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Tales of Urban Freedom

by Union Jack

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1.
You're just living, man. You're just there, in that moment, in that special place and time. Maybe when I get back, I can write a book about my travels. Yeah. Why not? You know, about getting out of this sick society. Society! Society ! Society! Society, man! You know, society! Cause, you know what I don't understand? I don't understand why people, why every fucking person is so bad to each other so fucking often. It doesn't make sense to me. Judgment. Control. All that, the whole spectrum. Well, it just... What "people" we talking about? You know, parents, hypocrites, politicians, pricks.
2.
Some hope 02:57
I shoot some hope To forget how life is unfair, the more you're sick the more you sink, obviously Profits lead society, we're just pawns, this game is fucked up and you have never won Now that human life's been privatized, everything has a price Even security is sold like merchandise Every activity is a new source of benefit, let's create new needs and cash in on the gains Selfishness is the rich man’s sickness They inject billions into businesses but would not give coins to the homeless I’m so sick of the human weakness But some people have interests in perpetuating the distress Profitization is the first priority/nothing's as important as the money Your health and your well-being can be neglected / No one gives a damn about it! Auctions raise! Selfishness is the rich man’s sickness They inject billions into businesses but would not give coins to the homeless I’m so sick of the human weakness But some people have interests in perpetuating the distress Life is expensive, without dough you're captive / everything will collapse and then you’ll pay the price You'll even pay once you're dead to get a nice wooden grave / that’s how life goes even at six feet under Property & consumption, it doesn’t mean anything to me Poverty is spreading like a fucking epidemic
3.
Whatever happens to me, I lived my own reality (To) reject conformity and blind morality Go on, travel around the globe, Meet open-minded people & fuck the norms That you've been following since the beginning There are a bunch of things to make yer life exciting Real life's outside, go out & make it through Go out & make it through Whatever happens to you / Just take it easy & stop feeling blue And make your dreams come true / No time to waste today, write a new screenplay You'd better choose, you'd better move when everything just falls apart It's up to you, watcha wanna do, maybe you just need a new start Before you lose, just when you snooze, wake up and listen to your heart It's up to you, watcha wanna do, maybe you just need a new start Sometimes life's a struggle, a fuckin' constant battle Left alone in that jungle, you get treated like cattle Bungled by boredom and willing to run away, Looking for brighter days, pissed off but not jaded Write your own history, stay as free as you can be, Go find as the world can be homey and this life so peachy
4.
The 13 ways 04:21
You pray with blind fascination / And believe in the priest's incantations Waiting for god's revelation / Quietly listening to the sermon Dreading the final destination / We're doomed and there ain't no solution I have my own explanation / I don't need you to give me the direction You're trying to impose your views on the whole society / By repeating bullshit written in a book Patriarchism, fake compassion, straight morality Unfortunately, I am not weak to agree Spreading your vision and teaching the lesson it's nothing more than a sect for me Religion's a poison, a fucked up illusion Two Thousand years they've been spreading the fear The Christian nations were built on a fiction, a bible-based story of the resurrection Indoctrination of the population is the best way to control a civilization Every morning of every day, I see you prayin and I'd like to say Stop trusting what they claim, don't perpetuate this wicked game After all, you have to know (that) God is just a placebo, you're devoted, so submissive to the oldest trick on earth You're down on your knees now, praying among this crowd full of pricks and you hope to be saved once you're dead, but there's no one up there, hell is on earth, god's just a statue in your church Naive and credulous, what they sell is fabulous, they duped you unscrupulous, but you don't feel ridiculous One day you'll see the light and it's not a pretty sight, forget this shit downright, it's time to say bye-bye Brainwashing the youth through theological education / learn well your verse to avoid the curse Manipulating the truth to condition the opinions/ follow and pray, you're a slave of your faith It's a long-established organisation / I can't disregard all your very dark past I'll never join your faction of intolerant morons / I'll never die for your religious war
