⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING – SET LIST THIRTEEN (13) This set contains graphic political commentary, anti-imperial critique, systemic inequality, state violence, and global moral failure. It pulls no punches. There's satire, but no humor — just the bitter burn of truth stated too plainly for some to bear. Use caution if you are sensitive to: Genocide, war crimes, and historical injustice Police brutality, judicial corruption, state-sponsored violence Poverty, systemic oppression, and economic exploitation Disillusionment with government and media control Mentions of execution, hanging, and death sentences Anger at religion, American imperialism, and institutional betrayal Mental health under pressure of social collapse Racial and class-based inequality Extreme emotional exhaustion or activist burnout Hopelessness in the face of a broken system This list does not glamorize violence but names it, points to the perpetrators, and forces you to look. There is zero sugar-coating, even when poems wax lyrical. The emotions here are acidic — often disguised in performance, rhythm, or irony, but not diluted. HIGHEST IMPACT TRACKS (by topic): State Violence & Genocide: "East Timor" Harrowing account of U.S.-funded genocide and global apathy. Accusations of complicity by military-industrial complex and mass media. Contains imagery of children dying, political slaughter, and denialism. "You can hide a genocide / Started back before 1975…" Warning: this song is raw, righteous, and infuriating. Listeners with experience in war zones, refugee crises, or political trauma may find it extremely activating. Death Penalty / Incarceration / State Surveillance: "Gettin' Juiced," "Gate Keeper," "Sleepless," "Steady Calm" Themes of death row, wrongful imprisonment, paranoia, revolution crushed in silence. Imagery includes snipers on roofs, bugged conversations, systemic betrayal, hanging, and failed legal justice. "Steady Calm" ends with a lynching metaphor, delivered with heavy political irony. "Legs dance and then dangle / Silhouetting the gable…" Capitalism, Class War, and Corporate Corruption: "Poorest Chorus," "Uncashable," "Permanent Lies," "Mickey D's," "Can't Have That" Direct indictments of wealth inequality, corporate propaganda, and poverty as policy. "Poorest Chorus" in particular is a devastating indictment of post-Katrina America, the collapse of public education, and "Walmartization" as systemic decay. "People getting hosed but not being able to take a bath / In Katrina's aftermath" This set will absolutely distress anyone disillusioned by American decline or complicit in its rise. It's not subtle. Indigenous Genocide / Colonization: "Staking the Flag" Explores the Trail of Tears, Native American genocide, and American mythologizing of conquest. Biting satire delivered through cadence and rhyme — mocking Manifest Destiny with brutal accuracy. "The cavalry is about to charge / No dancing with wolves / When you're waltzing with Custard…" Mental Health / Political Despair: "Steady Calm," "Mickey D's," "Sleepless," "Uncashable" Several pieces mention disassociation, paranoia, suicidal ideation, or deep hopelessness. "Mickey D's" reads like a man unraveling in real-time, spiritually and cognitively burnt out. "Sleepless" presents existential regret wrapped in philosophical aphorism. ADDITIONAL THEMES TO WATCH FOR: Satirical deconstruction of nationalism and pledges ("Pledge") Exploitation through globalization ("Permanent Lies") The rage of the ignored working class ("Can't Have That," "United We Stand") Disillusionment with revolutions that never came INTENDED EFFECT This set is meant to anger, educate, destabilize, and provoke change. It's full of "truths people know but rarely say," laid bare with poetic fire and no apology. There is no comfort here — only confrontation. You will leave this set smarter, sadder, angrier — or you will walk away. That is the wager it makes. 📍WHO SHOULD AVOID THIS LIST Avoid or delay listening if you are: In a fragile mental health state already triggered by systemic injustice Deeply sensitive to war imagery or genocide denial Struggling with anger dysregulation or PTSD rooted in political violence Looking for healing, peace, or calm — this is not that list WHO MAY BENEFIT Political activists Survivors of systemic oppression Students of history or policy who need an emotional lens Those burned out by the news who want to feel seen SUMMARY Set 13 is a call-to-arms, not a balm. A document of frustration, exhaustion, and clear-eyed fury. It is deliberately uncomfortable — because the world it describes is. And if it keeps you up at night… that's the point. If you need to, take breaks, split songs up, or skip entirely. You've been warned. POWER SHIELDS SET LIST THIRTEEN (13) 1 Can't Have That 2 Gettin' Juiced 3 Gate Keeper 4 Uncashable 5 Permanent