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PAGE 19: Set List 9
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SET LIST 9 Thralls of the Flame | COLLABORHYTHM COLLABTUNES

COLLABORHYTHM COLLABTUNES

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SONG LIST 1 The Last Man Singing

SONG LIST 2 Sheila Tequila

SONG LIST 3 A Day at the Office

SONG LIST 4 A Traveler in the Distance

SONG LIST 5 Love Without a Doubt

SONG LIST 6 Undertows and Afterglows

SONG LIST 7 High Tides and Landslides

SONG LIST 8 A Knight for a Lady

SONG LIST 9 Between Us and Love

SONG LIST 10 One Piece Missing

SET LIST 1 Glass Half Something

SET LIST 2 Plurality

SET LIST 3 Self in the Mirror

SET LIST 4 Partnered to the Crime

SET LIST 5 Living a la Mode

SET LIST 6 Definitely NOT Love

SET LIST 7 Train Off the Tracks

SET LIST 8 Boss Logic

SET LIST 9 Thralls of the Flame

SET LIST 10 Go Ask Gramm

SET LIST 11 Noise, Lies and Longing

SET LIST 12 Wounded Masculinity (Silhouettes of Pride)

SET LIST 13 Power Shields

SET LIST 14 6,000KM to DK (Six-Thousand Mile to Denmark)

SET LIST 15 Liminal State

SET LIST 16 Kneel, Heal and Rise

SET LIST 17 Smirks, Swears, Moans and Cries

SET LIST 18 Corrugation Row

SET LIST 19 Della of Troy

SET LIST 20 The Cost of Light

SET LIST 21 A Cold Plate

SET LIST 22 Inherent Absence

SET LIST 23 Zionation

SET LIST 24 Bi Ride or Die

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THE NEW AMERICAN SONGBOOK 36 sections

1 of 35 Dedication, Copyright and Manifesto

2 of 35 Who Tom Is

3 of 35 Introduction

4 of 35 What "Community" Says

5 of 35 Purpose and Structure of Three Books

6 of 35 Table of Contents

7 of 35 Quick Guide G to X

8 of 35 Full Texts of Lyrics

9 of 35 Rolling Stone Style Album reviews

10 of 35 One Sentence Summaries of Tracks

11 of 35 Albums Ranked by Rating G to X

12 of 35 Album Themes, Moods and Profanity Listings

13 of 35 Four Word Descriptions for Every Track

14 of 35 Tracks Listed by Category

15 of 35 Riddle Me This... Who is This Book For?

16 Nailed It Teaching Tool

17 of 35 Choose Your Own Adventure Album Orders

19 of 35 Business Plan and 21 Page Summary

21 of 35 Lyric Use Certificate

22 of 35 What Tom Wants

23 of 35 Collaborhythm Collabtunes Business Card

24 of 35 Songwriter Comparisons

25 of 35 Tom's Cassette Tapes

26 of 35 Songs I Wish I Wrote

27 of 35 Contacts and Social Media

28 of 35 Should You Read This?

29 of 35 Can I Get Sued?

30 of 35 Final Thoughts

31 of 35 Why So Serious?

32 of 35 Five Car Ride Talks

33 of 35 Name Index (the rest of the book)

34 of 35 Names Index (From the Lyrics)

35 of 35 Alphabetical Index by Track Title

18 of 35 Collaborhythm Collabtunes Project Summaries

36/35 Lady Weaver

20/35 The Lady Weaver
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COLLABORHYTHM COLLABTUNES
SET LIST 9
THE THRALLS OF THE FLAME

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING – SET LIST NINE (9)
Set List Nine explores the tension between personal agency, societal expectation, and existential inquiry. Themes include labor and exploitation, social inequity, mental fatigue, emotional vulnerability, philosophical questioning, and the struggle to reconcile idealism with reality. While the set is primarily introspective and poetic, it contains sustained reflections on disillusionment, systemic oppression, and inner conflict that may be emotionally affecting for some listeners.

