoon of men in a moving van

Grab what you can, leave the rest behind

We’re gettin’ evicted

You’re gonna have to change schools again and find new friends

We’ll make do, we’ll make do

I couldn’t pay the gas bill, couldn’t pay for heat

Now our stuff is on the street, our life is on the street

The place was a mess, the pipes were clogged and stuck

I slave for my pay just to give it all up

The landlord drives up in her fancy truck

We’re gettin’ evicted

Now my kids are hungry and my kids are cold

I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep

Seen seventy places full of cracks and mold

Denied each time, denied each time

Man at the last place dangles the key

Says maybe we can have it if he can have me

It’s Hard To Be White

It’s hard to be white

It used to be cool

We used to be king

We could do anything

We could say, “Merry Christmas”

We could worship our Lord

Buy a Chevy or Ford

Or a very loud motorbike

It’s hard to be white

We wrote all the rules

And now they keep breaking

And changing the bathrooms

And killing policemen

Who serve and protect

And deserve our respect

While they suffer and fight

It’s hard to be white

Faster and faster and more every day

They’re erasing our culture away

Now we get Spanish announcements on the store P.A.

They used to go back, now they come here to stay

Bills are due, money is tight

It’s hard to be white

We were doin’ it right in the suburbs

Sleepin’ all night in the suburbs

Livin’ the dream in the suburbs

We were happy to be in the suburbs

Keeping it clean in the suburbs

Livin’ the dream in the suburbs

If it’s war they want, then it’s war they get

They better believe that our blood and spit

And the tears we spilled to conquer this land

And the savages we killed were all part of the plan

Not for nothing we came, not for nothing we built

Not for nothing we revolted, not for nothing we rebelled

It’s easy to be victimized

To take handouts and believe elitist lies

And professors who teach you who to despise

It’s easy to be the underdog

It’s hard to be rich

It’s hard to be right

It’s hard to be white

It’s hard to be rich

It’s hard to be right

It’s hard to be white

Burn Minneapolis

If the violence won’t end and the killing won’t stop

Then the next one who dies I hope is a cop

And I hope that he suffers and I hope he can’t breathe

And I hope it lasts long and I hope we can see

And I hope that his cheek is pushed into the street

And it grinds and it tears and it bleeds

If it’s come to this, then it’s come to this

Execute the officers and burn Minneapolis

If it’s come to this, then it’s come to this

Execute the officers and burn Minneapolis

Company Man

He’s a slave catcher company man armed with weapons of war

He’s a meat-head murderer company man with a pension and perks galore

It’s easy to hate, it’s fun to despite, a man such as he

Armed to the teeth

Armed to do battle with the homeless and the poor

What else is he for?

He’s a slave catcher company man armed with weapons of war

He’s a meat-head murderer company man with a pension and perks galore

He upholds and he enforces laws of racist filth

Laws unjust and wrong

Armed to the teeth

Armed to do battle with with the homeless and the poor

What else is he for?

Laws created by men of means

Men of unjustifiable, unquantifiable wealth

Men who buy and pay men like these

To strut through the streets and extract petty fees like petty thieves

To intimidate black and brown children and hunt and kill citizens

In the home of the sick and the land of the trapped

In a uniform slick and a ridiculous cap

This is the world we made and accept

For so long

Since we settled on farms and we grew extra food and we needed an asshole to guard it

That’s how policing started

When we settled on farms and we grew extra food and we needed an asshole to guard it

That’s how policing started

He’s a slave catcher company man armed with weapons of war

He’s a meat-head murderer company man with a pension and perks galore

WWG1WGA (Enjoy the Show)

I’m a Q-duder, I’m a YouTuber

I’m in deep state probate

I live in Arizona, I live in Arizona

(Enjoy the show) CNN can eat my ass

(Murder the blacks) Suck my dick and sniff my gas

(Record it on your phone)

I live in Arizona, I live in Arizona

(It’s prophecy, not crime) I post and I tweet

(Suck my white behind) I eat meat

I tithe motherfucker, I tithe

Now let me log in and own some libard, fuckface, they/them, transfag, snowflake, deep state trolls

