There I was, at the Chapel of Love With a pink diamond ring on one hand Holding on to a flash of fuchsia bouquet. And there I stood Alongside my Calvin Klein man.
Dressed in a Ferrari black tux I smiled at my luck, To find my Romeo And I was his Juliet Smiling with a china glaze I took my vows In Las Vegas that night.
Off to Aspen we went And sealed our lasting love Underneath the luminous moonlight
How quickly the honeymoon ends How stupid to believe I found my dream man He truly was a one man show I guess it’s a man testosterone. Always seeking to find another fling He sought out the women with the mermaid’s chest I guess I wasn’t his Playmate gal.
My heart was broken, I could not bear the pain, I cried myself to sleep, Until the middle of the night I awoke to a luminous moon That’s when I conjured up my voodoo. Stealthy I left the room, And grabbed my handy tool The sterling silver rose knife Now rests in his sliver ice heart.
One Sunday afternoon I fell to the ground. A green blanket cushioned my fall. At the age of ten I was klutz to be seen. But I got up quickly and let the game proceed. I ran. I kicked. I scored a goal. My team won the game. We celebrated with an array of motley Gatorade drinks. That night my abdomen convulsed rapidly. I thought I had to pee. Yet nothing came out of me. My mother gave me blood red acetaminophen. The next day there was nothing wrong with me. During school the pain grew. Droplets of pain cornered my eyes. It was so hard to breathe or move. At last I succumbed to the nurse’s room. Lying on the hard pin cushion bed, I waited for my car ride. At the doctor’s they found nothing wrong. He sent me home to rest and sleep. I got to skip the next two days. I watched TV and ate ice cream. My days were fun but they had to end. Mom believed I finessed them. On Tuesday night Mom said I had to go to school again. I never made it until next Monday. During the night I awoke to the Reaper’s scythe in my lower right abdomen. Inside the achromatic walls I was laid to rest. Bustling behind closed curtains were shadows of worker ants. I awaited my doom with octopus arms covering me. The pulsating rhythm finally put me to sleep. I awoke a few hours later to find myself surrounded by others. Gloved white ghosts hovered above me. Poke here. Feel there. They endlessly molested me. At last I was deemed worth for surgery. Maneuvered around the labyrinth halls; I finally reached my destiny. Two oscillating doors were all I could see. The gates of the inferno were anticipating me. Pushed through the doors I was left to the white roped man. The sound of oldies music gave a torturing screech to the blandness walls. Only two dark blueberries peeped over the mask. He told me to relax and breathe. But all I could think of was the smell of wintermint being emitted towards me. Quickly a mask covered my mouth. “Inhale slowly and let me ease your pain. Trust me you wont feel anything.” He then proceeded with alacrity to operate on me. Too weak to move or refute, I sunk into obscurity.
Motley (adj.) made up of different colors Convulsed (v. past part) make a muscle or body part go into a repetitive spasm Finessed (v. past part) to use subtle tricks or deception to manipulate something or somebody Scythe (n) long, curving blade fastened at an angle to a handle, for cutting grass, grain, etc., by hand. Achromatic (adj.) without color and therefore white, gray, or black in appearance Pulsating (v. present part.) to vibrate or throb Labyrinth (n) place with a lot of crisscrossing or complicated passages, tunnels, or paths in which it would be easy to become lost Oscillating (v. past part) to swing between two points with a rhythmic motion Alacrity (n) eager readiness Obscurity (n) state of being unknown
Formed in the mid-1990s, the Canadian rock group Nickelback recently released their sixth album in November. Emerging to the music scene in the early 2000s, the group has achieved multi-platinum success over the years. Formed by lead singer Chad Kroeger, the rock group’s current band consists of Mike Kroeger on bass, Ryan Peake on guitar and Daniel Adair on drums.
Founder Chad Kroeger was born on November 15, 1974 in a small farming town of Hanna, Alberta, Canada. After he taught himself how to play the guitar at the age of 13, Chad ran into trouble with the law and was sent to juvenile detention. After being released he graduated from high school and afterwards began to tour with the band in the early ‘90s. After a brief period of band break ups and relocating to Vancouver, the group eventually laid down several tracks on the radio. Slowly afterwards their songs gained airplay and the band became celebrities in Canada. In 2001 the song, “How You Remind Me” played on US radio stations and became an instant hit. While the song gained popularity in both countries Nickelback became the second group in history to have a number one song on both Canadian and American rock charts at the same time.
The most popular rock band to come out Canada in the new millennium, Nickelback’s unique name was based upon bass player Mike Kroeger’s work experience. Having worked at coffee shop that sold drinks from $2.95 to $5.95, Mike would constantly say “Here’s you nickel back” to customers. Along with their name, Nickelback is described as a post grunge, metal, hard rock band with inspirations from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Although Chad refers to influences such as Metallica and Led Zeppelin in an interview with Entertainment Weekly he once said, “Some people call it alternative rock, some call it this, that, or the other, but to us it’s just straight up rock and roll.”
The group’s most successful album All the Right Reasons reached 8 times platinum following its release in 2005. One of the main reasons the album sales were so high was because of the sincere, emotional feelings projected through the lyrics of the songs. Majority of the songs written on the album are from past experiences of each member along with a contribution song to friend who was shot to death. “The most important reason is make music because you love it and to convey a message that expresses yourself as an artist,” said Chad. Although a lot of the songs are reflections on personal relationships and the world around us, Nickelback intertwines several comedic songs which some people are able to relate to. The song “Animals” is a heavier fast beat song which tells the tale of boy and girl sneaking out in the middle of the night. “I'm driving past your house while you were sneaking out/ I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run / Your mom don't know that you were missing” Relating to teenagers during their rebel years the group aims to make songs that connect with their audiences. Although I never have snuck out of the house, the tales of friends climbing through windows and leaving in the cover of darkness is one that teens love to brag about to friends later on.
