Thursday, December 27, 2012

"Panic in Detroit" Revisited

Panic in Detroit

                           "Green Cat" 2005

He looked a lot at his tiara
Driven weasel man
Kept his plans in quiet seclusion
An ambitious man
A vicious survivor
Internationally known hit-man

Panic in Detroit
We asked for for a Golden Calf
They want us to stay home
He sits upon his throne

Panic in Detroit

The city rushed towards his sirens
began to build its tomb
Pleading for his tax deductions
which followed none too soon
A trick of arrangers were all that were left to thrive

Panic in Detroit
We asked for for a Golden Calf
They want us to stay home
He sits upon his throne


Panic in Detroit

Strutting in emperors clothes the man became a ghoul
And found some slouching creatures who would help him rule
I screamed and jumped to smash my favorite slot machine
And dumped the racial bars and demographic blights

Having scored ten trillion dollars
Ran for the Capitol Dome
City sold across the table
No reason to atone
I ran to the window
Smashed out a pane or two

Panic in Detroit
He left with the Golden Calf
“I’ll let you collect rust”
He sits upon his throne
Panic in Detroit





     One of my 'burning Detroit' photos


Notes:
Throughout the 80’s & 90’s Detroit's “Layabouts” covered David Bowie’s “Panic in Detroit” many times, and although the band had its own interpretation, we stuck pretty faithfully to the lyrics.
If I had a time machine, I would love to replace them with this freshly constructed interpretation.
Of course, the ailments that Detroit suffers are complex and cannot be attributed to a simple cause. Nonetheless, in this lyric reinterpretation of David Bowie’s “Panic in Detroit” I have lumped all ills into the personification of a fictional individual whose greed and avarice spells the city’s demise.
As to cadence, I have tried to remain as faithful to Bowie’s lyrics as possible, keeping a line or two intact as they cannot be improved upon.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

If I was Back in Doggerland



If I was back in Doggerland
I'd give Doggers a helping hand
and try to save their shrinking land
from all that salty water

If I was back in Doggerland
taking doggy for a stride
I know we'd both run really fast
to cheat that rising ocean tide

Now all that's left is Dogger Bank
The Ice Age it did falter
And so the Ice sheet went and shrank 
- old Dogger's under water

If I was back in Doggerland
I'd never build a Bank
'cause Banks one builds on Doggerland
Are surely going to tank.

Stephen Goodfellow 2012

*Footnote