Core topics include:
• Social and economic pressure – Songs like We Are the Ones examine overwork, underpayment, and the invisible labor sustaining society, highlighting frustration, resentment, and the sense of being trapped in cyclical obligations.
• Identity and personal empowerment – Tracks such as Slip Stream, Sides, and Applied Faith encourage self-exploration, creativity, and agency, but also confront uncertainty, self-doubt, and the fear of failure.
• Existential and spiritual questioning – Lyrics in Invisible Prison, First Glance, and Fate Is a Word wrestle with fate, free will, and the limits of perception, sometimes suggesting entrapment, isolation, or moral ambiguity.
• Emotional struggle – Friend, Better Than It Seems, and Believe Me touch on heartbreak, disappointment, inner turmoil, and the challenges of maintaining hope, empathy, and self-trust.
• Violence, war, and societal critique – Complicated Subject addresses historical and ongoing conflict, human destructiveness, and ethical ambiguity, offering commentary on systemic issues without graphic depiction but with intellectual and emotional weight.

This set is contemplative, not sensational, yet it may trigger introspection, existential anxiety, or emotional overwhelm. Listeners sensitive to discussions of:
• Socioeconomic inequality and labor exploitation
• Disillusionment with institutions or authority
• Psychological or philosophical stress
• Emotional vulnerability, heartbreak, or inner conflict

…are advised to approach with care. The content is intended to provoke thought and reflection rather than shock, but its cumulative weight may resonate intensely with those navigating similar struggles.

Listener discretion advised.

THE THRALLS OF THE FLAME
SET LIST NINE (9)
1 We Are the Ones
2 Friend
3 Speak
4 Applied Faith
5 Slip Stream
6 Sides
7 Invisible Prison
8 Better Than It Seems
9 First Glance
10 Complicated Subject
11 Fate Is a Word
12 Believe Me (first three stanzas)

(1) WE ARE THE ONES
We are the hunched over old man 
who makes your shoes shine
We are the policemen and women 
who help reduce crime

We are the ones who cook and 
serve your meals at lunch time
We are the bartenders you find 
right before closing time

If you're overworked and underpaid
Just nod your head, say you're doing fine
Pick up your shovel, grab your spade
Just nod your head, say you're doing fine
Get back to work, carry on your trade
Just nod your head, say you're doing fine
Quit complaining about making minimum wage
Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

If you're overworked and underpaid
Don't complain just get in line
We are the tracks on which society is laid
Don't complain just get in line

From our broken backs millionaires are made
Don't complain just get in line
It starts when you're a 
little kid selling lemonade
Don't complain just get in line

Let us unite from here, there, from everywhere
For now is our time to shine
Scream out if your life's defined 
by more than just your career
For now is our time to shine

If you're in your car join our motorcade
For now is our time to shine
Sing the refrain and join our parade
For now is our time to shine

You might drink the wine but we're the ones who 
pulled the grapes from the vine
You may own the oil but we're the ones 
that built the pipeline
They might worship you 
but we're the ones who erected the shrine

You may sing the song…
Sing us a song… sing us a song…
But we're the ones who wrote the rhyme
We are the ones who wrote the rhyme

(2) FRIEND
I spread my words so let them be heard
All across the land...
All across these lands...

My advice is right and nice 
I'll have you understand
When it comes to giving
Give as much as you can...

When it comes to women 
sure my heart's been broken
Each time I try to fix it
And carry on the best I can...

Suddenly I feel empowered
Get inspired to spend the next hour
Sitting here and making song
Hoping you will come and sing along

A friend told me a story 
over coffee one morning
From one of the books she was reading
And, oh, how the pages were turning

Oh my friend is very lovely
If only you had a chance to meet her
You would understand it
How I feel when I see her

She was blessed with one of those faces
Possessed by only those truly lovely people
That when softly caressed it somehow erases
Time itself and everything - all that's evil

Someone once asked me
What the secret to my life is
I answered without thinking
"Learning love is priceless"

Share what you have with everyone:
And send flowers to yourself
Just a little "thank you" for being you
Now go and give them to someone else...