5.
Walking around in my city today Stinky cities The buildings and people, they all look dead/ The squats are closing, now the "artists" get paid, to pretend that there's something happening Tell how I am supposed to survive in these dead cities? The dream is so bad and the people so sad, the reasons why I never feel glad And they're cleaning every street, destroying everything For a brand new building You gotta pay to eat & sleep, survival is not free It’ll never be Non-commercial activities are banned in most of the cities/ Squatters get evicted from their home, but the flats remain empty/ It's a constant search for profit and standardized habits The goal is the destruction of the will to live free Every day I stray and try to do my best to live through this hell and forget all this present stress Share my distress, all my life I feel oppressed, it’s a whole mess and I do it with success When I see what's going on, it's hard not to feel down & out / and I feel ashamed When I see what's going on, it's hard not to feel down & out / I feel the same Everybody’s looking for the same thing / Less authority, more solidarity Everybody’s looking for the same thing / Reach autonomy by any means necessary Homeless and hopeless, I cannot call it progress / Days go by, the situation gets worse, the fight is almost lost Happiness and joy are my only quests / Will I reach them someday and feel alive for real? Everybody’s looking for the same thing / Less authority, more solidarity Everybody’s looking for the same thing / Reach autonomy by any means necessary What’s the other choice? / a more violent approach? Is there a place in the sun for everyone? / or are we doomed to lifelong boredom? Money bought something in the way, that’s our humanity Surrounded but fuckin’lonely, usual urban story From block to block, in stinky flats, freedoms are locked and rents are high The autonomists slowly disappear, the poor and weak live in fear It seems like everybody's dead Only yuppies all well fed A strange feeling when I'm in my bed Wish I'd never wake up again And I’m dyin, and I’m dyin, you don’t even know And I’m dyin, and I’m dyin, right in front of you It seems like everybody's dead Only yuppies all well fed Right in front of you
6.
Hold up your fist / Civil rights are threatened" You're on their list / And soon it'll be your turn No justice, No peace / How long until the next crackdown? They load the dice / Take action against them! Restrictions on your freedom Justified by security reasons You're regarded with suspicion, In each one of your daily actions One two three, dream of liberty While they're throwing hundreds of innocents in jail Already guilty in your own country And your freedom of action is now between their hands Stand up brotha / they still rule the roost One way powa / Gov'ment sets the rules Avoid murda / Or they will break your soul I've got cop's phobia / ……if ya don't react now they'll get ya Terror is the easier way to Dominate, control all that we do Guardia, Policia & Militia, sing that shit muthafucka Fuck the pigs!
7.
You pushed that door now you're trapped for sure We sound like dopes, but with a lot of hope Addictives tones that run through your bones UJ without drug prescription, more explosive than a gas station It's the soundtrack to our lives, it sounds better than The Hives Unlike most of the bands you love, we're not wearing the shirts of the Ramones We're spreading around, like oil on the ground, The sky is falling down, under this wall of sound We keep the true sound of the underground, Along with other bands, activists and friends This shit's not so bad since 97' we've been around And we wanna make it last until the end No concessions cuz we're stimulated by true passion Music's keeping us alive gives us the strength to survive Open your fuckin'ears, are you ready for your new addiction Forget all you've heard before, sing-along 1-2-3-4 All my friends and I love Rock & Roll We're here to blast your fuckin'soul We like when it sounds cynical, Raw dirty, and a bit radical We're the most original We want to drive you up the wall Thanks to the music we are eternal & soon we will come to your town, no matter how far it's from home, we'll come to your town, to speak up and sing these songs We can not and we won't stop / We've done it from scratch, we've never asked for anything But nevermind we play sub Pop / From the start, there was no other alternative Love it or not we pack a punch / and make you want to start an everlasting riot Get ready for the latest crop / it's the sound that you've always wanted us to drop This one's for the family, proudly and noisy, we riprizent the BSC, Bad Ska do you know? We created the style and you use it now From Goober P. to Op Ivy / Bad Ska C-O-R-P, ... From Choking V. to Beastie B. / Bad Ska C-O-R-P, ... From Hüsker D. to MDC / Bad Ska C-O-R-P, ... From Johnny C. to Social D. / Bad Ska C-O-R-P, ...
