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Is This Art? Lyrics
They took me to the battlefield
Saw the mushroom clouds
Said 'I can see the colors
Even when my head is bowed'
And they showed me the destruction
The slaughter a la carte
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
They took me to the hospital
And pulled aside the sheet
Said 'Look at that pulsating.
Just listen to the beat'
And they showed me the incision
Then took away the heart
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
They took me to the scientist,
Who opened up a phial
He said 'This is only chicken pox
And rhino bile'
And they showed me what it did to mice
They said 'This is just the start'
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
They took me to the tenement
And kicked down the door
They said:'Have you seen the copulation,
Practiced by the poor
We select the ones to breed
Then we reject the part'
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
Saw the mushroom clouds
Said 'I can see the colors
Even when my head is bowed'
And they showed me the destruction
The slaughter a la carte
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
And pulled aside the sheet
Said 'Look at that pulsating.
Just listen to the beat'
And they showed me the incision
Then took away the heart
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
Who opened up a phial
He said 'This is only chicken pox
And rhino bile'
And they showed me what it did to mice
They said 'This is just the start'
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
And kicked down the door
They said:'Have you seen the copulation,
Practiced by the poor
We select the ones to breed
Then we reject the part'
And isn't nature wonderful
But is this art?
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This is one of their best songs according to me! The meaning is quite obvious; man's obsession with dissecting all wonders of nature and turning them into hollowed facts of science and our manic attempts to then control these and use them to our own advantage.
This was not written by the Levs either, it's actually a poem that was written by some bloke, the Levs snapped it up and wrote a score to go with it. Someone heard the song, recognised the lyrics, informed the bloke who's poem it was and thus he ended up with a rather nice house!
Great song/poem though... is this Art?
@Kelly76 it was written by Simon Friend in 84
@Kelly76 it was written by Simon Friend in 84
One of the best opening couplets to any song -well done that poet...
It was written by Simon Friend when he was a solo artist before joining the Levellers, not a nameless poet.