I spread my words so let them be heard
All across the land...
All across these lands...

My advice is right and nice
I'll have you understand
When it comes to giving
Give as much as you can...

(3) SPEAK
Rinse, lather and repeat
When you got blood on your hands
This is no time to retreat…

That’s when you begin to dig in
Stay busy to keep from losing sleep
The war is yours to win

Facts…
Get lost in the mist
I don’t believe this
In betrayal by a kiss

Cracks…
A chink in the armor
Is great cause for alarm
For many things can harm 

Both your soul and your will
And your desire to kill
For the sake of a name 
When ideas aren’t the same

It’s the lion and the lamb
For things we don’t understand
What’s missing is common ground
Found beneath the line in the sand
One must win at any and all costs
Has become the prevailing thought
The divide between 
the worker and the boss
Keeps growing wider 
and is now hard to cross

This union is bound to break
And with so much at stake
People everywhere are speaking out
Before it is too late

So I ask what do you say?
Speak.

(4) APPLIED FAITH
Close your eyes
Quiet your mind
And describe to me
What you hope to find

Don’t give it a name
Let it be free
For fear it may change
Or worse never be

Calm your breath
Yes inhale deep
Then pinch yourself 
Make sure you’re not asleep

Is life a dream…
Then one day we wake?
To a world brand new
That’s ours to shape

Or is this it…
And at the end of the ride
There’s no more nothing
Just hello, goodbye

What if it’s a question of choice
And it’s up to you to decide
As what you believe in most
That fate will then be applied

Don’t dare waste thoughts
On hollow or empty things
For fear of finding out 
What the consequences bring 

Behold the power 
Of free mind and will
Everything can be unmade
And anything can be built

Conceive, believe, achieve 
Imagination is all you need
Yes, you can manifest your destiny

In this world, the next 
or whatever world will be

(5) SLIP STREAM
Enter this virtual world
Take an unguided tour
We'll find a cavern in your mind
That has yet to be explored

We'll cause a ripple in the water
Of intuition, space and time
Won't fear a tear in the fabric
Only scared of a flaw in the design

We can take a trip
Slip down stream
Feel free to follow me
Or I could follow you

Just take one of these
You know what to do
Become anyone you want
Let that become the truth

Free yourself from all distraction
For time ain't on anybody's side
I can see by your reaction
The sense of panic in your eyes

There's only shame in me asking
If you need your place to hide

Just take one of these
And you know what to do
Become anyone you want
Let that become the truth

I see a ripple in the water
Or it could be space and time
A small tear in the fabric
I see a flaw in the design

Just take one of these
And you know what to do...
Let everything you see
Become shiny and new

(6) SIDES
There's no well-marked 
and measured 
Previously charted course 
for you in this world

Just doors waiting 
to be opened
And new frontiers
to be explored

Are there unknown 
galaxies to be found
In what we call 
this universe

I've been searching 
for another new place
One that lies 
between the bounds
of time and material
and sound and space

Where I can live 
inside of my own 
creative invention

Fueled by just 
the energy inside all 
of my good intentions

Becoming unencumbered 
by this perpetual motion
Of having to ride through
the highs and lows

Like a barrel carried along
in the drift of the tide
Up and then down 
and around again on this ride
A human roller coaster
of pre-text and manipulation

I wanna go 
where there's no 
black and no white
No wrong or right
No sleep
no war no more
no peace
And no reason to fight

No big problems 
or great solutions
Only a future fate 
which awaits
That your thoughts 
and actions 
will realize and dictate

An alternative reality
Avoiding impartialities 
and ambiguities

That in time you find 
Within your own 
peace of mind
Then you'll get by 
on just your own 
ingenuity and intuity
and your innards
and their fluidity

Where a thinking 
man's thoughts
Find their way
out of the box
And any other device
That tries to contain them

Where when one's logic is 
Sound and strong
Nobody ever has to ask
Which side are you on

Since there's no sides to choose
No winners to lose
No losers to win
Or angels to sin 
Nor devils to pray
For eternal life
in the oncoming day
Or even in the seconds
That later lie ahead...

