THE APOCALYPSE IN ROCK AND ROLL

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"THE LAST RESORT"

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She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea
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She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide
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 Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high
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Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do
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Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
people bought 'em And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea
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 You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign
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Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here
We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name
of God
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And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye

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In a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone,

Eagles member Don Henley said:

 "The Last Resort, on Hotel California, is still one of my favorite songs... That's because I care more about the environment than about writing songs about drugs or love affairs or excesses of any kind. The gist of the song was that when we find something good, we destroy it by our presence - by the very fact that man is the only animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment. The environment is the reason I got into politics: to try to do something about what I saw as the complete destruction of most of the resources that we have left. We have mortgaged our future

 for gain and greed."

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From songfacts.com

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Because of copyright issues,
the video below is just audio - no images.
But it directs your attention to the ear,
while you read the song.
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"ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER"
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"There must be some way out of here"
 said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion", I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.
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"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".
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All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

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"CHANGE IN THE WEATHER"

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Change in the weather, change in the weather
Somethin's happenin' here
Change in the weather, change in the weather
People walkin' round in fear
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You better duck and run
Get under cover 'cause the change has come
Storm warning, and it looks like rain
Be nothin' left after the hurricane
This here's a jungle, ain't no lie
Look at the people, terror in their eyes
Bad business comin', can't be denied
They're running with the dogs, afraid to die
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Change in the weather, change in the weather
Somethin's happenin' here

Change in the weather, change in the weather
People walkin' round in fear

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You best believe it's true
The levee's busted, badness comin' through
Oh no, there ain't no place to hide
Reach out and pluck you, take you for a ride
Sea of frustration, take everything in sight
 Won't be no blessing if we make it through the night
Down on your knees, go ahead and pray
But every demon has to have his day

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Change in the weather, change in the weather
Somethin's happenin' here
Change in the weather, change in the weather
People walkin' round in fear, well
Oh, God

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High noon, I can't believe my eyes
Wind is ragin', there's a fire in the sky
Ground shakin', everything comin' loose
Run like a coward but it ain't no use
Edge of the river, it's an ugly scene
People gettin' pushed, people gettin' mean
The change is comin' and it's gettin' late
 Ain't no survivin', and there ain't no escape
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Change in the weather, change in the weather
Somethin's happenin' here, well
Change in the weather, change in the weather
People walkin' round in fear, oh
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Change in the weather, change in the weather
Somethin's happenin' here, well
Change in the weather, change in the weather
People walkin' round in fear, well
Oh, no

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"EVE OF DESTRUCTION"

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The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’
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But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction.
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Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy]
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And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction.
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Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’.

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And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction.
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Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace

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And you tell me

over and over and over and over again,

 my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction.

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"UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD"

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Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold just passing time
Last time we met was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time
Except you
You were talking about the end of the world

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I took the money
I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You lead me on with those innocent eyes
You know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You...you were acting like it was
The end of the world.(Love...love...)
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In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You...you said you'd wait
'til the end of the world

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"LAND OF CONFUSION"

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I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.
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Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.
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There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.
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This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.
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Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.
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This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.
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This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.
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I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago -
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I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.
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Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

.Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.
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This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

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"PEOPLE GET READY"

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People get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
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People get ready for the train to Jordan
It's picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all among those loved the most.
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There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne
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So people get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
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"A FACE IN THE CROWD"

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Before all of this ever went down
In another place, another town
You were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street walking around
A face in the crowd

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Out of a dream, out of the sky
Into my heart, into my life
And you were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street, thinking out loud
A face in the crowd

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Out of a dream, out of the sky
Into my heart, into my life
And you were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street, walking around

A face in the crowd
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Face in the crowd
A face in the crowd
A face in the crowd

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THE PUEBLO INDIANS' FEATHERED FRIENDS

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Here's some good background music to
go with the text and images.