Lies 6 Mickey D's 7 Poorest Chorus 8 Staking the Flag 9 United We Stand 10 Pledge 11 Sleepless 12 East Timor 13 Steady Calm (1) CAN'T HAVE THAT The latest polls show That when the people say "yes" Our leaders say "no" I was taught that it was us versus them Now I've learned that them is us But I'm not talking about your Average Joe Just of those who try to buy our trust Here's a list of things the peasants want Well surely they can't have all that! Just give them these stale loaves of bread And then we'll raise the tax!!!! Society at large...Oh, we're not too pleased Politics to the core...has become diseased All I need is one believer To inspire me to dig just a little bit deeper Society at large...Oh, we're not too pleased Politics to the core... has become diseased All they need is one good reason To get me off of this charge of treason Society at large... Oh, we're not too pleased Politics to the core... has become diseased When I hear the word lobbyist My right hand reaches for my gun When it comes time for talking politics People get paid to keep us dumb

(2) GETTIN' JUICED Smashed is the equality Living in this world of sin As long as you got power There's no trouble you're gettin' in An old football star He ain't gonna do no time Money, fame and connections All cover up the crime Killing death row inmates I haven't seen the use The machine is all plugged in But it still doesn't have The Juice And when it's time for you or me The average American Joe They'll put us in a steel-caged cell With no place else to go When they come and lock me up There's gonna be a parade They'll say they've seen my writings And heard every word I said If I ever make parole There'll be snipers on the roof But they'll need to have an extra round Because I'm bulletproof Well, actually I'm not I've got no fortune or fame That's why when things go wrong They place on me the blame Killing death row inmates I haven't seen the use The machine is all plugged in But it still doesn't have The Juice (3) GATE KEEPER If it goes to trial They got you on file As a well-known liar This whole time The feds had it pegged Were all wearing wires You're left to ask why Not everyone tries When bogged down in the mire And it seems to me You're as high as can be I don't think it gets any higher Time to make a deal Before your fate's sealed The contract has expired You see, going for broke It leaves you broken And cold and hungry Yet you keep on hoping That tomorrow A new door will open That'll light the fire And you'll see that thing smokin' You found yourself a game That you really want to play "Oh won't you deal me in?" They've been waiting for you to say… Gate keeper, gate keeper I can dig a little deeper Please tell me what you require Would you have me walk across the water? Or are you thinking of something hotter? Am I sensing a cleansing by fire? Oh those eyes I see them rise in desire As beads of sweat from your forehead perspire… Gate keeper, gate keeper Oh won't you let me into your little show Gate keeper, gate keeper Oh tell me all the secrets That we both know you know (4) UNCASHABLE From where you stand Everything looks groovy But living inside of a commercial It ain't the same as starring in a movie Hey brother can you spare a dime? I beg for money all the time Rather hold an empty cup Than lead a life of crime Reality checks can't be cashed That's what they said at the bank When I asked: Is there a tax on misery? What's the price of a life Worth materially? She wrote down a number But it didn't seem enough When I said I suffered from poverty She subtracted a couple of bucks I said, "Have a nice day" And I just walked away Pondering the price we'll all pay For people acting and thinking this way I document history The kind no one reads In this land of pretty flowers I'm considered a weed (5) PERMANENT LIES Permanent lies, permanent lies Permanent lies, permanent lies Facts are interchangeable Opinions oh so manageable Everything is rearrangeable For those who own the world The discovery I am finding No contract can be binding When the empire is declining The shell closes on a pearl When confined by isolation With this stale air I'm tasting I slowly begin wasting My time, my mind, my pay So with nothing in my pockets I gotta go get it Because I don't got it And when I do it flits away Permanent lies Lead to infinite wars… What hides behind the disguise? It's so hard to tell anymore There's many giving up No, I'm not talking 'bout the poor Lots of middle class or better All falling dead upon the floor (6) MICKEY D's I cannot complete a thought It gets lost as I get cross Trapped like a gas In this vast piece of orbiting mass This little lucky piece of rock That you could almost paddle across We've got some pretty green trees Yet it's still ripe with disease Full of wars you can and can't see You ask, "So what's