Under One Sun
Chorus:
It takes just one moment, just one dream
‘Cause you know we all need to be loved
We come from one ancestor, just one forefather
And one earth mother, under one sun
We are but one, we are but one
Don’t you know that everyone’s dreaming under one sun?
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The lyrics for “Impostor” are here.
I have a rule: when I write a song about an actual person, I only tell people who the song is about if it’s a nice song that casts that person in a positive light. So I won’t be telling you who this song is about. In fact, it’s such an angry and negative song that for a while I contemplated whether or not I should even include it on my album. My mission as an artist is to uplift and inspire people to better themselves and to contribute to the betterment of the world, and I didn’t feel that this song fulfilled that purpose. In the end, I decided to put this song on the album, because it’s a milestone on a personal journey of mine to overcome hurt and to practice forgiveness. It’s not a happy song, but I hope that one day the story that it’s a part of will be a happy one. I also thought that it’s important to show that just because you’re trying to be a good person and do good things, it doesn’t mean that the journey is smooth sailing and there won’t be obstacles in your path. You still go through hurt and anger like everyone does.
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Impostor
You are a sneaky weasel
With all your two-faced treason
Attacked without a reason
Didn’t leave a clue
I was your one defender
But you were one pretender
Who bit the arm that leant a
Helping hand to you
I watch the smoke clear
It’s just as I feared
The crime scene appears
The truth, apparent
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The lyrics for “Other Half of My Heart” are here.
If you look at the lyrics for this song, it’s pretty obvious that it’s a love song. You can interpret it any way you like, and make it about anyone that you want. But if you’d like to know who I wrote it about, well then, it’s about my sister Naseem.
[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/–wKewJIQYPc/VGOAXlhikdI/AAAAAAAAB2o/vwFs3DfUJGM/s144-c-o/USA%2525202011%252520202.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/118294268219415625349/Blog#6080845064578437586″ caption=”USA 2011 202.jpg” type=”image” alt=”USA 2011 202.jpg” pe2_gal_align=”center” ]
Other Half of My Heart
No one knows my pain like you do (like you do)
No one feels my shame like you do (like you do)
No one shares my joy like you do (like you do)
No one sees right through my lies like you do (like you do)
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The lyrics for “Hole in My Heart” are here.
There is an inherent yearning in every human being for something that is greater than themselves; something that transcends their day-to-day existence. You could that that we have a space or a hole inside of us that needs to be filled with something awesome and great. We attempt to satisfy this yearning in a myriad ways: some are constructive, others less so, and some are even harmful to ourselves and others.
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In this song, I explore a few examples of the common kinds of things that we pursue to satisfy this yearning: the first being money and status, the second being sexual gratification, and the third being a drug-induced high. I’d like to argue that these are not constructive ways of filling the “hole”; there are better, nobler and more effective ways of achieving happiness and fulfilment as human beings. That’s the point I’m trying to make in this song.
Hole In My Heart
What can I do? My heart is dripping, leaking, and I
Just need a clue to fill the void
What can I do? The seam is ripping, breaking, and I
Will self-destruct or be destroyed
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The lyrics for “It’s All Illusion” are here.
Any fans of the poet T. S. Eliot will recognise the phrase “a face to meet the faces that you meet”, taken from his poem “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock”:
“There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet…”
I think Eliot has articulated so concisely and yet descriptively a phenomena that we all experience and perpetuate ourselves: we put on a face to the world that does not necessarily reflect what is really going on in our minds and hearts. In the age of Facebook and social media this is especially the case: we can be selective, picking and choosing what we want the world to see and believe about ourselves.
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It’s All Illusion
We are taught from young that you must have fun
If you’re feeling down, feeling blue
Then there must be something that’s wrong with you
So we play charades, join in the parade
Wear our happy makeup and then
We will be kept safe in the masquerade
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Beautiful Soul
Every boy and every girl
Born with such a beautiful soul
Is taught ugliness in this world
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you heard?
Such an innocent creature
Born into this life
Carries no preconceptions, no wrongs
But we teach them to be cautious of the other
Not to just trust and love one another
“It’s dangerous”, we say
Every boy and every girl
Born with such a beautiful soul
Is taught ugliness in this world
Haven’t you heard?
Every boy and every girl
Born with such a beautiful soul
Is taught ugliness in this world
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you heard?
And wherever you go now
Those little eyes are watching
Every evil you harbour, they’ll see
Please don’t behave as if you think only of yourself
Without considering the needs of anyone else
You know what is at play
[Chorus]
It’s so absurd
How we teach them to choose darkness over light
They heed our word
When we tell them they should fight
Instead of stand up for what is right
[Chorus x2]
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you heard?