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Edited from PUEBLO BIRDS AND MYTHS

by Hamilton A. Tyler

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Pueblo Indian thinking has a style of its own, which is

usually just as recognizable as a style of house or of village architecture.  These styles seem to carry across the linguistic distinctions that divide the Pueblos into the Hopis, Zunis, Keres, Tewas, Tiwas, and Towas.  Such a diversity of tongues indicates at the very least a variety of separate influences that have been drawn together in the common Pueblo culture.  The gods were found to express this diversity, and it was only the style of relating to these divinities that showed a common religion.

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When we turn from the gods to another aspect of the surrounding world - that of the role of animals, birds, snakes, and lesser creatures - the common style of Pueblo thinking draws closer together.  Although the subject is too complex for simple formulas, it was evident that these animals provide a basic frame of reference in Pueblo ceremonialism.  Birds, in contradistinction to animals, have an advantage for use as simpler signs, because even individual feathers can stand for the bird or for the thought to be expressed.

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The Pueblos have been watching their birds for centuries

and during that time have incorporated these creatures into every aspect of community life.  Even such mundane tasks as building a room or planting a field require the presentation of feathers from particular birds, while in the rituals that support religious ceremonialism birds and their feathers become counters that keep a complex symbol system in order.  As signs, birds relate to gods, act as messengers between men and gods, or stand as signals between man and man.  As a part of the surrounding world, birds relate to all manner of natural phenomena and to weather control.

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When the spirits are addressed, prayer-sticks mounted with feathers are "planted" in fields or elsewhere to carry these messages.  Or again, detached feathers may be offered, in which case they are tied to strings of native cotton or placed around a wooden altar. Less frequently loose feathers are offered by placing them under stones or by casting them into streams and lakes.
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Most of the feathers used for this and other purposes are specified, not only the kind of bird but also the type of feather - whether primary wing, tail, downy breast, or whatever.  Because prayer-sticks relate to gods and spirits, all of the attached feathers are thought of as "breath-feathers."  Breath is the spirit part of any living thing, so it must hold the meanings and intentions that flow back and forth between men and spirits.  Birds are like the breath in that they travel through the air and become media for these breath messages.
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  If one is telling a myth or a story, the names of certain birds will be mentioned.  In folktales it may be only a "just-so" reference, telling how the woodpecker got his head bloodied and the like.  But more often there is a serious note; the birds name will signal to the listener one or more ideas for which that bird stands.  Many times ritual poetry is recited by Pueblo priests as part of a ceremony, and when a bird's name occurs in the poem it conveys an important meaning reference.
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From the sky, eagles survey the entire world, so these birds
or their abstractions become Beast gods of the Zenith.  Eagles are the only birds elevated to a place among other deities, but other birds are the forms gods take when traveling, so the point is not always distinct.  Between eagles flying within the sky's dome and the earthly turkeys, there are all of the other feathered kinds that fly close to man.  Some are related specifically to the sun, while others speak to the sun's seasons.
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Hummingbirds have rainbow hues and suck nectar from flowers.  Nectar is a quintessential liquid representing all the moist forces in growth and life.  Macaws or parrots likewise exemplify the wedding of sun and rain, because they are multihued.  None are found in the Pueblo area, but there is abundant archaeological evidence that imported macaws and parrots were kept in the villages from at least 1100 A.D., possibly earlier, which indicates that their feathers were as important then as in modern ceremonialism where they rank with those from eagles and turkeys.
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 Beyond the complexities and symbols there is a simpler Pueblo view that shines out at every turn as a pervading feeling of reverence for all wildlife.  Birds have many roles, but often they are simply spokesmen within a quiet cosmos, their voices an expression of processes that
 flow around mankind. 

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 A song from the Pueblo of Acoma sets the
 notes of a swallow, as it flies along a stream,
 to native words:
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Beni chi, beni chi, beni nu tsoutr,
Western river, western river, coming from the west,
Soya ta.
I sing of you.
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In the blending of bird notes with human voices
 there is always a harmony that
 all men can share.
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