I Know How the Anarchist Feels

from Handwedge From the Trap by Walter Ehresman

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about

--written in an attempt to understand the mindset of the "mad bombers" of the early 20th century, when widespread concern about robber baron capitalism led some to take extreme actions that inevitably hurt the very innocents they would claim to be fighting for.

lyrics

I Know How The Anarchist Feels
(© 1997 Walter Ehresman)

Crouched down in the shadows, fedora pinched narrow, a bulge in the waistcoat concealed;
The flappers are flapping, the cops they are napping, while the Hearsts and the Fords are off making the deals;
Constructed in basements, one bulb and a squint, where the fear and the anger congeal;
The blast and the dust may not change things that much, but I know how the anarchist feels.

In old China they said "if you raise up your head from the rut that now passes as real--
in that violent Zen moment your vision can reach to the truth that's so hard to reveal."
So you search for a catalyst, something so big that the shock won't let anyone kneel;
But the rank and the file misinterpret your smile, and I know how the anarchist feels.

And those who are with you may feel that it's true 'til the Golden Goose pecks at their heel;
Once richer and fatter, they'll pull up the ladder and vote for the gentry next year;
Well, it's naked self-interest, it's leaving the ship first while women and children they squeal;
When the system is broken, can chaos be chosen? I know how the anarchist feels.

[mandolin solo]

When the power's entrenched, and you choke on the stench of the vipers who act so genteel;
And an army of one can't get anything done if he lacks that financial appeal;
And your screams of outrage are not heard on the stage as you twitch on the catherine wheel;
And the backroom to-do is not open to you, now you know how the anarchist feels.

credits

from Handwedge From the Trap, released January 1, 1999
Walter Ehresman: vocals, acoustic guitar, 6-string banjo, electric mandolin, keyboards.

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Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

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