it to me?" Yes I know of history, geology, Astronomy and World War Three I have seen the greed Once I would have never believed That money could buy such misery Now I see the naivety in me As corporations start owning countries Now they're calling Kenya Mickey D's And happiness is just a distant memory So long unknown to me Living in this world of adultery Where what you see Is not really what you see And where what's to be May never be And though unchained no one is free You can look forever and still not see Believing simply that What's to be will be Thinking that men don't make history Only got lucky Someone had to be It took me many years to see That God helps those who help themselves So think twice to yourself Before you trust in anyone else Or else you run the risk Of feeling just like me A dear friend to insanity But hey, at least somebody listens to me

(7) POOREST CHORUS The brutal honesty of this fun house mirrored fishbowl world in which we all live inside Is that a man's soul Will either with him gently die or watch him lay helpless as he is economically crucified This is not just mere opinion But a simple fact That we can no longer push aside: I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... Which is tied directly to the exploitation of our country's citizens by big magnates Where the more get more and the poor get less As every mom and pop store is forced to liquidate I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... Seen values and morals and a sense of duty to country slowly disintegrate Over the last sixty years faces on the street Have become overrun by utter indifference if not hate I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... People getting hosed but not being able to take a bath In Katrina's aftermath And it's our own government that has yet to close the floodgates But there's more to it than court rulings It's what large bills get passed On the house floor to the Senate I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... I've seen kids having kids Who're functionally illiterate Little ones walking hand in hand With the falling prices of real estate I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... I've seen people drown In a pool of knowledge Because the water turned stagnant As our world has become all carved up and fractionated I've been watching the Walmartization of these United States... As funding for education gets bled so badly it needs a turnicate Yet it's never seemed to be a major issue for debate Brought up by any presidential candidate I've been watching the Walmartization of these dividing states... Hoping for a reversal of trends But how much longer will we have to wait? It's an unfortunate story But one that somebody had to narrate (8) STAKING THE FLAG Left, right, left, right, left, right Keep on walking Don't you look behind Left, right, left, right, left, right, left Keep on walking Don't you look behind Left, right, left, right, left, right Keep on walking Don't you look behind If you do you know what you'll see I said if you do Then you'll know what you'll find... A trail of tears... One tear for every step A trail of tears... One tear for what couldn't be kept A trail of tears... One tear for every breath A trail of tears... One tear for every death The Indians in their Teepees Speakie English and say 'In trouble deepie" The cavalry is about to charge No dancing with wolves When you're waltzing with Custard Forced into building casinos And inventing new mustard The pilgrims with muskets Are now at large And with a box full of small pox Expanding isn't very hard Trade whiskey for deeds Throw in a few beads When you find a cross in the yard Then you'll know it's in the bag To put men on the moon You know it's never too soon Sometimes you have to push hard When you're staking the flag Left, right, left, right, left, right Keep on walking Don't you look behind Left, right, left, right, left, right, left Keep on walking Don't you look behind Left, right, left, right, left, right Keep on walking Don't you look behind If you do you'll know what you'll see I said if you do Then you'll know what you'll find... A trail of tears... One tear for every step A trail of tears... One tear for what couldn't be kept A trail of tears... One tear for every breath A trail of tears... One tear for every death (9) UNITED WE STAND All for one and one for all It really makes no sense to hide it: That he thinks this and she thinks that One man's fiction is another man's fact Not every conversation is one-sided All for one and one for all What was once on the way up Is now going down After empty words were spoken The unity was broken And the three musketeers Have all skipped town All for one and one for all As an individual we are so small But this isn't China, this isn't Japan No one wants to be part Of any master plan Yet