I’m on a fuckin’ roll

I live in Arizona

I trust the plan

It’s the calm before the storm

Where we go one we go all

Enjoy the show

(I trust the plan) We gotta focus on the family

(I trust the plan) Stock up and get swole

(I trust the plan) It’s apocalyptic Super Bowl

(I trust the plan) By hook or by crook we’ll learn the truth about Sandy Hook

(I trust the plan) It’s the calm before the storm

(I trust the plan) Where we go one we go all

(I trust the plan) No one can stop what is coming

(I trust the plan) Where we go one we go all

Public Executions

Heads will roll, heads will roll, heads will roll

I’m ready for the executions, I’m ready for the executions

Bullets in the brains

I’m ready for the executions

Bullets between the eyes

I’m ready for the executions, I’m ready for the retributions

I’m ready for the executions

Bullets between the eyes

Bullets in the brains

Public executions in the town squares

Everybody gonna be there

18 and over, 18 and over

You can put in on your Instagram

You can put it on your Tik Tok too

Explicit warning, adult advisory

Bullets in the brain, bullets in the brain

Public executions

Heads are gonna roll

Public executions

Bring a blanket, bring a snack

Bring a camera, bring a flask

Everybody will be there

18 and over

Bullets between the eyes

Public executions

Parents are advised, parents are advised

Everybody will be there

At the city hall or in the town square

18 and over

Public executions, public executions

We’ll make it look nice, make it official

Officers in uniforms carrying flags

We’re only following footsteps

Public executions, bullets in the brains

Bullets between the eyes

On the nightly news

Put the highlights up on YouTube

For everyone to see, for everyone to feel

You can hear the applause, you can see ‘em all kneel

You can watch ‘em all beg, when they know that it’s real

You can see ‘em all feel, you can tell that it’s real

A public execution, bullets between the eyes

18 and over

Parents are advised

A public execution, bullets in the brains

Bring a picnic and camera and an umbrella if it rains

A public execution, bullets between the eyes

Get dressed up nice

Parents are advised

A public execution, bullets in the brains

Bring a picnic and camera and an umbrella if it rains

A public execution, bullets between the eyes

Public executions, bullets in the brains

Public executions, bullets between the eyes

Public executions, bullets in the brains

Public executions, bullets between the eyes

Public executions, bullets in the brains

How Ned Came To The Mohawk Valley

We are who we were, we grow and we learn, we learn and evolve and transform

So who was Ned before?

Who was Ned before?

Before he moved to the Mohawk Valley…

He was born in the fifties, grew up in the sixties

Came out in ‘78

He was a product of privilege and a product of wealth

He was poised to be rich and be great

He got his degrees from universities in finance and business galore

He moved to New York and got a job at the top of a tower, cocked to the core

As the 80s began he was hungry and able

He invested impressive amounts

His bosses were pleased, he fudged all his fees

He believed a man’s worth is what counts

And so it was and so it went for twenty-plus odd years

Ned the hard-ass banker man

Ned the stressed out suit, the downtown dweller

Those decades were fast and those decades were dark

Monstrous fortunes were made

Ned fell in love with a man in the park and the man had the gay plague

Nobody knew how to treat it or beat it

Reagan ignored it was real

Ned’s lover died alone in the hospital

Ned taught himself not to feel

He was lucky to live, he was not infected

He buried his hurt and his pain

He lost himself in his work, his stocks went berserk

And Ned rose to Wall Street fame

Yes, it’s safe to say Y2K was a bust

By then Ned was a billionaire

He was overweight and overworked and a heart attack waiting to happen

He was a company man

On the morning it happened Ned had an appointment in his office on the 69th floor

He got in at eight, he never was late

Whatever he had he could always make more

He happened to look out and up and at Tower One at 8:46

The airplane came fast, flew in with a flash

And Ned thought, “I can’t believe this”

His co-workers screamed, his bosses appeared

They all knew that danger was near

Ned thought, “If airplanes are targeting towers we gotta get folks out of here”

Then commotion ensued and the folks were confused

An announcement came on the P.A.

“Listen to me, this is the Port Authority

You’ll be safe if you stay where you are.

The South Tower is good, the South Tower is strong

You’ll be safe if you stay at your desk.”

