Skin On The Drum

I was born botanical
the soul of an animal
deep beneath the layers, I sink my roots
no need for mechanical
I come strictly organical
when I need to feast, I look to the East
that’s why I’m never scared of the beast
even though they try to prey upon me
I’m protected by the one always greater than me
so now I reveal to thee
because you wanna see
the contour of my mystery
the strength of my arches
the colour of my conscience
and the way that I process my diction
some fact some fiction some mystery
some future fantasy
I’m the trunk that holds the branches
the leaves who do the dances
my flowers romantic
my love gigantic
from Africa, transplanted translantic
in the heat of the sun
I bring shade for everyone
like the beat on the one
I’m the skin on the drum

I keep on living with the fullness of the one
like the heat of the sun or the skin on the drum

I’m fully marinated and now I’m ready for the fire
so you can fire one
fire one
fire two

See I’ve been fully marinated
and now I’m ready for the fire
see I’m beginning to perspire
from deep within to the skin
yo, the feminine and the masculine
the pieces of the puzzle
see my reflections in the puddle
after the storm the purple of the sky
brings to mind another time
when we resided
below the water line
life was fine there human divine
but in the years following
evil men came swallowing
everything in sight
some learned to run, some stayed to fight
I kneeled at the tomb of the soldier
said I would love to behold her
the magic in store there
she touched me on the shoulder
she said, “in time all is revealed, box of light be unsealed
now listen to me son, be like the skin on the drum”

I keep on living with the fullness of the one
like the heat of the sun or the skin on the drum

And as the pepper gas clears
and police and protestors go home
just as the morning dew are tear drops of the night
my emotions are always there for you
and will never leave you dry
bless

  • Michael Franti

A

Sounds like a bit of personal expressions of “enlightenment” or good feelings. Sorry but I don’t like poetry.

Can’t say that when you’re dead, but trust is good.

Here is some **** from my own writings:

[169- prl2]
Pure fear and pure fact cannot co-exist.

[170- prl2]
Enlightenment is simply the byproduct of great searching.

I’ve been considering “spiritual progress” lately; there are different kinds.

The one that I like least is the when people build up as much faith that they can muster, and [they] go [partially] insane.

But there are other kinds of spiritual progress that has to do with understanding self, life and nature; I like these.

Michael Franti!!!

We like a lot of the same things OG. I knew you would read this. :wink:

A

I’m oh so predictable :smiley:

Hey is he european?

Na, I’m psychic.

He’s American.

A

Ah well…

:wink:

Alright back to the song/poem. I feel Franti is better at using rhetoric and simple metaphors to get his point across than other alternatives; just reading the lyrics I could head the music and rythme in my head, so in that way I feel like the words do not do the music justice, but they themselves are also fluid and complimentary.

As for the overall message Franti is trying to paint here, I feel it to be along the lines of most of his work. He uses words and phrases that strike very close to home, by relating to the listeners on a personal basis so does his listener audience.

Ambiguous phrases like this one do not detract from his lyrics, but instead amplify them. Alot of the the spearhead/franti music I’ve listened to has taken on the unique characteristic of seemingly blending into the background noise, but yet shining beyond when necessary (‘oh my god’ is a good example). I feel like in this way Franti’s continuous steady vocals manifest as the metaphor for that unwavering army of people who resist the establishment not on a physical level, but on the metaphysical. The voice I at least hear in the back of my mind every day.

Beautifully put OG.

A

Thx LA, and goodnight!

:smiley:

Um…how exactly do you mean?

A

Just to show that the converse of beauty is a useful parallel nonetheless, I submit, and because I know the angel will understand:

The Headless Children

Father come save us from this
Madness we’re under
God of creation are we blind?
Cause some here are slaves
That worship guns that spit thunder
The children that you’ve made
Have lost their minds

This monster that we call the earth
Is bleeding
Cause the children have been
Left alone too long
This thing that we’ve made is fat
And feeds on the hate
Of the millions that it’s taught to sing
The song

The headless children
The screams that fill the night
Fill the night fill the night fill the night
Oh the headless children
The madness steals the light
Steals the light steals the light steals the light

Time bombs in the hands of all the wicked warbabies
Light the fuse of temptation and we all burn
The Four horsemen sit high up in the saddle
And waiting to ride the bloody trail of no return

Sleeping in the arms of a nightmare and
Wake to find we’ve been away too long
This Frankenstein of Flesh
Stitched together back from death
And preying on the souls of everyone

The headless children
The screams that fill the night
Fill the night fill the night fill the night
Oh the headless children
The madness steals the light
Steals the light steals the light steals the light

Welcome to ILP Mastriani!

A

“You can bomb the world into pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace.” -Michael Franti

i’ve had this quote on my wall for like a year and i still haven’t bothered to figure out who michael franti is yet. i take it he’s a songwriter or something.

lol

That’s like saying he’s a guy named Michael

I don’t understand the reason why
You tellin’ us all that we need to unify
Rally round the flag
And beat the drums of war
Sing the same old songs
Ya know we heard 'em all before

You tellin’ me it’s unpatriotic
But I call it what I see it
When I see it’s idiotic
The tears of one mother
Are the same as any other
Drop food on the kids
While you’re murderin’ their fathers
But don’t bother to show it on CNN
Brothers and sisters don’t believe them
It’s not a war against evil
It’s really just revenge
Engaged by the poorest by the same rich men
Fight terrorists wherever they be found
But why you not bombing Tim McVeigh’s hometown?
You can say what you want propaganda television
But all bombing is terrorism

We can chase down all our enemies
Bring them to their knees
We can bomb the world to pieces
But we can’t bomb it into peace
Whoa we may even find a solution
To hunger and disease
We can bomb the world to pieces
But we can’t bomb it into peace

911
Fire in the skies
Many people died
And no one even really knows why
They tellin’ lies of division and fear
We yelled and cried
No one listened for years
But like, “who put us here?”
And who’s responsible?
Well, there’s no debatin’
Cause if they ask me I say
It’s big corporations
World trade organisation
Tri-lateral action
International sanctions, Satan
Seems like it’ll be an endless price tag
Of wars tremendous
And most disturbingly
The death toll is so horrendous
So I send this to those
Who say they defend us
Send us into harm’s way
We should all make a remembrance that
This is bigger than terrorism
Blood is blood is blood and um
Love is true vision
Who will listen?
How many songs it takes for you to see
You can bomb the world to pieces
You can’t bomb it into peace

Power to the peaceful
And I say, love to the people y’all
Power to the peaceful
And I say, love to the people y’all

  • Bomb the World, Michael Franti

ah, so that quote is even part of a song

whatever. i’m still too lazy to search for it on windows media player. or maybe i will. after all, it’s just crazy enough to work.

unless he’s not on there.

yep he’s on there.

i think that version doesn’t sound like him… might just be me though. is it by somebody else, or is that actually michael franti singing the armageddon version?

I don’t know dear? I have no idea what you have been listening to.

Anway, this is the religion forum…

A

A Spearit and an Angel :smiley: :smiley:

:smiley:

“All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.”

A