From the recording OBLIVIOUS
Lyrics
OBLIVIOUS
I was born and raised Los Angeles, California
Where the heavenly bodies graze and the mountains meet the sea
We never have to wait for the next excellent swell
Because life is perfect here – can’t you tell?
There’s no cause to be alarmed
My chauffeur is quite well armed
Oblivious
Couldn’t call it justice when the taggers hit your offramp
Someone’s getting carjacked late night in Van Nuys
No one likes a bum sleeping on their doorstep
Where’s the glamour when another gangbanger dies?
Ain’t no problems in Beverly Hills
Living under the spell of Valentine pills
Oblivious
What in the world am I supposed to say when this becomes reality?
Where in the world am I supposed to go when this is all I know
I heard a rumor about these Vietnamese gangs in Garden Grove
They’re almost as violent as the skinheads in Glendale
Someone told me about the emergency in County Hospital
Someone told me they had died and gone to Hell
Why worry when it only exist on cable
And LaLaLand is a televised fable
Oblivious
Don’t be a dumbshit, try to imagine it
Peace on earth ain’t a matter of interment in the cold dark ground
Listen to the sound of uzis in the their carriages
That’s just the way it is
I’ll tell you this, that there’s murder in the marriage of the church and state to the corporate dollar
Heaven and Hell bent on the slaughter of innocents
That’s what I meant
We’re drowning in the ocean
Dipping in the sea
A total lack of emotion
Is coming over me
Oblivious
I was born and raised
Born and raised
c 1994 by Wishnefsky, Dave Rodgers, and Todd Jameson
Dave – drums, vibraslap
mc100 – backing vocals, rap
Wishnefsky – vocals, bass, electric guitars, synthesizer
Stephen Bock – guest backing vocals
COMMENTS
This song was played on the radio more than any of our other songs. Like Knife, it was inspired by the LA riots. I was tired of the complex, pompous songs I was writing. I wanted to pen a direct, straight ahead rock song with some bite in the lyrics. It is one of the simplest songs I’ve ever written. When Bob Ezrin heard this song, he thought I stole the chords from an old Alice Cooper song. No, that was his ego talking. You can find D-A-E in a million rock songs. But, I don’t think you’ll find my lyrics or melody line or Todd’s hysterical rap anywhere else. This song was usually our set closer and for some reason used to make me want to jump round and thrash about like a complete idiot. Our producer Michael James said he didn’t really understand the song until I started bouncing off the walls when we were listening to a rough mix.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Southland CD concerns the deterioration of Los Angeles during the early 1990s. We were right in the middle of it, yet totally removed. I am very fortunate. I’ve never been hungry. I’ve always lived in very nice places. It’s not like Donald Trump is my dad, but my family does well. So, it would be ridiculous for me to pretend that I know what it’s like to live in hardship. But, I do know what it’s like to suffer psychologically because no one is immune from the mysterious workings of their own brain, regardless of their status in life and sometimes because of their status in life. And I can see and listen and feel. I think Southland makes a statement about the psychological fallout in these post-modern times.
Wishnefsky.