this song is so fucking awesome. it's about workers who understand that they're being exploited by the capitalist system but just can't quite grasp the fact that they've got the power to change it.
they know they're "the mortar that cradles the brick" but they're spirit has been so broken and capitalist media and academia indoctrinates workers into believing that they're isolated and powerless ("one grain of sand"). Fucking with the system ("tossing the wrenches") only leads to momentary "pleasure" followed by the "pain" inflicted by the cops and bosses when they're beaten up/sacked/chucked in jail.
just as the lowly carpenter is on the verge of realising they've all in fact got the bosses and their system by the balls ("we could destroy any great wall we come to"), the nagging self doubt creeps back and in and convinces him he can't change anything.
for me this song is like erik petersen just saying to workers " don't you see how dumb this sense of powerlessness is when you talk it through? wake the fuck up!"
this song is so fucking awesome. it's about workers who understand that they're being exploited by the capitalist system but just can't quite grasp the fact that they've got the power to change it.
they know they're "the mortar that cradles the brick" but they're spirit has been so broken and capitalist media and academia indoctrinates workers into believing that they're isolated and powerless ("one grain of sand"). Fucking with the system ("tossing the wrenches") only leads to momentary "pleasure" followed by the "pain" inflicted by the cops and bosses when they're beaten up/sacked/chucked in jail.
just as the lowly carpenter is on the verge of realising they've all in fact got the bosses and their system by the balls ("we could destroy any great wall we come to"), the nagging self doubt creeps back and in and convinces him he can't change anything.
for me this song is like erik petersen just saying to workers " don't you see how dumb this sense of powerlessness is when you talk it through? wake the fuck up!"