Like a Bird on the Wire

If We Poison Our Children With Hatred...

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:18:09 -0400

Nanci Griffith

I am a backseat driver from America
They drive to the left on Falls Road
The man at the wheel's name is Seamus
We pass a child on the corner he knows
And Seamus says, "Now, what chance has that
Kid got?"
And I say from the back, "I don't know."
He says, "There's barbed wire at all of these exits...
And there ain't no place in Belfast for that kid
To go."

It's a hard life
It's a hard life
It's a very hard life
It's a hard life wherever you go
If we poison our children with hatred
Then, the hard life is all that they'll know
And there ain't no place in Belfast for
These kids to go

A cafeteria line in Chicago
The fat man in front of me
Is calling black people trash to his children
He's the only trash here I see
And I'm thinking this man wears a white hood
In the night when his children should sleep
But, they slip to their window and they see him
And they think that white hood's all they need

I was a child in the sixties
Dreams could be held through TV
With Disney, and Cronkite, and Martin Luther
Oh, I believed, I believed... I BELIEVED
Now, I am the backseat driver from America
I am not at the wheel of control
I am guilty, I am war,... I am the root of all evil
Lord, and I can't drive on the left side of the road

01 Johnny Appleseed

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros

Lord, there goes Johnny Appleseed
He might pass by in the hour of need
There's a lot of souls
Ain't drinking from no well locked in a factory

Hey - look there goes
Hey - look there goes
If you're after getting the honey - hey
Then you don't go killing all the bees

Lord, there goes Martin Luther King
Notice how the door closes
When the chimes of freedom ring
I hear what you're saying, I hear what he's saying
*Is what was true now no longer so

Hey - I hear what you're saying
Hey - I hear what he's saying
If you're after getting the honey - hey
Then you don't go killing all the bees

What the people are saying
And we know every road - go, go
What the people are saying
There ain't no berries on the trees

Let the summertime sun
Fall on the apple - fall on the apple

Lord, there goes a Buick forty-nine
Black sheep of the angels riding, riding down the line
We think there is a soul, we don't know
That soul is hard to find

Hey - down along the road
Hey - down along the road
If you're after getting the honey
Then you don't go killing all the bees

Hey - it's what the people are saying
It's what the people are saying
Hey - there ain't no berries on the trees
Hey - that's what the people are saying, no berries on the trees
You're checking out the honey, baby
You had to go killin' all the bees

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You're So Full of Doubt, You Just Can't Let it Be

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:49:27 -0400

Keep On Trying

Poco

Oh oh oh oh
I've been thinkin' bout all the times you told me
You're so full of doubt, you just can't let it be, but I know
If you keep on comin back for more and I keep on tryin'.
I keep on tryin'
And I've been drinkin now just a little too much
And I don't know how I can get in touch with you
Now there's only one thing for me to do is to keep on tryin'
To get home to you.

And I feel so satisfied when I can see you smile.
I want to confide in all that is true so I
Keep on trying I'm through with lying.
Just like the sun above I'll keep on shining through. Oh yes I'll
Keep on trying; I'm tired of crying.
I've got to find a way to get home to you.

I've been thinkin' 'bout all the times you held me
I never heard you shout - the flow of energy was so fine.
Now I think I'll lay it on the line and keep on tryin'
To get home to you.

And I feel so satisfied when I can see you smile.
I want to confide in all that is true so I
Keep on trying I'm through with lying.
Just like the sun above I'll come on shining through, yes I will.
Keep on trying I'm tired of crying

I've got to find a way to get home to you.

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I Have Tried in My Way to be Free

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:13:45 -0400

Bird on the Wire

Leonard Cohen

Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Like a worm on a hook,
like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by.
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.

Like a baby, stillborn,
like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
But I swear by this song
and by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
he said to me, "You must not ask for so much."
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
she cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"

Oh like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.

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And I Won't Be Denied

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:30:15 -0400

Possession

Sarah McLachlan

Listen as the wind blows from across the great divide.
Voices trapped in yearning; memories trapped in time.
The night is my companion, and solitude my guide.
Would I spend forever here and not be satisfied?

And I would be the one,
To hold you down,
Kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away.
And after, I'd wipe away the tears;
Just close your eyes dear.

