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Life During Wartime

We have all danced to it. One of the Talking Heads biggest hits. An 80s staple. Bring on the big beat. But give it another good listen. I mean really listen. Taek off the dancing shoes and sit down and consider the lyrics. This is a terrying song. About Armageddon. About the end of the world. I think David is preaching the new wave gospel. He means to take over. Byrne is preaching us to take the party to the hills because life here in town is about to rain hell.

“Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons
packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway
a place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance”

That is some beautiful film noir imagery. It cleary set the theme and gets us ready for the dialectic to follow.

Next, that all too familiar lead up to the refrain:

“I’m getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto
I’ve lived all over this town”

This isn’t a class struggle. This affects all of us. We all must flee. Okay, here it comes – try not to dance, there is work to be done:

“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
this ain’t no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain’t got time for that now”

I mean it, I really mean it. Pay attention. I am not just some guy in a big old white suit dancing around. We have trouble, right here in River City.

“Transmit the message, to the receiver
hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, couple of visas
don’t even know my real name
High on a hillside, trucks are loading
everything’s ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nightime
I might not ever get home.”

(Totally unrelated, but this reminds me of Warren Zevon’s lawyer’s guns and money. )

“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
this ain’t no fooling around
This ain’t no mudd club, or C. B. G. B.
I ain’t got time for that now”

I really, really mean it!

“Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?”

Obviously, we have missed some of the drama already, but our time is coming.

“You oughta know not to stand by the window
somebody might see you up there
I got some groceries, some peanut butter
to last a couple of days
But I ain’t got no speakers
ain’t got no headphones
ain’t got no records to play

“Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time?
Can’t write a letter, can’t send a postcard
I can’t write nothing at all

“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
this ain’t no fooling around
I’d love you hold you, I’d like to kiss you
I ain’t got no time for that now

“Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
we blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we’re tapping phone lines
I know that ain’t allowed

“We dress like students, we dress like housewives
or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle so many times now
don’t know what I look like!

“You make me shiver, I feel so tender
we make a pretty good team
Don’t get exhausted, I’ll do some driving
you ought to get you some sleep

“Get you instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won’t help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to stay healthy, physical fitness
don’t want to catch no disease
Try to be careful, don’t take no chances
you better watch what you say”

Wow, that is some magic. Like the last few hours of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas put to music. What we had is gone and the new is coming. We don’t know what it is. We should fear it.

I just dig this song.