world on stupid

Lyrics

[Intro - soft traditional guzheng plucks, distant 808 heartbeat, hushed male vocals with reverb]

[Verse 1 - mid-tempo dark-funk groove, soft Chinese flute over 808s, intimate half-whispered delivery]
The blueprint laid out on a table of glass
While the shadows of giants are starting to pass
You stare at the sphere spinning slow in the dark
Searching for truth or a flickering spark
But the static is rising to swallow the sound
Of the feet that are heavy on hollowed out ground
They promised a vision but sold you a screen
To keep you from seeing the space in between

[Verse 2 - same groove, guzheng accents swell, layered harmonies enter]
The lines on the map are just scars in the clay
Drawn by the ones who have traded the day
For a pocket of silver and hearts made of stone
Leaving the many to wither alone
Your neighbor is framed as a ghost in the fog
Just a name in a ledger or entries in logs
The tension is pulled like a wire in the wind
Where the tales of our fathers are starting to thin

[Chorus - dark funky drop, side-chained 808 bass, bright Chinese bells, stacked male-female vocals]
The mirror is cracked but the image remains
Breaking the links of the heaviest chains
The noise is a flood that is starting to rise
Masking the fever that burns in your eyes
The pieces are scattered and drifting away
Into the belly of cold Saturday
We stumble in circles and call it a path
Drinking the wine of a digital wrath

[Bridge - stripped, lone guzheng and sparse 808 clicks, vulnerable solo vocal]
Look past the veil where the sirens are loud
And the faces are hidden in every crowd
The walls that they build are just fabric and dust
A kingdom of iron corroding in rust
One hand is waving while one hides the blade
In the theater of silence the bargains are made

[Verse 3 - groove returns, heavier 808s, Chinese flute melodies weave in]
A carnival barker is selling the fear
Whispering secrets that nobody hears
The city is breathing a chemical sigh
Under the weight of a synthetic sky
The children are learning to speak in a code
While the asphalt is cracking on every road
Don't turn your head when the light starts to fade
The bill is long overdue for the parade

[Verse 4 - full arrangement, dark funky bass line, distant choral pads]
Divide and then conquer is written in ink
On the edge of the fountain where nobody drinks
They feed you the anger to keep you in line
While the masters are sipping on vintage of wine
But the globe is still turning despite all the lies
Under the watch of the uncaring eyes
The distraction is heavy the signal is weak
But the heart has a language it's longing to speak

[Chorus - final dark funky drop, bigger bells, full vocal stack with Chinese harmonies]
The mirror is cracked but the image remains
Breaking the links of the heaviest chains
The noise is a flood that is starting to rise
Masking the fever that burns in your eyes
The pieces are scattered and drifting away
Into the belly of cold Saturday
We stumble in circles and call it a path
Drinking the wine of a digital wrath

[Outro - fading guzheng, distant 808 heartbeat, reverb-drenched whispers]
The heart has a language it’s longing to speak…