Through this world I've stumbled
So many times betrayed,
Trying to find an honest word to find
The truth enslaved.
Oh, you speak to me in riddles
And you speak to me in rhymes.
My body aches to breathe your breath;
Your words keep me alive.

And I would be the one,
To hold you down,
Kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away.
And after, I'd wipe away the tears;
Just close your eyes dear.

Into this night I wander;
It's morning that I dread.
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread.
Oh, into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride.
Nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one,
To hold you down,
Kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away.
And after, I'd wipe away the tears;
Just close your eyes dear...

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And Even I Get Sick of Needing to Be Sold

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 04:56:48 -0400

Helicopters

Barenaked Ladies

This is where the helicopters came to take me away.
This is where the children used to play.

This is only half a mile away from the attack.
This is where my life changed in a day
And then it changed back.
Buried in the din of rotor noise and close explosions,
I do my best to synthesize the sounds and my emotions.
This is where the allies bombed the school,
They say by mistake.
Here nobody takes me for a fool, just for a fake.
Later at the hotel bar, the journalists are waiting;
I hurry back to my guitar while they're commiserating.

And I'll be leaving soon,
I'll be leaving soon.

Just as soon as we were on the ground,
We were back in the jet.
Just another three day foreign tour we'd never forget.
It's hard to sympathize with all this devastation,
Hopping 'round from site to site like tourists on vacation.

And I'll be leaving soon,
I'll be leaving soon.

I can't help anyone cause everyone's so cold.
Everyone's so skeptical of everything they're told.
And even I get sick of needing to be sold.

Though it's only half a month away, the media's gone.
An entertaining scandal broke today, but I can't move on.
I'm haunted by a story and I do my best to tell it.
Can't even give this stuff away, why would I sell it?
Everybody's laughing, while at me they point a finger:
A world that loves its irony must hate the protest singer.

So I'll be leaving soon,
I'll be leaving soon,
I'll be leaving soon.

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Penny's Seeking...

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:53:46 -0400

I'm having a lot of fun playing the new local shit-disturber and dissident, but I've a few requests that would really help me flesh her out more. So if you're looking for a new character who's already got some links to the established grid, well, maybe you'll want to give one of these concepts some consideration.

I would love, love, love to have someone playing Penny's older brother, who could maybe start making her life a little complicated in ways I haven't yet gotten into on the grid (let's just say he might have cause to not entirely agree with her stance on some key issues). I've left a lot about him open in her background (including his name and age), so if you'd like to play the beleaguered big brother to an anti-mutant activist, please let me know!

Obviously, there are a few secrets she's been keeping about him, so if you're seriously interested in RPing him, drop me a page or @mail on the game (or email me xmr.rogueATgmailDOTcom) and I can fill you in on the dirty details.

It would also be really awesome to get more folks in the ranks of SUFMA (Students for Mutant Accountability) at NYU or a sister chapter at another of the area schools, or another anti-mutant sort in general. Even some humans who haven't made up their mind about the issue would be fun to have around, since I'm sure both sides would have plenty to say to them.

If you're interested in making a SUFMA member, drop me a line and I can fill you in on what little I've established about the group so far (their stance, etc.), but for general anti-mutant types, well, just app away and look me up once you're grid-side!

Of course, this isn't to say I'm not having a wicked time fighting with all of you mutie-lovers! If you want to pick a fight or just be annoyed by the perky and opinionated blonde, feel free to poke me for RP.

Cross-posted to the forum.

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I Have Gone From Rags to Riches

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:30:22 -0500

Every Grain Of Sand

Bob Dylan

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.
In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear,
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer.
The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name.
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space,
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

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Getting Back on Track

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 23:28:11 -0500

Rogue

Rogue's actually my most active character at the moment, though that's not saying too much. As far as her personal life is concerned, things with Pietro are progressing interestingly, though I do need to get her out interacting with other folks more too. I know I owe Marrow and Nikolai scenes in particular, as well as just generally catching up with the BHers and perhaps even getting her a life, gasp, outside of the HQ.

I've also been working on some mission stuff for awhile, but it keeps getting bumped back due to scheduling difficulties and logistics. So I'd like to get my thoughts in order and then work on getting that going again, with the hopes that it'll revitalize the BH.

