Light Pollution Lyrics

BRIGHT EYES - LIGHT POLLUTION
John A Hobson was a good man
he used to loan me books and mic stands
he even got me a subscription
to the Socialist Review
listening to records in his basement
old folk songs about the government
"it's love of money, not the market,"
he said, "these fuckers push on you.
and freedom yells, it dont cry.
whatever sells will decide.
but there is no hell when you die.
so dont look so worried."
he got a night life, lost his day job
pushing paper, swinging pendulums
anything to serve a function
or to occupy some time
you have got to earn this living somehow
you are good as dead without a bank account
but it is funny how alive he felt down
in that unemployment line
with all the trash at his feet
the pools of piss in the street
all of that filthy empathy
for the way we're feeling
the billboards shade, the flags they wave
the anthem was playing loud
the baseball game was letting out
then all at once he saw the dust
and heard every tiny sound
got in his truck and turned around
drove out through the crowd and the cops
drove out past that center mall
drove out past that sickening sprawl
out past that fenced in gold
and maybe he lost control
fucking with the radio
but i bet the stars seemed so close
at the end