8.
Anti-specism 02:52
Hey, you seem to know everything on everything But your lack of knowledge makes you a fuckin’upstart Damn, you are so close-minded, a stupid redneck kid, The ideas you convey are nothing but clichés, Intolerance & ignorance are leading your sad existence Let’s try to live in peace together / it would make things much easier Always learn and become clever / knowledge's in books, not blockbusters Give to the others a little of your time / and share with them, it'd be just fine Let's make our world a better place to die / Open up & swallow your pride Why are you afraid of everything that seems just different? What are your reasons for feeling superior above the disabled? Didn’t your mama teach you how to show some respect? Nothing is worse than your constant disdain Discrimination among the population / Fuck able-bodied pride Based on handicap, health reasons and eugenism / Just open up your mind I’d like to dedicate this one to the deaf, dumb and the blind Forgotten in our society, the ones that the life punished cruelly People should be more altruistic, humanistic less individualistic We need to harmonize, To act rather than to promise I wish a world accessible to all, France is late, so hear this call Stop all kinds of discrimination and restore real communication People can change this world, spread the word, we can afford it Try to live in a Wheelchair and understand how life can be unfair When all eyes are on just on you. One day this person may be you
9.
Fuck mainstream, we're out the commercial scheme Your music industry has never interested me Indoctrination and standardisation Bad Ska resistance for only subsistence Corporate Medias define the tastes of the Mass, Mediocrity gets sold at a very high price There's no content, but the package is nice, Lobotomized again, they'll even buy things twice! Passive audience / a lovely bunch of naive students Absolute obedience / they keep repeating the artist's statements Swindle evidence / Greedy promoters and shitty bands For your empty existence/none of this makes any sense! Tic Tac Toe, the devil plays the game Nothing's exciting, everything's boring, the songs he sings are all the same You can run, you can hide, but you're always running dry Keep music outside of this whole business, Not for sale/Not to buy Broken bones and broken voice, my heart and my brain are full of rage D.I.Y. my only choice to spread my ideas, my message All these shits make me ill and never gave me a thrill These tunes always get played on the TV in exchange for a lucrative deal Music has to remain a way to change the world It ain't no product, or a TV add support Majors, you're choking with all the lives you wasted So many artists that you've never supported Authenticity is the thing you can't afford Cause you're only choosing those that follow all the trends We gonna teach you what's the real underground and you'll discover the values that we want to defend There is no chance for originality, They traded art for rentability You just can't stay You have to pay Gotta pay to play...
10.
I was told that nothing was planned / and that the future was unwritten Carpe diem, heaven is a dreamland / enjoy life, as long as you're not rotten Don’t wait to be saved by the bell / or you'll miss your chance again And realize your life was a hell / like if you had been locked in jail Forget all your fears and Follow your instinct, but Spend some of your time To take care of your friends Tomorrow they may be dead Some left us too fuckin’ early / going through all this loss ain't easy They still live through my memory / and their ghosts haunt my life daily Sometimes death comes very quickly / only the good die young, it is true, can't you see? But music’s for eternity / it'll help you to forget all your fears ...and follow your instinct Take care of your friends Tomorrow they may be dead.. Oh oh I know that we will meet again, dear friend, the world is small if you keep your mind open I’m glad to rub shoulders with you, but I must say that I fuckin’miss you You will always mean a lot to me, in my heart & part of my history You were, will always, be my bro
11.
Take action! 04:19