Rahne

Rahne's slowly getting back into the swing of things. She's working on her science fair with Tyson, so that has at least given me an excuse to start getting her active again. However, she really needs to get out there again, meeting the new people at the school and catching up with old friends.

Before the hiatus, I was working on her slowly coming to the realization that a) she's not cool and b) this is not a good thing. I'd like to start bringing that out again, pushing towards her slowly coming out of her shell and adapting to life in modern America.

Of course, she also needs to get back to her X-Men training, her martial arts, and volunteer work, either with the kids in the school, or getting back to the youth club at the rec centre.

Caden

Caden's personal plot is stalled a bit, but I've been seeing some interest in it again, so I'll have to look at getting that going again. She's also got a role in a few plots revolving around other folks, though those seem to not be going anywhere fast.

I also need to get her out interacting with the darker element on the game, back to the Boar's Head, and maybe picking up a little more clientele.

Doug

Doug is kind of a difficult character to play sometimes, since I really expected people to respond to his being a public mutant, but it's been a non-issue in most of the scenes he's been in. I'm not sure what's going to be expected of him in terms of X-Factor, so I've largely just been focussing on his life outside of that team.

I also am getting more and more set on having him start up a sort of mutant outreach, something along the lines of a soup kitchen or shelter that would be pro-mutant for those who can't get help at the more conventional places. It took awhile to find anyone interested ICly in helping out, but I've since had a few takers, so who knows, it might happen yet.

I'd also like to work on bringing more to the fore just how badly he gets bullied at school or even just on the streets. I've again painted myself into a corner, since he doesn't like to talk about it, feeling that complaining about such things wouldn't be heroic. So I have to get creative on ways to bring it out within the scope of RP.

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Group: Theme

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:55:55 -0500

I'm taking suggestions on themes you guys'd like to use for our group. I think they keep adding more and more that you can use on the groups from the ones you can use on a regular blog. Currently, we've got the moonlight autumn in Kyoto which I mostly just picked because it's pretty. There's the option of using Cityscape NYC, but I find that one, ironically, a little cartoon-ish for my taste.

Still! It's not just my group, so - take a look through the themes and let me know if you see any that strike you as good ones for the group (you can preview them by going to Design in the Vox menu and then scrolling down to 3) Theme. Make sure you select it to show All and take a look through the previews there.

If you see any that strike your fancy, mention 'em in a comment here and I'll see if they're available for the group.

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Can you hear my heart beat in this world?

nobody@vox.com(XMR Rogue) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:46:03 -0500

Boom Boom Ba

Metisse

A boom boom bâ !
A boom boom bâ !
A boom boom bâ !
A boom boom bâ !
( "Boom boom" is the beating of the heart. "bâ" is "child" in Agni, an Ivory Coast dialect. )
( The singer's heart is beating for the children of the world. )

Kélé, filla, saba, nani, norou
( Counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. )

[ A boom boom bâ ] Can you hear my heart beat in this world
[ A boom boom bâ ] Do you know that behind all these words
[ A boom boom bâ ] Lies a deep desire Kamélé hé !
( "Kamélé" : boy. )
[ A boom boom bâ ] Mé kouman mé fora y bamê
( Understand what I'm saying. )

[ A boom boom bâ ] Are my dreams to be all I can do ?
[ A boom boom bâ ] Lay o lay above, lay o lay below
[ A boom boom bâ ] And he said Annie will show them a new way
[ A boom boom bâ ] Mé kouman mé fora y bamê

Kélé, filla, saba, nani, norou

[ A boom boom bâ ] Aligna donguiri ma digné
[ A boom boom bâ ] Mé kouman mé for a y bâmê
[ A boom boom bâ ] Aligna donguiri ma digné hé !
[ A boom boom bâ ] Mé kouman mé for a y bâmê
( You don't need to like my song... )
( to understand what I'm saying. )

[ A boom boom bâ ] Kélé, filla, saba, nani, norou
[ A boom boom bâ ] Can you hear my heart beat in this world
[ A boom boom bâ ] Kélé, filla, saba, nani, norou
[ A boom boom bâ ] Can you hear my heart beat in this world

Kélé, filla, saba, nani, norou

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