The people calmed down, the people relaxed

It’s good to know what to expect

But Ned wasn’t buying it, Ned wasn’t sure

Ned simply did not agree

He looked out a window to the south and the west at the Statue of Liberty

He spotted the plane, he watched it fly in in a terrible trajectory

He watched it crash into the South Tower ten floors about him at 9:03

Oh Ned, Oh Ned

Thousands of people will be dead

The building exploded, the deafening noise assaulted their ears and their minds

And folks who were wealthy and folks who were not

Were suddenly all terrified

Ned saw it happen and Ned saw the danger and Ned’s intuition kicked in:

“We’ve gotta get people through hallways to stairways, we’ve gotta get people out now”

He calmed them all down

They were cooled by the sound of a man who was steady and clear

He brought them together down 69 floors and he sang to them, quelling their fears

They emerged from the building at 9:51

In the sun they were blinking and fine

They were walking away, feeling almost okay, when the tower collapsed at 9:59

They all ran for cover, they jumped in an alcove, with Ned again in the lead

In the smoke and the ash, through the screams and the terror and the coughs

Not a single employee was lost

He was a company (wonderful) man

An era was over, the towers were gone

The city was never the same

Ned went to his boss at the end of the month and said, “I gotta get out of the game”

He sold his place and he moved upstate where the air was quiet and clear

In the Mohawk Valley he started over again while the country collapsed into fear

It took several years to release and unwind and to find the sweetness in a simpler life

But Ned had the cash and Ned had the time to heal his heart and transform his mind

And do his part to end the cycle of violence

A Return to Normalcy (1920)

I have a dream we can return to our way of life before the war

I have a dream, I have a dream

We can return to normalcy

I have a dream, I have a dream

I have a dream we can return to normalcy

Not heroics, but healing

Not nostrums, but normalcy

Not revolution, but restoration

Not agitation, but adjustment

Not surgery, but serenity

Not the dramatic, but the dispassionate

Not experiment, but equipoise

Not submergence in internationality

But sustainment in triumphant nationality

There are major strikes in meat-packing and steel

Fear of these radicals and terrorists is real

There are race riots in Chicago

There are anarchists on Wall Street

The Germans and Catholics are outraged at the British

Fear of these radicals and terrorists is real

After this Red Summer we need to wash our hands clean

I was there when Eugene crossed the line

In this timeline the white folks stoned him and the child drowned and died

In another timeline Eugene survived

I was there

Not heroics, but healing (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not nostrums, but normalcy (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not revolution, but restoration (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not agitation, but adjustment (Bring us back Warren G)

Not surgery, but serenity (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not the dramatic, but the dispassionate (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not experiment, but equipoise (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not submergence in internationality (Bring us back Warren G)

Not heroics, but healing (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not nostrums, but normalcy (Bring us back to normalcy)

Not revolution, but restoration (Bring us back to normalcy)

All words written by John Elliott 2020.

it doesn't matter 3.jpeg — It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong III

ISIS
The Most Qualified President In History
The Art Of The Deal
Diminishing Numbers
Hikikomori
It’s Okay, It’s Fine (Most Of The Time)
On 9/11
“It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong III” was released in 2016. It is the third installment in an ongoing series of loosely related, quadrennial recordings that are released during presidential election years in the United States. All songs by John Elliott (BMI) 2016.
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP

ISIS

I heard of Isis on the fourth of July

But I could not believe it was true for too long

So I grew a long beard and flew into the sky

For middle of the east, to sort right out from wrong

I came to a low place of anger and joy

The difference was carved into everyone’s face

The plane dropped me off, I walked up to a boy

I said I had some history I needed to erase

He called to a man who was ancient and scarred

I knew right away he was not understated

He said, “Are you lookin’ to decode something hard?”

I said, “I think so.” He said, “It’s all overrated.”

We set out at noon for the heat of the dunes

I gave him some blue jeans and he gave me his word

I said, “Where we goin’?” He said we be back by June

I said, “That’s the best news that I’ve ever heard.”