Any of your actions has its own repercussions The car you drive, the food you eat, the garbage you throw on the street The consequences of your daily selfish behaviour will be endangering the planet's ecosystem Everything I know is that we should change all that we do Our consumer habits are criminal and you know that it’s true Everything on earth has been over-exploited by men, They will rape and rob again and again until the end Soon you'll be turning in circles, realizing the damage's done We have reached the point of no return Making the same mistakes as the previous generations Are you waiting for the next caution? It's time to take action They couldn't care less about the Earth or about us They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice people's health Every lobby manages the world / as if it was theirs and nobody cares Even Nature can be sold / a brand new market to fill in their pockets Everything we do has an unsuspected impact, sign the suicide pact, every resource has been attacked Monsento controls the fields for more more yields, increased profit for deceased life, your kids are gonna pay the bill So start thinking, about the way you're living, the pollution you're creating and the waste you are producing You are part of this destructive chain, implied by this whole system, can you tell me who's to blame? Why is the environment not a priority for the government?/ How can they consider this subject is not important? Globalization encourages overproduction/ We should participate in reducing our consumption And we suffocate again /This shit's making us insane They manipulate our brain / With chemical aliments It’s all about responsibility / and making the right choices / If it were up to me / I'd opt for many changes I dreamt a thousand times ‘bout a new world, new world Without any pollution, any humans, any wars I dreamt a thousand times of saving the world, saving the world Eh man now choose your team, you are the gleam of hope Soon you'll be turning in circles, realizing the damage's done We shall have reached this point of no return Making the same mistakes as the previous generations
12.
Love is such a pain, all these feelings are my bane Only tears remain, and I know I should refrain It’s hard to feel so high and realize promise was a lie Harder to say goodbye, everything has gone awry Life brought me disappointments, I never found the good treatments Pronouncements and engagements, girls always need more statements Things have been pretty bad lately, For now, I am trying hard not to expect anything from anybody Trapped into deception, false hopes and illusions, I am annoyed by this fucked up situation Scars remain as inked pains, it's inside you until the end Mixed feelings of love & hate, can't get rid of this ball & chain Time has not erased my wounds, love haunts me like all these songs The sad feeling of being left alone invades me strongly and it brings me down Every dug up memory comes back as a ghost to haunt me This story was / so destructive / as magnetic as hopeless Heartbreak I took the wrong way, right now I'm gonna pay Now I pay, I pay I'm sad & broke now, waiting for better days..
13.
Black cat 09:46
Ups and downs, that's just how my life goes, depression and sorrow I've overdosed Now I hope that the worst is behind me, I weathered the storm and no-one ever helped me Nothing has ever been easy or free, middle-class whitey with not much money I was often on the rocks, But I've lived through it and have always heard this little vox that was telling me never to give up cuz the best would be coming up I've always been wild but lonely, like a stray cat in a city All these past years I bit the dust, the lust for life as a co-pilot But now I always land on my feet, even when streets are badly lit Don't try to stand in my way, if I were you I'd keep away Every night I sharpen my claws, the cats obey their own laws Engaged in a fight for independence, don't mess with me or I will make you shit your pants Don't lock me up inside or I'll kick you out, I get nervous when I feel trapped like a rat This cat's life doesn't have a place for mistakes, if you fuck up, there's no beefsteak Tomorrow may never come, I'm not waitin for any angels, just a phone call from my mom Many times I wonder if it'll get better/ sometimes freedom let me feel a little bitter My loneliness grows & my sorrow's stronger/ I gets me down but I get by without downer There is not much to expect from this life on earth / I've reached the abyss, there is no bliss The game is over when you know you're cursed/ I've reached the abyss, there is no bliss

about

Depuis 12 ans que le groupe existe, UNION JACK ont préféré écumer les routes et s'activer au sein de leur propre label: Beer Records, mais voici enfin leur 1er album tant attendu ! Créateurs du "Bad Ska" considéré à raison comme la véritable réponse française à la scène "crack rock steady", Leftover Crack et Choking Victims en tête, avec un discours politique plus fin que ses homologues new yorkais et une attitude DIY d'une intégrité sans faille, UNION JACK compte déjà de nombreux fans à travers le monde. Fusion de punk, de ska, de hardcore et de hip hop le son du trio parisien a été affûté et mûri au fil des années, il en résulte un premier album d'une maturité et d'une solidité rare.

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released August 20, 2009

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GUERILLA ASSO Paris, France

DIY FRENCH PUNK LABEL, GIGS & DISTRO

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