Throughout their career, Nickelback has been a group with a wide variety of fans. Whether in a depressed lonely state, a wild fast driving state, or just a mellow day, I’ve related and enjoyed to bands songs. With a variety of vocals, song tunes and messages there really isn’t any message the group hasn’t touched upon. Because of these messages more bands are able to express their own views without worrying how audiences react because Nickelback was the breakthrough group.
Music Video & Lyrics:
I, I'm driving black on black Just got my license back I got this feeling in my veins this train is coming off the track I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride Because the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me tonight I'm driving past your house while you were sneaking out I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run Your mom don't know that you were missing She'd be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I've been kissing Screamin'
[CHORUS] No, we're never gonna quit Ain't nothing wrong with it Just acting like we're animals No, no matter where we go 'Cause everybody knows We're just a couple of animals
So come on baby, get in Get in, just get in Check out the trouble we're in
You're beside me on the seat Got your hand between my knees And you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze It's hard to steer when you're breathing in my ear But I got both hands on the wheel while you got both hands on my gears By now, no doubt that we were heading south I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth 'Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch I'm screamin'
[CHORUS]
So come on baby, get in Get in, just get in Look at the trouble we're in
We were parked out by the tracks We're sitting in the back And we just started getting busy When she whispered "what was that?" The wind, I think 'cause no one else knows where we are And that was when she started screamin' "That's my dad outside the car!" Oh please, the keys, they're not in the ignition Must have wound up on the floor while we were switching our positions I guess they knew that she was missing As I tried to tell her dad it was her mouth that I was kissing Screamin'
[CHORUS]
So come on baby, get in We're just a couple of animals Get in, just get in Ain't nothing wrong with it Check out the trouble we're in Get in, just get in
The Italian eurodance pop group, Eiffel 65, is more widely known in Europe rather than the United States; however, several of their songs were popular in the States during the late 1990s. Their upbeat techno music along with strange lyrics still plays in nightclubs today. The song “Move Your Body” is one of the groups’ most repetitive songs which have several monotonous sayings such as “move your body,” and “move your mind.” Even though the beat and lyrics sound hip, the middle part of the song presents the listener with a double-entendre stanza.
You want to move the world,Start with your body.
Yo, come on you gotta start with something.
If you wanna move your mind,Just move your body.
Move your mind, move your mind,
It's gonna cost you nothing.
You want to move someone,Start with your body.
Yo come on and try to move somebody.
If you wanna move alone,
Then everybody will move along with you.
Although the song encourages people to dance to the beat and enjoy the tempo, it also promotes people to become more outgoing. The words motivate people to realize nothing will change if you don’t become active and voice your own opinions. Eiffel 65 may have been pop techno group, yet their underlining message in this song can be clearly seen for people to think outside the box and not believe everything someone tells you.
Do not be afraid of death For it is our salvation. To sleep in peace without a care Allows us to finally be free Of everything in our life around here. Even when we sleep Our minds wander on, Keeping records of our actions and deeds, No matter the time or moment when an event occurs The mind never forgets It only regrets, Those memories are kept inside Following you around until you lie in the ground.
Not all memories are bad The mind helps to remember love, happiness and joy Especially the times I spent with Annabelle Sneaking to the summerhouse to find a wet kiss Oh! How soft and gentle were those delicate lips. Following the sweet flowery scent We both could not resist, Making love to my best friend’s wife at three I never felt remorseful for the acts we preformed, Until the nineteenth of March changed everything, When my dear friend Duncan was shot by his own hand How wrong I was to predict ahead. Somehow I believed Annabelle would marry me Instead she gave me Duncan’s wedding ring A mortal chill crept upon me.
Soon after I left Lexington When I returned home my slaves went free Then I enlisted in the Confederacy. Not as a commander in charge of men A private I was until the end. I never once fired a shot I already killed one man and there was no need for more bloodshed. From battles nearby and to the land of Tennessee No bullet ever found me, Until one day in Atlanta luck was upon me
And I got shot in the knee.
As the infectious wound grows I don’t know what to do Except to rejoice in the news. Because I have lived to do no man good I do not hope to be redeemed, My only wish is for others to learn from my misery.
In All the King’s Men, Warren continually alludes to two Greek mythological characters: Cassandra, the fortune teller and Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, in order to emphasize the relationship of Cass Mastern and Jack Burden. After being cursed by the sun god Apollo, Cassandra was able to foretell the future, yet nobody believed her. The journal of Cass Mastern foretold warnings to Jack about the corruption of man, “For all men come naked into the world, and in prosperity man is prone to evil as the sparks fly upward.” At first Jack is unable to comprehend neither Cass’s motivations nor dark outlook toward man until eventually he learns through his own mistakes. Another reason Warren alludes to Greek mythology is to compare the relationship of Judge Irwin and Jack to Odysseus and Telemachus. According to myths, Telemachus was left in charge of Ithaca until his father Odysseus came home from war. However, when Odysseus returns home Telemachus is unable to recognize his father because he is in disguise. Eventually the truth is revealed and father and son are united once again. Similar to the Judge’s relationship with Jack, both sons are unable to find an identity for themselves because of the lack of a father figure in their lives.
The cold cathartic rain Can not dampen my parade, I shall finish my deed Before the night ends, And let the slick, sticky grass grow On top of the newly dug hole. What was once a pretty face Now shines bright, A face as smooth as marble in the moonlight Sheathing him like a mummy I quickly bury my prize. Gathering my shovel and little tools, I walk towards my cabin in the woods. Thinking nothing of this heinous crime I sit down and watch the sun rise.