society's foundation will crack Without enough bricks in the wall All for one and one for all Quite similar to an alcoholic's motto They say take things a day at a time It'll help ease your mind I guess there's No such word as tomorrow All for one and one for all The time that's wasting is now But for your God or for yourself Maybe for me Or perhaps someone else To some greater cause We must each take our vow All for one and one for all What kind of future Does this world hold? The ill are getting sicker Each day our children Are growing up quicker Yet they say that What hasn't a price Cannot be sold All for one and one for all The justice system of our country Has no equal Though the cases seem To keep getting worse After a movie is made Everyone wants to be the first In line to buy the sequel All for one and one for all The liberty bell keeps on ringing As republicans and democrats Keep on listening While trying to figure out Where the sound is at And until the do I'll keep on singing All for one and one for all You can sit staring At quotes on the wall But I believe That Lincoln said it best So there's really no need To recite all the rest United we stand, divided we fall All for one and one for all It takes many seeds To plant a garden So you better harvest Before the frost For if you don't All your work will be lost As I feel a wintry chill just starting

(10) PLEDGE Globalization without exploitation Should be the pledge of this next generation The goal set forth for this new millennium More songs that unite... That's right... I'm penning them So who is with me? (thunderous clapping and applause) Alright now who is against me? (solo person clapping fades out) The only weapon you need is love To destroy any potential enemies It's thoughts like these that make me The most dangerous man in the world Someone that can teach these beliefs To all of Mother Earth's little boys and girls Every arm in arm Each hand in hand That's the one nation For which I'll stand (11) SLEEPLESS We regret it in the morning What feels good in the night We see things as we want to And we pretend that we have sight Have you ever asked Helen Keller What she thinks of as right Her answers might surprise you Keep you sleepless and up at night… (12) EAST TIMOR Amidst this endless and senseless violence The one thing that I despise most Are the swords that were swung in silence For when futile becomes resistance The bloody few who are left Look to us for some assistance But it's by our weapons That their blood is spilled When you're wiping out poverty Sometimes it's just cheaper to kill So we justify we need a place For our new submarine base Since our economy is tanking Why let good weapons go to waste? Sell them to Indonesia And everybody wins At least those with a voice Amplified by propagandist spin I'm getting angry unhappy If I start crying please slap me Slap this frown right off of my face As you see I'm in a delicate state Been like this for years How long will they have to wait? When the media is your ally You can hide a genocide Started back before 1975 Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives Amidst this endless and senseless violence The one thing that I despise most Are the swords that were swung...in silence (13) STEADY CALM When we are the many And they are the few We shall never be forgiven For what we failed to do As the time came When it was time to act We turned our backs Clinging to made up facts Children crying in their mother's arms Fathers dying in wars like Vietnam Vacant eyes Formaldehyde smell Following the trail You know so well... In this struggle for survival The key is the journey not the arrival It's more the process less the prose Where the wisdom's found by those who know 'Tis best to walk where the road don't go As everything speeds up Is when it's best to take it slow… It quickens - the pace of the nation And sickens - what some of us are facing As the plot thickens - you forget what you were chasing Those not stricken - stop sleepwalking and awaken To all you spring chickens - can we unmake this forsaken aching creation? I sense the sound of hesitation in your voice I've found most of your frustration is by choice Those afraid of confrontation shall be coerced To either stand up for themselves or else lie down in a hearse Day to day to day… Today is worse If you wanna make an omelette Then sometimes you gotta break some heads It don't pay to be a chicken Forever sitting on unhatched eggs Here at the feast not everybody eats Not everybody speaks Even those who are able But when the money's on the line And the cards are on the table Someone's bound to cheat It happens every time Hence the noose around the neck Legs dance and then dangle Silhouetting the gable Now... things are back to normal Everything all nice and stable Steady Calm... Yeah, I'll wear that label