1. |
Carousel
02:43
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He fulfills the beast he was born to be
Under guides who gauge his brawn
And apprehend the weak beneath,
Finding no faith of his own
Though we all pull from the same flame
She carries the torch, as she was taught
Without igniting her own
Amongst ornamentations of our carousel
We all look out to see
Kaleidoscopic views beneath
The blurred but indiscreet
Revealin' a motion suite
Often left unnoticed, we step off its course
Into the stillness of a fugue-state
While stumbling in its tow
A stupor of clarity disarms
The warm numbers of marching piles
For no longer do they dilute the stale taste
Held in the open mouth of a stumped face
Your own cement shoes bind you to the love and justice, true
The carousel still turns
But porous minds will be tapped into
Then wrought dry for their aesthetic stew
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2. |
Through the Teeth
05:49
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Dilated eyes may help one praise the satyr's side
Compelled by themes so subtly disguised
But when terms of contrast slowly stretch thin
They turn wary of their aching skin
Can the realist point out delusion?
Or are they just blind to our most dire times?
Is letting them be, setting evil free?
Is waiting to pull up the roots of fate much too late?
The door of compliance shan't gather moss
Mobility puts the mind of intimate loss at ease
Hanging from a hope that won't elope
The hills are steep - plagued with yearnings, endlessly deep
A fool's been tamed, and so resumes our silly game
Tired, he peers through the teeth of honesty's choir
Waiting for Saint Nick to bludgeon him on the head
With gifts to help alleviate this Earthly dread
Armed with an indiscernible language
This voice projects a muted frequency bridge
Never to be heard by those who don't care
But to resonate with the lustrous soul, aware
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3. |
The Hand
03:23
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Days soon turn late, offering up our dirty plate
Limbs are weak, though the mind's not beat
But for just a moment, they take a seat
Then from below, like the ugly bridge troll
The covert anchor pulls toward the hand, which speaks intent
Of some wriggling divine plan
The body chokes in its dense, composed repose
If your grasp is short, and temper's alike
That quick-slipping grip may spike a sharp, cursed reich
And those who strike will end up on a pike
So, while you carry out your sentence of life in fluff toil
Know the hand's coy hydra coil
Will bring you into Earth's soil
Before you get to swallow the spoils
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4. |
The Ferryman
03:17
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5. |
Mirror of Majesties
03:42
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Their demigods are figures of the past
Praised for their outcast contrast
Yet they aim to replicate all that their majesties hate
As the unsung heroes of the present are left famished
And without a stamp, they're left abandoned
If there's a desire to persuade
They'll only sense doubt in your ways
Advice from their device guides to entice
Passions that are discarded when new updates arise
Though each day never lets go
They're just too aloof to ever know
The burden of accumulation will linger and hiss
Consciousness is a curse, as ignorance is bliss
Behind the walls that they've built
They are deep beneath their quilt and warm facade
It feels secure and safe amongst the mob
Riding the wave of some collective, muffled voice
So far apart from reality's swollen heart
They drain the blood from their own
From high up on their throne and reap the loot, feeling astute
But at the root, they're just some remnant pile of bones –
Catacombs of someone else's relic moans
Crushing skulls in hell-bent march
Feasting on insecure à la carte
Only the victors will do the writing for us
While the seconds all go to waste
There cannot be creation from destruction
If the liberated spores are all erased
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6. |
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A vast frontier coaxes the will of one
Within the embrace of absurdity
But when purgatory emerges in loops and chains
The victim basks in surreal lamentation
Then from the fog, appears tribes of garnished masks
Breed for their dimness and utility
Armed with their chic clubs, sharing mirrored interplay
Convinced they make inherent idleness graceful
Though weak, their numbers are high
They advance in parallel, hitching to a tailcoat path
Solo in thick company, blocking the deviant
Drifting in tandem, forming whirlpools at random
Speaking for all, they take our name
Aimlessly trapping the ripe in their net of hype
Soiling reputations within their mediocre frame
Ears are boxed if fresh sounds escape
Eyes are blinded and the vision stolen if a new way is seen
Tongues are cut from the mouth holding bad taste
If bright minds rise above the cold, dense darkness
Stories will shed on the present
Abandon course, and there'll be no trace to follow
Placing the reigns of fate in callous, red hands
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7. |
Child Kingdom
04:35
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Are you “The Child”, or just an oaf of this mercy mild?
Set out to sea! Art thou now free? We'll see!
Was there betrayal of a soul once lone and feral?
Will "Nothing" congeal? Is evil real? Feel!
Can you see beyond the trees?
Did you climb the highest peak?
Have you found comfort in the mirror that you chose to hold?
Do you see you, or those who froze? Who knows?
Warming your bones with thoughts of eagerness that once rose
But, now you wait. Where is the bait? Too late?
Shivering in this year's first rain,
Molting your cares away
Reach for the clouds in desperation – you gave your vows!
Turn on “delight”! No room for “fright”! Alright!
Harness the laws the child kingdom once had you gnaw on
They once seemed trite, but now are quite finite
Eternal youth comes in a mead of blood and honey
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8. |
Wild Animals
03:41
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How hard, and for how long, can one scream
Into the silent stillness of a dream?
The heart is strained,
Losing its voice from infinite exclaim
A soft caress from a consoling breeze
May bring contorted ones down to their knees
The hands are sore,
Lying before some empty frontier door
This wall I've pushed against is solid brick,
And not knowing how thick still makes me sick
The boulder falls
From my shoulders, exhaustion has me crawl
The infantry retreats to the long journey home, alone
Their emotions burned bright
But now are numbed, muted, and out of sight
Are my wild animals now free,
Or in their cage, by carousel decree?
If part of them is still awake
Will they know what's at stake?
...
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Okapi Asheville, North Carolina
OKAPI is a duo which utilizes upright bass, cello, and voice through raw, intimate orchestrations driven by honesty and philosophical content. We advocate the conscious confrontation with reality, rather than the subconscious avoidance or distraction from it, and encourage individual awareness, freedom, and healthy growth. We hope to inspire consciousness in all those who are willing to listen. ... more
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