I was thinking about Iraq, I was thinking about Saddam

I was thinking about Bush and the world’s biggest drone

As we trudged through the sand like a satanic prom

I was thinking about ISIS and how they too had a home

How they told us that one day they’d nuke us to hell

And things would be different when they ruled the land

If they only could make propaganda to sell

But ours is so slick and so rich and so grand

We came a suburb all embedded in sun

He said, “There’s a man here who you need to shoot

If you take this man out then this war will be won

Just dump his body at sea” — I said, “that seems too cute”

The wind it was howlin’ and the heat was outrageous

We searched through the night and we searched thought the dawn

When he died I was hoping that it wasn’t contagious

But I made up my mind that I had to go on

I broke down a door, but the compound was empty

There was no man, no nothin’, I felt I’d been tricked

When I saw my companion was just being crazy

When I followed him here I must’a been sick

I grabbed his arms and I dragged him inside

I covered him up with a blanket and a skillet

I sang a quick song and I felt satisfied

Then I rode back to find ISIS just to curse it and kill it

They were there in the desert where the oil still flows

Surrounded by guns and in need of some food

I came in from the west with the sand in my toes

I struck them one time, then I took all their crude

They said, “What’s your deal?” I said, “I am special”

They said, “You look angry.” I said, “That’s my flow.”

They said, “You been wrong.” I said, “So have you.”

They said, “You gonna quit?” I said, “Never. No.”

Isis, oh, Isis, you’re a mystical crew

What scares us in you is what makes us a lie

I still can remember the way that you grew

As the fireworks flew on the fourth of July

THE MOST QUALIFIED CANDIDATE IN HISTORY

the most qualified candidate in history

she's a mystery

all the time

she’s got money

she’s got money on her mind

the most qualified candidate in history

secretary misery

once upon a time

she’s got money

she’s got money on her mind

boo boo boo boo boo

she’s always changing up her hair doo

baa baa baa baa

she gets in sticky situations

boo boo boo boo

she got a record reputation

she’s always saying something but she’s never saying nothing at all

the most qualified candidate in history

she’s got money

she’s got money on her mind

THE ART OF THE DEAL

The art of the deal

Do some qualudes & steal

In the 80s there were ladies and lines

There were shakers and movers

Check book bakers and boozers

Groovers groovin’ to the wall street grind

The art of the deal

Order takeout every meal

Mind the market, hit your target, get your prize

Both the bear and the bull, what you wear gets you pull

In the restaurants where the well to do dine

They say greed is good and they’re right about that

At the drop of a hat, it could all be gone

All gone

The art of the deal

Go with your gut, do what you feel

Just groovers groovin’ to the Wall Street grind

They got money, they got money on their mind

DIMINISHING NUMBERS

I didn’t die in the epidemic

I stayed alive for awhile

I moved along the Mohawk river

I lived along the Mohawk river

I got along

A refugee showed up and said

They want an alliance

We were mourning our dead

We killed the refugee

And we’d do it again

This is a war

Whose side are you on?

What are you fighting for?

Why are you fighting?

We attacked the southeast

Took six hundred captives at least

Then they killed our leader

So we took ‘em out

We destroyed them

And their allies attacked us

And it went on and on and on and on

Diminishing numbers

And out of supplies

We accepted their offer

But it just wasn’t right

And then over time

Diminishing numbers

On the mohawk river

Diminishing numbers

On the Mohawk River

Diminishing numbers

HIKIKOMORI

Hikikomori

I don’t know anymore what I should do

I don’t know anymore

Hikikomori

I don’t know anymore what I should do

I don’t know anymore

Hikikomori

I don’t go anywhere

Hikiomori

I don’t go anywhere

Hikiomori

I don’t go anywhere anymore

Just leave me alone

Leave me alone

I don’t know anymore

I don’t know

Hikikomori

I don’t know anymore what I should do

I don’t know anymore

Hikikomori

I don’t know anymore what I should do

I don’t know anymore

Hikikomori

I don’t know anymore what I should do

I don’t know anymore

IT’S OKAY, IT’S FINE (MOST OF THE TIME)

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way be that way be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, it’s okay, go that way go that way

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, go that way

It’s okay, it’s fine (most of the time)

Lady got a walking stick and a lady to lean upon

Man I met last night was almost dead

Cluster here got drunk and sick, cluster there got a bone to pick

We’re hungry and we’re hunting

We’re hungry and we’re hunted

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way be that way be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, it’s okay, go that way go that way

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, go that way

It’s okay, it’s fine (most of the time)

There is dog shit on the streets of America

There is human shit also on the streets

I haven’t been to Tokyo, but I would like to someday go

And see what kind of shit is on their streets

Oh! I wanna see what Japanese shit looks like

I’ll even smell it!

