Hi friend!
I wrote Powerful People’s Anthem when I had watched this political debate on live TV between two politicians fighting about who could stop as many refugees from entering the country.
It wasn’t an exploratory debate about how to best solve the issue of displaced people, how to ensure their rights and safety, it was a fight for attention.
And I thought, wow they are really throwing around verbal grenades fuelled by something dark or unresolved inside of them.
The song is written in ⅝ time signature, which gives it that odd rhythm. I thought it was fitting to this theme.
When I was later diagnosed with ME/CFS and discovered that this illness was an explosive battle field in the medical world, this song became even more important and relevant.
On one side of the battlefield were (and still are) powerful conservative doctors and psychiatrists who claim that ME/CFS is a psychological disorder caused by stress and an inability to handle modern life combined with a fear of movement. They claim that recovery is possible if you deal with that stress and adopt healthy coping mechanisms and gradually exercise your body more and more. Wouldn’t that be nice! It just isn’t reality.
On the other side are patients and progressive doctors who, through science, know that this is a biomedical neuroimmune illness affecting several systems in the body and that you can’t just think or exercise your way out of it.
The doctors on the psychological side of the table bullied patients and claimed we were science-deniers, anti-mental health, that we maintained a ‘sick role’, and were ‘activists’ (like it was a negative thing). They claimed progressive doctors were quacks and harmed patients.
When witnessing this bullying I kept thinking back to my song Powerful People’s Anthem and how fitting it was for this situation too: That powerful people need therapy rather than a microphone.
Here are the lyrics:
Strange worlds of tears open at the seams
This carnival of lies I’ve been building in my dreams
The eyes I dipped in black the drops melting on my cheek
The stitches in my brain they hold on tight to what is left
Mama they took my guns away from me today
I cannot stay
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
I see a trickle on your face, my dear, do you want me to wipe it clean?
Your carnival will never come true only the demons of your dreams
Mama they took my guns away from me today
I cannot stay
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Did you see me set fire to the forest again?
Did you see me when my skin was sorest and in pain?
Did you see me put on my plastic heart waiting for the rain to wash me clean?
The war is over
My clown suit is waiting downstairs
Mama they took my guns away from me today
I cannot stay
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
Leave me in pain it fuels my verbal grenades
This was such a fun song to both write and record. Jonas Müller (my brother) plays the piano and David Hagen plays the double bass. François Perdriau has mixed the song and Pete Maher mastered the song. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to have my song accompanied by such excellent musicians. They really brought out the vibe in the song.
Tell me…
Have you ever thought that certain powerful people need therapy and not more power?
Has your life ever been affected by the decisions of powerful people?
What’s your favourite line from the song?
I’d love to know in the comments below.
Thank you so much for reading this post. If you know someone who could benefit from this, then please share this page with them.
