#89 Iceman by Bruce Springsteen

“My baby was a lover and the world just blew her away”

“Don't check

Just balance on the fence

Don't answer

Don't ask

Don't try and make sense…

I feel numb”
(U2)

In Badlands, when Springsteen sings “I wanna find one face that ain’t lookin’ through me”, my stomach actually turns into knots…and the neurotransmitters in my brain fire YES! YES! – Where is that face? There’s got to be someone left with some hot blood in their veins…somebody “itchin’ for something to start”…Anyone? Anyone? Any? Going once, going twice…

We have become a society void of passionate conversation and connection. I’m so beyond sick of hearing people talking in clichés instead of really connecting – really saying what they think: We constantly hear “it’s for the best “, “think positive”, “I believe everything happens for a reason”, “it’s all good”. It’s pretty sad that I can predict the other side of a two way conversation most of the time.

Jesus F’n Christ! Does no one say what they really feel anymore? How about? This totally sucks…it’s not fair – it makes me want to kill myself…I think I will become alcohol dependent now that my friend was found raped and murdered in a dumpster..nope we get: “everything happens for a reason..she was raped and murdered so that I could become someone who helps rape victims” – “she was so kind – never said a bad thing about anyone” – really never?

I know that we are forced to live through mind numbing jobs and most of us are just struggling to make it through whatever this world hands us, putting us into a stupor of easy submission (insert “your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold” lyrics here) to the forces around us telling us what we should be, what we should feel, what we should look like, and repeating each and every new slogan that comes our way because Oprah said it on her show last week. Oh and don’t forget this season’s hottest suede boot! Icemen…Icepeople (because you do have to be PC, you know! – If you’re not, then God help you!)…that’s what we’ve become.

Aaaaahhhhhh! Where is the hot blood that boils through our veins…where is the passion, the anger…are we really that anesthetized that we can’t feel anymore..or are we so afraid of feeling…that we just become another spoke in the wheel of what society dictates, not allowing us to question anything, not even allowing us to realize the trap that we are in? Just walk the straight and narrow – don’t worry your reward is in the heavens. A mind-numbing existence = salvation – sure it does – the preacher said so. No room for ache, no room for “the search”, no room for a passionate existence.

What? You mean the “white wedding, house on the hill, 2.3 children, working for the man, voting for president, celebrity obsessed, pill popping, you make your own luck, we only pretend we want to help the poor” society we live in is not the best way to live? This is blasphemy! Hack into her computer, shut down her blog and throw her in jail for these socialist, communist ideas. She’s a radical – she’s dangerous…she has the infection…her blood is not frozen like ours is…What shall we do? I know - I heard her middle name is Osama…die bitch die!

(Sigh) – that felt really good…

“Well Everybody wants to go forever…I just want to burn out hard and bright” (Ryan Adams)

For Complete Lyrics Visit: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/Iceman.html