I wanna smell Japanese shit

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way be that way be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, it’s okay, go that way go that way

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, go that way

It’s okay, it’s fine (most of the time)

I don’t need a jury or a justice

I don’t need a judgement from on high

I cannot speak for God above, but I believe in endless love

And I believe that humans beings can make it

Oh!

Yes, I believe that human beings can make it

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way be that way be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, it’s okay, go that way go that way

Whichever way you wanna be, be that way

Whichever way you wanna go, go that way

It’s okay, it’s fine (most of the time)

ON 9/11

On 9/11

I was still in heaven

I was still in trouble

I was still in love

I was in paradise

Too much paradise

So much paradise

You have to close your eyes

So much paradise you have to close your eyes

On 9/11

I was smoking cigarettes

I used to smoke in New York

When I lived there for a little bit

A couple months before 9/11

We were all unemployed

We were girls and we were boys

We didn’t think about justice

We didn’t think about pain

We didn’t think about torture

Or who was to blame

We believed in each other

We were simple and strong

We were young independents

We were all strung along

On 9/11

I can’t say I was scared

I was in paradise

So much paradise

You have to shield your eyes

On 9/11

You have to shield your eyes

All words written by John Elliott 2016.

it doesn't matter volume 2.jpeg — It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong II

Change We Can Believe In
Gone To Pot
The President Is Posing
The Aces Up My Sleeve
Company Time
I Am Unemployed
At The End Of The Line
Open Invitation
“It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong II” was released in 2012. It is the second installment in an ongoing series of loosely related, quadrennial recordings that are released during presidential election years in the United States. All songs by John Elliott (BMI) 2012.
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP

it doesn't matter scan.jpg — It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong

Pissin’ on Plants in the Suburbs
Charlie
Ned
The Ballad of Wallace Green and His Dog
“It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong” was released in 2008. It is the first installment in an ongoing series of loosely related, quadrennial recordings that are released during presidential election years in the United States. All songs by John Elliott (BMI) 2008.
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP

I. Pissin’ on Plants in the Suburbs

i. Pissin’ on Plants in the Suburbs

I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs
I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs
I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs
I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs
I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs
I’m pissin’ on plants in the suburbs

And the newsman and the paperboy
And the bureaucrats and Ned were for the war
So they sat around and they talked a bit
Then they slept on it and agreed to not agree
It’s not for me

I’m makin’ it count in the suburbs
I’m addin’ it up in the suburbs
I’m kickin’ some ass in the suburbs
I’m takin’ you out in the suburbs

And the newsman and the paperboy
And the bureaucrats and Ned were wrong before
So they sat around and they talked a bit
Then they slept on it and agreed to not agree
But I said that Pete’s been to the war and Pete says:

“We gotta make it out, we gotta make it up again
You should come to my place and look at my swords
You should come to New Jersey, you should come and meet me
You should come and look at my swords”

Pete says it’s a tradition over there
Pete has confident eyes and nervous hair

ii. Where I’m From

Where I’m from we kick the can in cul de sacs
We cheer when the marines attack
We go to the boat show
Where I’m from we know to take it slow
Where I’m from I never met a black guy
I never knew a Jew
Maybe one or two
Where I’m from

I was doin’ it right in the suburbs
Sleepin’ all night in the suburbs
Livin’ the dream in the suburbs
I was happy to be in the suburbs
Keepin’ it clean in the suburbs
Livin’ the dream in the suburbs

The neighbors came to call
We had a ball, we had it all

Now the time’s tick tockin’
We’re criss crossin’ the planet
Having sex and drinking water
Eating food and drinking water

iii. We All Fall

I was so surprised when trouble came
(And we all fall)
She had pretty eyes and a pretty name
(And we all fall)
I was such a sorry sight to see
(And we all fall)
Everybody tried to bury me
How did we get so low?
We were beautiful you know, we had it all
We had a ball

