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End of a Crisis

from Drakus by James Murray

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about

Unlike most of the songs on this album, this song is not that old. Originally titled "The Joker the Thief and the Dragon", I wrote it in 2015 when I was labeling cusping cohort groups. Now you might be asking, what are cusping cohort groups?

Well, the short answer is they are the generations between generations.

I know some explanation is needed. One of the things that motivated me to complete this album so long after abandoning it was reading Neil Howe and William Strauss's "The Fourth Turning" (1997) and "Generations" (1991) back in 2011. I found their Generational theory so fascinating that I became obsessed with it and posted frequently on the fourth turning forums. I found new meaning in the songs I had written, in particular the songs related to Drakus. The cycle of generational crisis and rebirth had been subconsciously a part of the Drakus concept without me even realizing it.

Strauss and Howe have names for the generational types: Prophet, Nomad, Hero and Artist. But they don't provide names for generations on the cusps between those generations. I did, and I call them Prince, Thief, King and Joker. This song was about the joker and the thief and is, in particular, a nod to Bob Dylan, who is of the Joker archetype while I'm of the thief archetype. Most of my biggest influences were part of the Joker cohort group, and, incidentally, many of Bob Dylan's biggest influences were of the prior thief cohort group.

I was lucky enough to get my friend Pauline of Hypnosmoothie to harmonize with me on this song, and on other parts of this album. She has such a beautiful voice.

lyrics

The Joker was born at the end of a crisis
The thief before one began
at either side of a grand wild spectrum
it's almost it was planned

they laughed and cried as forces beyond their control
played political games
as cultures clashed and empires fell
the song always ended the the same

the joker said to the ragged thief
"and they call me the fool"
the thief said "they've stolen my future
and I've no money left for school"

The thief made everyone laugh with his dance
as the dragon burned everything down
The Joker stole all of the thief's ideas
and enjoyed a new glory rebound

They laughed and cried as forces beyond their control
played political games
as cultures clashed and empires fell
the song always ended the same

the thief said to the wealthy joker
"and they call me a crook"
the joker said "these are the tears of a clown that you see
For it is my past that they took"

credits

from Drakus, released April 17, 2018
James Murray - vocals, guitars, trumpets, bass
Pauline Salotti - backing vocals
Bongo John - djembe, shakers, tambourine

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James Murray

I'm a musician from Long Island influenced mainly by folk singer songwriters of the 60s and 70s as well as Progressive Rock, Jam Rock, and Jazz

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