NZ Folksong * Fly on the Wall

E-mail from Dave Jordan to John Archer, 25 March 2003 Goddammit, I can't seem to write words for tunes, or tunes with words lately...

Anyway here's a poem for your perusal, hot off the word processor
- I dashed it off last night while watching those embedded glory seekers on CNN...

 
Rocked by explosions
In the cradle of civilization
Like a bummed out fly
On a bombed-out wall
Going to seed in
what's left of the garden of Eden
Dammit, Saddam it,
Amageddon outa here

I've been blasted, Belfasted,
Rooted, Beiruited
Mugged, Mogadishued
Mortified by mortar fire
Rammed in Ramallah
Barred in Bahrein
Stoned in Colombia
Tripped up in Tripoli
Waited in Kuwait
For a hit of Iraqi substance abuse

I'm a writer, not a fighter,
You know the type
Sucking up every blood-driven stink
Deserted in the desert
with my death-defying telephone link
Buzzing round sticky situations
And troublesome spots
Like a fly on the wall
Staging a comeback for Sunni and Shir
playing jeux sans frontieres
In the alleys of Israel
With the Alis of Gaza
The allies of Untied Nations

And I left you for this?
Sad? damn right
We were all talked out in a new York minute
Reporting on weapons
of mass distraction
for drop dead reality TV
That's the ultimate buzz
for a fly on the wall
Now I'm wrecked in Iraq
Bombed in Baghdad
And I can't get you out of
What's left of my undermined mind

E-mail reply from John Archer to Dave Jordan A good bit of work there Dave. The conflict between te reporter's need for the buzz of apocalyptic voyeuristic violence, and his/her need for intimacy.

Or is he trying to escape gentle personal intimacy by drugging himself with the alienating violence of war reporting.

The buzz word "embedded" could perhaps be added to it. Something like "I'm embedded in Baghdad, but I want to bed with you." ??

It could be developed into a song if you wanted to, by selecting some of lines and moulding them to a regular metre.
Eg.

(Intro, growing into a pulsing beat)

I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
I can't get you out of my undermined mind.

           (gently, but with angst)

Like a bummed out fly
On a bombed-out wall
Going to seed in
THE garden of Eden
Dammit, Saddam it,
�Amageddon outa here.

           (hard rock, pulsing beat)

I've been blasted, Belfasted,
Rooted, Beiruited
Mugged, Mogadishued
Rammed in Ramallah
Stoned in Colombia
Barred in Bahrein
Tripped out in Tripoli
And as I wait in Kuwait
I cant get you out of
my undermined mind.

         (gently again)

Like a bummed out fly
On a bombed-out wall
Going to seed in
No garden of Eden
Dammit, Saddam it,
Amageddon outa here.

       (hard rock)

And I left you for this?
Sad? Damn right!
We were all talked out
Now it's ended, CNN'ded
Reporting on weapons
of massive distraction.
Now I'm wrecked in Iraq
I'm embedded, I'm Baghdaded,�
And I can't get you out of
my undermined mind.

          (coda, fading)

No, I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
I can't get you out of my undermined mind.
�
Thats a rough cut. It would be fun to sing with a bit more polishing. 
Or you may prefer the original poem as it is.

I hope this helps.
John

Fly on the Wall

Dave Jordan , 2003