Now the time’s tick tockin’
We’re criss crossin’ the planet
Having sex and drinking water
Eating food and drinking water

iv. People and Their Problems

People and their problems: mosquitoes, ducks and swallows
We hold each other up and then we all fall down

II. Charlie

i. Charlie

Look to the high hills, pace yourself Charlie
All in good time my dear
Sometimes at night when the campsite is quiet
I pick up his leg and I kiss it
And I miss him

Charlie’s a soldier, a virgin, a sweetie
A buddy, a memory, a cripple
Charlie’s a junkie, a bookie, a banker
A silent consumer, a thanker
He got a face, he got a place
He got a calendar and he crosses off each day
He counts down to his grave and every month he saves
A little bit, a little bit more
But Charlie what’s it for?
Charlie what’s in store?
Charlie’s keepin’ score, but…

Charlie don’t believe in it no more
Charlie’s grown accustomed to the war
Charlie doesn’t wish for all that much
Perhaps some season tickets and a cabin
Perhaps some season tickets and a cabin

ii. One Penny Can Help (Sha La La La)

Sha la la la sha la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la la la la
Sha la la la Sha la la la
Sha la la laSha la la la la

iii. Tonight he’s in the Trenches

Tonight he’s in the trenches with his dog
His trusty, rusty dog
Charlie named him Charlie

And shots ring out
And Charlie shouts
And Charlie barks
And Charlie’s hit
Charlie sniffs
Charlie moans
Charlie goes for help

iv. Charlie the Dog

What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy
What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy
What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy
What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy

My name is Charlie, Charlie the dog
Charlie alert
Charlie is hurt
They got him with bullets, with quote unquote bullets
Proverbial bullets, ridiculous bullets
One of his legs is lost
The other leg came off
One of his legs is lost
The other leg came off

What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy
What a good boy, what a good boy, what a good boy

Dogs are so funny, they’re almost like humans
It’s almost as if they’re trying to tell us something

v. Charlie Reminds Me of Charlie

Charlie reminds me of Charlie
Charlie is chomping at the bit
Charlie is already dead
Finally got what he wanted

vi. Charlie (reprise)

Charlie’s a soldier, a virgin, a sweetie
A buddy, a memory, a cripple
Charlie’s a junkie, a bookie, a banker
A silent consumer, a thanker
Charlie’s a dog
Look to the high hills, pace yourself Charlie
All in good time my dear
Charlie’s a dog
Look to the high hills, pace yourself Charlie
All in good time my dear

What a good boy what a good boy what a good boy what a good boy such a good boy Charlie such a good boy such a good boy what a good boy what a good boy such a good boy Charlie

III. Ned

i. Ned

Out where drew drops drip in New York state
There lives a smallish man
He reasons not his face or place
He cares not for the terror of our times
He spends his mornings reading books
He smokes a wooden pipe
He reasons not the health defects
He cares not for an entertainment center
While his neighbors surf the internet
He drinks and mows his lawn
He reasons not of fax machines
He cares not for your web address or number

And so it was and so it went
For forty plus odd years
Ned the hillside valley soul
Ned the odd man out, the next-door weirdo

ii. I’m Your Grocer

I’d be lying if I said that I knew him
But I blew him from time to time
See by day I’m your grocer, you’ve known me for years
By night I’m a cock suckin’ queer
There’s a guy like me in every dime store
The fag whore, the cum guzzlin’ ass muzzlin’ dude
And the town was a small one, population 400
I plugged every butt hole but two
And as you can imagine, I kept pretty quiet
I never let on what I did
And Ned, by the way, wasn’t dirty or lonely
A once-a-month blowjob was all

iii. He Was a Wonderful Man

Yes, it’s safe to say Ned was a topic at table
Everyone thought he was odd
He never got angry or purchased a paper
He cooked all his meals at home

He was a wonderful man
He was a wonderful man
He was a wonderful man

iv. The Day That It Happened

On the day that it happened I had an appointment
To suck on Ned’s dick after twelve
I put on my shoes and I slathered my hands
With ointment to slather Ned’s cock

