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No Substance Lyrics
history doesn't make something right
consensus is not a fact-based exercise
you're tied and bound to this self-indulgent enterprise
we call America
a brush with a star, a token of love
a name in the sand, enough is enough
a diet of air, a face on the net
a fish in your palm, your television set
once you convince yourself
the universe falls into place
you've got your ideas
and your posse of friends
you all make up rules
and the fun never ends
but still there's a problem, leaves you gasping for air
you look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there
and still water stales a soft summer breeze
you cling to your hopes while you drop to your knees
there's no substance!(2x)
once you convince yourself
the universe falls into place
you've got your ideas
and your posse of friends
you all make up rules
and the fun never ends
but still there's a problem, leaves you gasping for air
you look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there
and still water stales a soft summer breeze
you cling to your hopes while you drop to your knees
there's no substance!(2x)
consensus is not a fact-based exercise
you're tied and bound to this self-indulgent enterprise
we call America
a name in the sand, enough is enough
a diet of air, a face on the net
a fish in your palm, your television set
the universe falls into place
you've got your ideas
and your posse of friends
you all make up rules
and the fun never ends
you look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there
and still water stales a soft summer breeze
you cling to your hopes while you drop to your knees
there's no substance!(2x)
the universe falls into place
you've got your ideas
and your posse of friends
you all make up rules
and the fun never ends
you look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there
and still water stales a soft summer breeze
you cling to your hopes while you drop to your knees
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(Here is a part of an interveiw greg did in 1998)
N.Y. Rock:On No Substance you seem almost bitter...
Greg:I'm not bitter, but if you are aware of our culture, which I think I am, then you see how it's becoming more and more superficial and I'm addressing that. The media and TV seem to take over peoples' brains. [People] don't want to see what happens in the real world. Their minds get corrupted by fashion. There's nothing wrong with enjoying fashion, if it's just a casual enjoyment, but it isn't just that anymore; it has become compulsive. The increase of cosmetic surgery is a big indicator for me in that respect.
People are too focused on the outside, on looks, and they neglect everything else. If looks are all that matter to you, then you admit that other values, like political awareness and social conscience, carry no meaning for you. You focus too much on things that have no substance. If you base your whole life on looks, then remember that they're not going to last. They're only skin deep and what will happen if your looks fade? More cosmetic surgery, if you can afford it? Erasing everything that's characteristic and replacing it with a plain plastic Barbie smoothness is not beautiful. It's a misconception of beauty. Real beauty, [however], springs from within.
I think this is about how people just care about looks, and personality doesn't matter, the substance of issues, the substance of anything has no meaning to anyone anymore. They can barely scratch the surface.
to me, this song represents the fake truths and biases in the world. history and consensus simply go by what the majority of the populous thinks, and what people have written down over the years.. the song speaks about how there is no real substance, or truth, to hold onto. everything seems to have a flaw of some sort, and when the skeptical minds of the more recent generations look for meaning, they can't find it.
tell that to MJ