No present
No past
No living
No dead

(7) INVISIBLE PRISON
The dazzling darkness 
caresses the silence
The perfect calm 
at the edge of the violence

Meant to do us harm 
or gently guide us?
Outward and upward 
or deep down inside us?

There’s many with ears 
that can’t hear through the fear
Those not standing in the light
Remain beyond my line of sight
In an invisible prison
When your spirit is trapped in form
It can’t soar
Listen…
In the kingdom of the blind
The one eyed man is king
But if you can change your mind
Then you can change everything

I believe that space and time are one
And I’ll finish exactly where I begun
What always is always was and always will be
Behold I use my free will to create fate 
And mold, make and shape my destiny

Yeah energy, frequency and waves
Can move mountains like Jesus saves
Can part the sea or remove gravity
Can erase mistakes even rewrite history

The secret is that WE are the key:
The problem, the solution, 
the question and the answer to the mystery
Hmmm…..What if the magician was the trick?
Then the illusion wouldn’t necessarily be 
what we expect...

(8) BETTER THAN IT SEEMS
I am trying to unlearn
What all the teachers have taught me
I am trying to unlock
An original thought but I have no key
I am trying to believe
That it's better than it seems
(Or at least what I can see)
I am trying to achieve
The American Dream
Of leaving a legacy behind me

Look out the man's got the pen again
Pulls it out every now and then
Smokes some pot as your thoughts
Become your friends
Keep on looking for answers
Until the questions end

So what pulls you through?
Is it something bigger than you?
Or is it lesser than you?
It could be that, too
For so many this is true
Oh, so what am I to do?
Lock myself in a vault
And point my finger at you
Screaming everything is your fault
Sure, you're soul searching
Yet you haven't found a clue

Finally my inner turmoil is at peace
I slayed the dragon
I conquered the beast
Fought so many things
That I could and couldn't see

That which I once believed
Would one day get the best of me
Has now been left behind
I always knew it was just a matter of time

Now that I'm finally where I want to be
I still can't really say that I'm doing fine

With all this free time plaguing my mind
I get to dig a little deeper inside
Still afraid of what I'll find

(9) FIRST GLANCE
The ocean acts as the blood of the earth
She’s screaming out in a flood of hurt
Oh misguided one can’t you see what you’ve done?
Taken and forsaken see the red rivers run

With our mother provider in failing health
We could stop dividing and help ourselves
He who seeks paradise just to leave it in ruins…
Finds indeed all good things do end too soon

Visions of your future are found 
in the memories of your past
You can trace each face 
and place as you look back

A symphony of senses 
as you travel 
the threads of time
It’s like dreaming 
but you’re not sleeping 
still you feel so alive

You can feel the current 
of energy running through us all
The frequency determines 
whether we degenerate or evolve 

As free will plays 
as big a part as chance
So much more is happening here 
than appears at first glance

(10) COMPLICATED SUBJECT
It's such a complicated subject...
this matter of war
Traces back to the beginning of time...
if not before
Intertwined with our destiny
Throughout all our history
As the fate of humanity
Rests within this legacy

The true nature of man...
is not one of understanding
to say the least
The way it now stands...
This violence and bloodshed
shall never cease

There are four words
That'll never be
Our one sole belief
We come in peace

There are four words
That make me nervous
When I hear someone speak
We come in peace

For it seems to me
We'll all eventually
Suffer some kind of defeat
All genders and races
All colors of this crayon nation
All beliefs and creeds

