AUTHOR | MUSICIAN | ATHLETE
NO ILLUSIONS
LP/CD released August 2016 by Good Fight Music
Recorded and Mixed by Craig Douglas at Origin Sound (Spring, TX)
Mastered by Brad Boadright (Audiosiege)
Concept and Layout by Daniel Austin
Daniel Austin–lyrics, vocals, rythm guitar
Allan Davis–lead guitar
Michael Arellano–drums
Eric Gibson–bass
Steph Huskin–cello, piano, vocal accompaniments
The Last Good Age
It’s been a long time coming
To the endpoint of our design
To return to a state of nothing
In a blink of cosmic time
Welcome to The Last Good Age
Cry out
Let it roar, let it go
In the twilight
Of the ways we’ve known
I’ll live for love and freedom
I’ll strive for peace in our time
But as The Last Man reigns
We’ll have nothing of the kind
Welcome to The Last Good Age
_____
Bear Witness
Stamping down on the face of humanity
The boot arrives—as prophesied—to squash your rights with impunity
First they bring you the Trojan horse, those fancy things you can't refuse
Too infatuated with yourself to realize you've been subdued
Where is your rage?
Do you put your trust in those who can take...
Take your rights away?
Tanks invade city streets
Rubber bullets, tear gas unleashed
Upon unarmed crowds
Witness the boot come stamping down
A sobering dose of reality
For those behind the veil of luxury
You now will hear how the unheard speak
And your sheltered eyes will be forced to see
Don't lose your rage
Our lives are cheap to those who can take
Take our rights away
The boot arrives as prophesied
To squash your rights with impunity
_____
Automatons
They come marching in
Barely recognizable as human
With all weapons drawn
Acting on beliefs and orders
Like automatons
They represent a condition of man
So frail in the world
That he submits to a greater force
To be absolved and relieved of his thoughts
He functions under illusions
That he maintains order and peace
Serving the madness of bad men
Right to your face
Taught to see you as vermin
A constant threat of lower form
Itching to pull the trigger
Right in your face
No rights in times of martial law
Lost in fog of war
Through suppression of the press
He'll "Serve and protect"
Whose conscience does he serve
When he aims his gun at your face?
Lower or higher—a choice we're all free to make
Lower or higher—subjugate or educate?
They come marching in....
They represent a condition of man
So frail in the world
That he submits to a greater force
To be absolved and relieved...
…So the war rages on
_____
You Will Be Forgiven
Relieve your soul of its burdens
And lay your weary head to rest
Take comfort in your delusions
You will be forgiven
For your willful complicity
In our culture's routine crimes
For all the holy hate you spew
You will be forgiven
Repent
Accept
If there's one world that is true
It's this one that you abuse
But you know not what you do
_____
God’s Promises
Despair in the land of Abraham
Where God's promises remain unfulfilled
And "kill or be killed" is the law of the land
"Thou shalt not kill" forgotten by zealous men
He commanded
And you followed
Prepared to cut
Your own son's throat
As numerous as the stars in the sky
The bodies piled in His name
As your descendants struggle for life
Over territorial claims
Surely a God who can part the seas
Can bring you just a bit of peace
He promised the cities of your enemies
But all you get is unrest...
Because you serve and obey
Despair in the land of Abraham
Where God's promises remain unfulfilled
_____
Fragile Thing
The human mind is a fragile thing
A tangled mess of instinct and doctrine
Haunted by the truth of insignificance
I know you need to be loved, and I know you just want to belong
I hope we all find peace before we die
Because love is scarce in this world
With life overflowing, expendable
Pledge allegiance to the tribe
Climb the ranks and pray
That you don't get eaten alive
The web you weave is a fragile thing
A clusterfuck of ego and symbols
Threatened by the things you don't understand
I know you are quick to hate ‘cause I know you just want to belong
Few things give us meaning like enemies
Likewise, peace is scarce in this world
With life overflowing, disposable
No room at the table for us all
Climb the ranks with pride but don't kid yourself
We're pack animals
Though I’m judging you, do what you have to do
I'll do the same
We crave meaning in a cruel universe
Sanity's a fragile thing
When the walls close in we won't be of kin
Morals cannot tame the will to survive or be recognized
Civility's a fragile thing
Though I’m judging you, do what you have to do
We crave meaning in a cruel universe
When the walls close in we won't be of kin
We'll plunge into chaos—competition!
Our illusions are fragile things
_____
Providence
Can you explain your suffering
By other means than Providence?
Don't question His wisdom,
But what about His cruel indifference
To the faithful—those who serve and obey?
To the children—those who didn't do anything?
Fortune, misfortune
No reason, no rhyme
You can have it all like Job
But like Job, you can lose it in time
Why must you suffer
As the wicked prosper?
And must you listen to Him condescend
To you from a fucking whirlwind?
Toil in the realm
Of His holy care
He'll give and he'll take
Exalt or forsake
For reasons He won't explain
You'll never know
The reason for your pain
Or the meaning of the rain
Oh, what mysterious ways
Is He worthy of your praise?
"A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness...It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life." (Jack London)
_____
I Repent
You were a mistake
I'm sorry, I don't mean to berate
I made you to adore
But you're a monster and I can't love you anymore
I was lonely and desperate
A little too human for my own good
I just wanted a friend
But you're a demon and now I repent
You ruin all that you touch
I gave you the world, but it wasn't enough
I curse the day you were born
What the fuck was I thinking?
You ruin all that you touch
I gave you free will, but it was too much
Now look what you've done
You are my greatest mistake
You were meant to be
The paragon, the missing piece,
My dearest company,
Made in my image, and yet you disgust me
You ruin all that you find
I gave you my love, but you weren't satisfied
Always desperate for more
What the fuck was I thinking?
You ruin all that you find
That is the nature of human kind
So I blame myself
You are my greatest mistake
You—you are a virus
A fucking cancer, a true disaster
And I'm your maker
I—I am not perfect
Not omnipresent, not omnipotent
You are the evidence
And I repent
I regret the day you were born
_____