Not So Soft
from Not So Soft by Ani DiFranco
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lyrics
in a forest of stone
underneath the corporate canopy
where the sun
rarely
filters
down
the ground
is not so soft
not so soft
they build buildings
to house people making money
or they build buildings
to make money off housing people
it’s true
like a lot of things are true
i am foraging for a phone booth
on the forest floor
that is not so soft
i look up
it looks like
the buildings are burning
but it’s just the sun setting
in the windows
the solar system calling an end
to another business day
eternally circling
signaling the rhythmic clicking
on and off of computers
the pulse
of the american machine
the pulse
that draws death dancing
out of anonymous side streets
(the ones that always get dumped
on but never get plowed)
it draws dancing
out of little countries
with funny languages
where the ground is getting harder
and it was not
that
soft
before
those who call the shots
are never in the line of fire
why
when there is life for hire
out there
if a flag of truth
were raised
we could watch every liar
rise to wave it
here
we learn america like a script
playwright
birthright
same thing
we bring
ourselves to the role
we are all rehearsing for the presidency
i always wanted to be
commander in chief
of my one woman army
but i can envision the mediocrity
of my finest hour
it is the failed america in me
it is the fear
that lives
in a forest of stone
underneath the corporate canopy
where the sun
rarely
filters
down and the ground
is not so soft
underneath the corporate canopy
where the sun
rarely
filters
down
the ground
is not so soft
not so soft
they build buildings
to house people making money
or they build buildings
to make money off housing people
it’s true
like a lot of things are true
i am foraging for a phone booth
on the forest floor
that is not so soft
i look up
it looks like
the buildings are burning
but it’s just the sun setting
in the windows
the solar system calling an end
to another business day
eternally circling
signaling the rhythmic clicking
on and off of computers
the pulse
of the american machine
the pulse
that draws death dancing
out of anonymous side streets
(the ones that always get dumped
on but never get plowed)
it draws dancing
out of little countries
with funny languages
where the ground is getting harder
and it was not
that
soft
before
those who call the shots
are never in the line of fire
why
when there is life for hire
out there
if a flag of truth
were raised
we could watch every liar
rise to wave it
here
we learn america like a script
playwright
birthright
same thing
we bring
ourselves to the role
we are all rehearsing for the presidency
i always wanted to be
commander in chief
of my one woman army
but i can envision the mediocrity
of my finest hour
it is the failed america in me
it is the fear
that lives
in a forest of stone
underneath the corporate canopy
where the sun
rarely
filters
down and the ground
is not so soft
credits
from Not So Soft,
released November 1, 1991
license
all rights reserved
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about
Ani DiFranco New Orleans, Louisiana
Grammy winner and feminist icon Ani DiFranco began her career as a proponent of the artist-run label, creating her own Righteous Babe Records in 1990. Since then she has released over twenty studio albums and supported a broad range of social causes including racial justice, reproductive rights, gender equality, environmental issues and prison reform. ... more
discography
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May 2024 -
Feb 2024 -
Jun 2023 -
Jun 2023
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