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lyrics

The rich get richer
the poor get screwed
the rich get richer
the poor get screwed
the rich get richer
the poor get screwed
we dig our own graves with rented shovels

I've been chewing the inside of my cheek
out of frustration
futility
I ended up chewing a hole right through the skin
and now
each night when I fall asleep
a tiny elephant creeps in through the side of my face
and takes a shit on my tongue
(and that's probably a metaphor for something)
but when I read about just eight people have greater combined wealth than the planet's poorest three billion
wordplay seems kinda trite in comparison

See our society has lost the ability to distinguish between the spider
and the fly
and the goddamned web
it's just an ugly tangled ball of mangled insect limbs
sticky threads,
broken wings
and an elephant shitting on my tongue

Don't dwell on the negativity
don't think about how screwed up this system is
unhappy consumers are bad for business
of course, happy consumers are also bad for business
we're supposed to remain numb
neutral
apathetic

Eagerly we swallow the myth of the meritocracy
because “oh they probably deserve it” is a pleasant sedative
as though that CEO is actually worth three million dollars a year
and that ten-bucks-an-hour cleaner really doesn't deserve a pay-rise

Meanwhile this poem has already been commodified
by tomorrow it'll be up on youtube
preceded by an unskippable 30-second Coca Cola ad that would be ironic if hypocrisy wasn't already cliche

Winner-takes-all
every dickhead for himself
don't trust your neighbour
fence out the poor people then charge them for the privilege of pissing in your gutter

The myth spreads like lantana
you try to uproot it you'll tear your hands
it's a persistent sucker
this ridiculous fiction that humans can't create anything useful unless they're motivated by profit and greed
profit and greed

The rich get richer
the poor get fucked

The rich get richer
the poor get screwed...

credits

from Subtropical Metropolis?, released May 15, 2021
Written and performed by Rivermouth
Recorded and mixed by Luke at Hunting Ground Studios
Mastered by Matthew Gray Mastering
Artwork by Anna Carlson

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Rivermouth Brisbane, Australia

Hi, we're Rivermouth
Our vocalist is a cross between a typewriter and a megaphone. Our keyboardist is a classically trained virtuoso mad scientist. Our bassist plays in the Richter scale. Our drummer's great-grandfather was a metronome.

Our music is a blend of spoken word, hip hop, jazz, reggae and excellent chai. Lyrics are critical. We want to tickle cerebra and tug heartstrings simultaneously.
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