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Throwing Stones Lyrics
Picture a bright blue ball, just spinning, spinnin free,
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea,
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space,
A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace
Is the human face,
But afraid we may lay our home to waste.
There's a fear down here we can't forget.
Hasn't got a name just yet.
Always awake, always around,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Now watch as the ball revolves
And the nighttime falls.
Again the hunt begins,
Again the bloodwind calls.
By and by, the morning sun will rise,
But the darkness never goes
From some men's eyes.
It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets,
Staking turf, dividing up meat.
Nightmare spook, piece of heat,
It's you and me.
You and me.
Click flash blade in ghetto night,
Rudies looking for a fight.
Rat cat alley, roll them bones.
Need that cash to feed that jones.
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Commissars and pin-stripe bosses
Roll the dice.
Any way they fall,
Guess who gets to pay the price.
Money green or proletarian gray,
Selling guns 'stead of food today.
So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
[Bridge:]
Heartless powers try to tell us
What to think.
If the spirit's sleeping,
Then the flesh is ink
History's page will thus be carved in stone.
And we are here, and we are on our own
On our own.
On our own.
On our own.
[Instrumental]
If the game is lost,
Then we're all the same.
No one left to place or take the blame.
We can leave this place an empty stone
Or that shinin' ball we used to call our home.
So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
[Bridge:]
Shipping powders back and forth
Singing black goes south and white comes north.
In a whole world full of petty wars
Singing I got mine and you got yours.
And the current fashion sets the pace,
Lose your step, fall out of grace.
And the radical, he rants and rage,
Singing someone's got to turn the page.
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing just leave well enough alone.
But his pants are down, his cover's blown...
And the politicians throwin' stones,
So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
Cause' it's all too clear we're on our own.
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Picture a bright blue ball,
Just spinnin', spinnin, free.
Dizzy with the possibilities.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea,
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space,
A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace
Is the human face,
But afraid we may lay our home to waste.
Hasn't got a name just yet.
Always awake, always around,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
And the nighttime falls.
Again the hunt begins,
Again the bloodwind calls.
By and by, the morning sun will rise,
But the darkness never goes
From some men's eyes.
It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets,
Staking turf, dividing up meat.
Nightmare spook, piece of heat,
It's you and me.
You and me.
Rudies looking for a fight.
Rat cat alley, roll them bones.
Need that cash to feed that jones.
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Roll the dice.
Any way they fall,
Guess who gets to pay the price.
Money green or proletarian gray,
Selling guns 'stead of food today.
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Heartless powers try to tell us
What to think.
If the spirit's sleeping,
Then the flesh is ink
History's page will thus be carved in stone.
And we are here, and we are on our own
On our own.
On our own.
On our own.
Then we're all the same.
No one left to place or take the blame.
We can leave this place an empty stone
Or that shinin' ball we used to call our home.
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Shipping powders back and forth
Singing black goes south and white comes north.
In a whole world full of petty wars
Singing I got mine and you got yours.
And the current fashion sets the pace,
Lose your step, fall out of grace.
And the radical, he rants and rage,
Singing someone's got to turn the page.
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing just leave well enough alone.
But his pants are down, his cover's blown...
So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
Cause' it's all too clear we're on our own.
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Just spinnin', spinnin, free.
Dizzy with the possibilities.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
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Obviously it is a social and global commentary on the earth and humankind's negative impact upon it. Overall, things are going allright on this planet if you think about it. Unfortuantley, if you look closer, there are a myriad pof problems which are glassed over by those who have the ability to change them.
I think this song is mainly aimed at man's inherent wekness of pride and our inability to point the finger at ourselves when something is wrong.
Overall, the song can provide hope. The song calls for the empowerment of individuals--a wake up so to say. The meaning is correct, if you rely upon others to change things, it won't happen. Whether it be politics, crime, environmental issues etc... all great acts start with one person.
Great song.
This is my favorite song, in a lyrical sense. It makes me think how much trouble we are in when a band wrote this in the late 70's early 80's, and it still applies today. Pretty sweet.
!!! Much of this song is clearly about nuclear warfare; it was released during the Cold War, at a time when the existence of nuclear weapons was being protested tremendously.
The "politicians throwing stones Singing ashes to ashes all fall down"?
Clearly symbolizing nuclear warfare!
"Commissars and pin-striped bosses role the dice"
A Commissar is an official in the Russian Army! The pin-striped bosses are the american fat cats and bureaucrats who profit off nuclear weapons, and during the Cold War, these guys were rolling the fuck out of the dice!
C'mon, people!
Understand that the whole in your heart is from missing your whole purpose to be a guardian and protector of planet earth. By allowing the greedy of this world to dictate that we use a system that will ultimately destroy our beautiful planet, all the creatures on it and us so that 800 rich greedy insane megalomaniacs can become rich and enslave the world to their purposes hell is here- we are living it. We made it so. TheREAL plan was to expand slowly from the garden of eden and make the entire world in its image. Totally fucked that up and literally made hell. The 4 horsemen run around us like children in parade. And yet the rich man in his summer home says just leave well enough alone so we do. And we will die. Is this really the story of humanity? To die like nasty trolls in our own filth when we were handed paradise? So pathetic. Especially because we have the intelligence to change it , to live in harmony with our planet and it’s all being repressed by greedy fucks scared their personal revenue streams built on blood and death to begin with will be interrupted for a far superior way of doing things and they don’t care if the whole world dies as long as they stay rich in a fake monetary system that means nothing and was made up by greedy fucks to stay “rich”. Evolve or go extinct motherfuckers this is our last call!!!
@rebecca118 : Totally agree with everything you wrote. More people know this, but too many are scared to face it and do something about it. And its all getting worse. I hope our kids have the courage and the strength to make things different.
@rebecca118 : Totally agree with everything you wrote. More people know this, but too many are scared to face it and do something about it. And its all getting worse. I hope our kids have the courage and the strength to make things different.
I have always thought the song was about us and our planet It's a good description too
one of my favorites, especially live
I agree with binghiskhan for the most part. The world looks fine from space but when you look closer you see all of the problems in the world and how man is at the root of the problems yet we continue to create more and more. And if we keep it up "ashes ashes all fall down." We need to take action but nobody will take the blame or do anything and "If the game is lost then we're all the same No one left to place or take the blame" It won't matter one way or the other whose fault it was in the end.
I think it's a case of Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Are we going on about our business as the planet goes to heck?
Side note: This song appeared on the Greenpeace Rainbow Warriors album.
So this has alot of the children rhymes in it, i believe that...
Since "ashes ashes all fall down" is a plague... then it could be interpreting the bad in the world and constituting the possibilities in life... but, theres so much that have made things go wrong... that it has brought people to drugs, our home to waste and war. And seeing that "a bright blue ball" is hardly ever seen... This song, puts it in there that "picture" it because it would be quite a beautiful place for everything. "The future's here, we are it, we are on our own" The future of the planet is in our hands; the future is man-made. And we are all "Futuremakers". If we choose to live sustainably, we can assure a future
nuclear war no one left, everyone dead. every "thing" dead. complete. nuclear leave this place(earth) an empty stone (dead planet). no one left to place or take the blame. also a great dance tune, love the percussion. one of bobby's best vocals.