I stopped on the stoop to admire the view
A lazy July afternoon
Across on the hillside was Ned sitting outside
Also enjoying the view
I waved and he waved, I stepped onto the road
I never got further than that
The rocket came fast, flew in with a flash
Exploded and blew off my hat

I gathered my senses and rose to my feet
The townsfolk were chattering loud
I gazed at the chasm to check in with Ned
And saw the great nuclear cloud

v. The Commander

Then a bugle did sound and assaulted the town
Announcing the army brigade
They crested the hill in their jeeps and their tanks
Waving American flags
The Commander rose up with a bullhorn and spoke
He said:

“People of Valley View, listen!
We are the good guys, we are on your side
We tested a missile shield and failed.
Now do not be frightened, it’s not what it looks like
This mushroom plume is a ruse.
It’s a shock and awe tactic to scare off the evil,
Your tax dollars working for you!
Now tell us, you citizens
Tell us, you friends
Did anyone live in this spot?
The rocket’s not toxic, but fire is fire
This person is probably dead.”

He made his announcement so matter of factly
That nobody batted an eye
They shrugged and dispersed like satisfied dogs
Content that their country was winning

I ran to the nearest jeep shrieking and weeping
I threw myself onto the ground
The sergeant called out to the sergeant
Who called to the captain, who called the commander
He sauntered to me, he spat on my shoes
He asked for my job and my name
I couldn’t respond, I was sad about Ned
And his many guns terrified me

“Well speak up and answer, what are you, a fairy?!”

He pushed his pate into my pate
His dogmen surrounded, the siren was sounded
The townsfolk remaining retreated
And I mustered up none but a feeble refrain
Over and over again

He was a wonderful man
He was a wonderful man
He was a wonderful man

v. Crucifixion

They strung me up high and they crucified quick
I’m closer to Ned every hour
The townsfolk ignore me as children implore me
To tell them the tale of Ned
I start at the start and with all of my heart
I spin it with fabulous ease
How Ned from the valley lived neatly and sweetly
And died in a test of our missile defense
From a rocket wound paid for by us

IV. The Ballad of Wallace Green and His Dog

i. Wallace Green

From just outside of Birmingham, a man named Wallace Green
He’s got a dog he loves who loves him back
And a pick-up painted green
Been in the desert for four years
On probation for four months
He’s got a lawyer from the state who’s always late
And he’s got some land back home
But he won’t get back to it
And he won’t see the sun again
When they take him in and they get a closer look

ii. Wallace Out West

Wallace came out west to meet a girl
Took his time along the way
She was thinner in her picture, he decided he should stay
Taught her children to be proud
Cleaned ‘em up and set ‘em straight
Gave ‘em something to believe, filled up their plates
But all the men he met didn’t treat him with respect
They called him slow, they made him mean
And Wallace Green says:

“It doesn’t matter why it is, it doesn’t matter if it’s wrong
It only matters that it is and it’s been goin’ on a bit too long.”

iii. Wallace Hears a Buzzin’ Sound

There’s only so much that a man can take before he breaks
It happened one night, it happened so fast
Wallace don’t remember what went down
He knows he heard a buzzin’ sound
And he woke up next to dead tied to a hospital bed
With four felonies to his name
It’s a dirty game and he got a piece of it

iv. Wallace’s Dog

That dog was desperate when he found her
Hunger sick and danger thin
Caked in shit, he cleaned her up, washed off the blood
And took her in
Wallace learned to love her quick
Gave her a name he thought would stick
He lets her out, she feeds herself, she leaves the bones
And every night back home she’s sleepin’ at his feet
It’s all that either of them needs
It’s a perfect scene
But it’s over now for Wallace Green

v. It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong

He was out on bail when he found
That his dog was in the pound
He had a week to get some cash
Or they were gonna put her down
He called his ma hopin’ that she could help him out
She had some money down south, she went it west
And Wallace said it’s good she did
‘Cause he’d come after who killed her if they did
And he’d hurt him hard
He wouldn’t laugh or frown
He’d hunt him and he’d bring him down
Take the body back to town
Put it in his pick-up truck
Prop it up and drive it around

‘Cause it doesn’t matter why it is and it doesn’t matter if it’s wrong