Road To Ruin
from Undercurrent by Steve Robinson
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about
Dylan's 60s recordings aside, protest songs generally make me wince. I don't know why--I think they often come across as petulant, self-aggrandizing and clunky and I never wanted to write one. This is about as close to a protest/anti-war song as I get. I promise.
Believe it or not, lyrically, this started off as a bit of a joke about how people have become more closeted and less apt to engage in face-to-face discourse. We sit close to other people in cars, trains, restaurants and the like, but we have our iPods on or we're on a cell-phone talking to someone else. Unavailable for comment so to speak.
I was in a restaurant one day and noticed that the walls were literally lined with big screen TV sets that seemed to be tuned to different stations. On top of that, piped music totally unrelated to any of the shows was blaring. It appeared that one-on-one conversation seemed to be pretty far down the list of the patrons' priorities. I found it rather humorous and sad at the same time, and began writing what was to become "Road To Ruin". The thing is, Road To Ruin is a bit of a weighty, ominous refrain, and I thought that it needed a more serious lyric. Armed conflict in the name of religion fit the bill, I thought. Before I knew it, I was singing of burning flags and body bags. Hope it's not too heavy handed.
Believe it or not, lyrically, this started off as a bit of a joke about how people have become more closeted and less apt to engage in face-to-face discourse. We sit close to other people in cars, trains, restaurants and the like, but we have our iPods on or we're on a cell-phone talking to someone else. Unavailable for comment so to speak.
I was in a restaurant one day and noticed that the walls were literally lined with big screen TV sets that seemed to be tuned to different stations. On top of that, piped music totally unrelated to any of the shows was blaring. It appeared that one-on-one conversation seemed to be pretty far down the list of the patrons' priorities. I found it rather humorous and sad at the same time, and began writing what was to become "Road To Ruin". The thing is, Road To Ruin is a bit of a weighty, ominous refrain, and I thought that it needed a more serious lyric. Armed conflict in the name of religion fit the bill, I thought. Before I knew it, I was singing of burning flags and body bags. Hope it's not too heavy handed.
lyrics
Move your body to and fro
Languid in the undertow
Going where the currents go
On the road to ruin
Shoot the lights out of the way
Watch the black and white turn grey
Signposts showing us the way
On the road to ruin
Blame the young
Blame the old
Blame it on the lies we told
Burning pictures
In burning books
Some Gods they have all the luck
Looking from the outside in
Turns me inside out
Holy rhymes and pledges grave
That one kills and this one saves
You'll have lots of flags to wave
On the road to ruin
We've got karma by the yard
Look who left his calling card
Stay the course and you'll go far
On the road to ruin
Blame the old
Blame the young
Blame it on the songs we sung
Burning bridges
Burning flags
Ashes or a body bag
Looking from the outside in
Turns me inside out
Languid in the undertow
Going where the currents go
On the road to ruin
Shoot the lights out of the way
Watch the black and white turn grey
Signposts showing us the way
On the road to ruin
Blame the young
Blame the old
Blame it on the lies we told
Burning pictures
In burning books
Some Gods they have all the luck
Looking from the outside in
Turns me inside out
Holy rhymes and pledges grave
That one kills and this one saves
You'll have lots of flags to wave
On the road to ruin
We've got karma by the yard
Look who left his calling card
Stay the course and you'll go far
On the road to ruin
Blame the old
Blame the young
Blame it on the songs we sung
Burning bridges
Burning flags
Ashes or a body bag
Looking from the outside in
Turns me inside out
credits
from Undercurrent,
released June 1, 2007
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Steve Robinson Hendersonville, North Carolina
Strangled folk and mangled pop from a transplanted Englishman lost in America.
discography
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Feb 2021 -
Oct 2011 -
Jun 2007 -
Jan 2005
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