Yet when we fight today
The battle cry is not Semper Fi
It's bleed green for corporate greed
Please take my eyes
Or take away these things
That I don't want to see

Still we try to perceive
all that's unperceivable
Still we strive to conceive
in what's inconceivable
Still we struggle to believe
in the unbelievable
Still we attempt to achieve
What is unachievable

It's such a complicated subject...
this matter of war
Traces back to the beginning of time...
if not before
Intertwined with our destiny
Throughout all our history
As the fate of humanity
Rests within this legacy

(11) FATE IS A WORD
Passion's found in 
many shapes and forms
Within a tight black dress, 
within a uniform

In the eyes of a mother
In the sighs of a lover
At three in the morning
Oh yeah...

Virtue can't be found 
in all eyes of men
Nor in their statues 
or great monuments

Only through tough
times and trial
Will we find ourselves
without denial
Or false compliments
Oh yeah...

Naked truth often hides 
where you least expect
Never in the lavish palace 
but in the cellar of neglect

Those of us living in glass houses 
should be careful of bricks
For some who are
 'the chosen ones'
Aren't the ones we'd pick
Oh no...

Fate is a word made up 
by the scared
As the reason 
why they failed
Or the reason 
they never dared

To summon the courage 
to follow the voice
They didn't always 
want to hear
Oh yeah...

I am a man who 
loves dishing it out
Yet I always have problems 
when it comes to myself

When it comes to stepping up 
I'm the first one to speak
When it comes to the children 
I try my best to teach
They say practice makes perfect 
so it's time to practice what I preach

(12) BELIEVE ME
I could tell you all about my life…
But you probably wouldn’t believe me
You find me always doing right…
And you think it comes easy

You, who finds something new…
And becomes afraid
With that view…
There’s not a lot I can say

You’ll find out the hard way
That’s the price that some pay
When you play it too safe
Sometimes you don’t get to play

THE THRALLS OF THE FLAME
SET LIST NINE (9)
Hopeful in life journey
A roadmap for the weary traveler—songs that acknowledge how hard the road can be while insisting that the journey is still worth taking. 
This collection is for anyone who has wondered if they're on the right path and found the courage to keep walking anyway.
Hope & Perseverance, The Journey Itself, Faith in Process, Finding Your Way
(1) We Are the Ones
(2) Friend
(3) Speak
(4) Applied Faith
(5) Slip Stream
(6) Sides
(7) Invisible Prison
(8) Better Than It Seems
(9) First Glance
(10) Complicated Subject
(11) Fate Is a Word
(12) Believe Me

Set List 9 — The Thralls of the Flame

PAGE 6 OF 34

Set List 9 — The Thralls of the Flame

Lead Rating: PG

Total Points: 17

Strategic Arc: Labor, social critique, existential questioning. The working-class payload.

Trigger Warning: Labor exploitation, economic anxiety, systemic critique. No explicit content.

#
Song
Rating
Musician/Artist
Four-Word Summary

1
We Are the Ones
PG-13
We wrote the rhyme

2
Friend
PG
Learning love is priceless

3
Speak
PG-13
Before it is too late

4
Applied Faith
PG
Manifest your own destiny

5
Slip Stream
PG-13
Everything shiny and new

6
Sides
PG
No winners to lose

7
Invisible Prison
PG
We are the key

8
Better Than It Seems
PG-13
Better than it seems

9
First Glance
PG
More than appears first

10
Complicated Subject
PG-13
Matter of war history

11
Fate Is a Word
PG-13
Practice what I preach

12
Believe Me
PG
Price that some pay

Collection Summary: A grounded, socially conscious set about labor, identity, and the pressure to conform. These songs resist easy answers while affirming the dignity of work, the power of connection, and the importance of staying awake.

Artist Comparison: Tracy Chapman, Glen Hansard, Peter Gabriel

Key Themes: Labor, identity, systemic critique, resilience, connection
