You can give me
A pill to sleep
You can give me
Ten different kinds
But I lay down
Under sheets of concrete
And I can't get the weight of it
Off my mind
Feeling depleted
Feeling drained
Much like the blood
Was sucked out of my veins
I lay down
In a spinning room
In a spinning room
So, go ahead, diagnose me
Give me a name for my pain
Watch me very, very closely
Find the thing to blame
Ani Difranco - Unprecedented Sh!t Album Lyrics
Ani Difranco - Unprecedented Sh!t Lyrics
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Virus
I was so deeply pleased to pause this life
I think I jinxed the world and caused this strife
Yes, I longed so long for fewer nouns
I longed so well, the world shut down
And now the kettle is calling the pot black, yeah
I call you virus but you don't call me back
So I just keep listening to my own voice
In the echo chamber of my choice
Touché, I say, and mazel tov
To the kind of ride you can't get off
Yes, can't, that is, until you must
You win, I give in
In less I trust
And now the kettle is calling the pot black, yeah
I call you virus but you don't call me back
So, I just keep listening to my own voice
In the echo chamber of my choice
I was so deeply pleased to pause this life
I think I jinxed the world and caused this strife
Yes, I longed so long for fewer nouns
I longed so well, the world shut down
And now the kettle is calling the pot black, yeah
I call you virus but you don't call me back
So I just keep listening to my own voice
In the echo chamber of my choice
Touché, I say, and mazel tov
To the kind of ride you can't get off
Yes, can't, that is, until you must
You win, I give in
In less I trust
And now the kettle is calling the pot black, yeah
I call you virus but you don't call me back
So, I just keep listening to my own voice
In the echo chamber of my choice
I was so deeply pleased to pause this life
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
More Or Less Free
I swear, I don't think that I'm special
Just trying to do a good thing to do
I swear my heart is in the right place
In relationship to you
But this is all more than I imagined
More devastating, more surreal
I see these people round with badges
And I just don't know how I feel
'Cause you seem like a nice person
A nice person to me
And it seems obvious we're just humans
Born more or less free
I never thought that I was special
Been that way since we were kids
There's a million people that are like me
In this world, stuck doin' bids
But you come right into our nightmare
No fear or hate that can be seen
Through the fog, food for thought
Through the fog, fuel for dreams
'Cause you seem like a nice person
A nice person to me
And it seems obvious we're just humans
Born more or less free
Just trying to do a good thing to do
I swear my heart is in the right place
In relationship to you
But this is all more than I imagined
More devastating, more surreal
I see these people round with badges
And I just don't know how I feel
'Cause you seem like a nice person
A nice person to me
And it seems obvious we're just humans
Born more or less free
I never thought that I was special
Been that way since we were kids
There's a million people that are like me
In this world, stuck doin' bids
But you come right into our nightmare
No fear or hate that can be seen
Through the fog, food for thought
Through the fog, fuel for dreams
'Cause you seem like a nice person
A nice person to me
And it seems obvious we're just humans
Born more or less free
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Baby Roe
I think we might be wrong about all of it
In fact, it's been proven
Keeps coming down to this shitty little interface that we're usin'
The very edges of our knowing
Just the tiny tip that's showing
But we're so wigged out
Yeah, we're so devout
To this waking dream
What's playing on the screen
And you just never know
Do you, baby Roe?
It's all absurd
But even you maintain
Timing is everything
When you're steppin' off a curb
And if you think this life
Is your only life, you're a fool
No, spirit can't be stopped
No matter who gives birth to who
No, spirit won't be stopped
No matter who gives birth to who
The path of least suffering
Leaves the best trail
The path of least suffering
It don't matter which side of the veil
It don't matter which side of the veil
I think we might be wrong about all of it
In fact, it's been proven
Keeps coming down to this shitty little interface that we're usin'
The very edges of our knowing
Just the tiny tip that's showing
But we're so wigged out
Yeah, we're so devout
To this waking dream
What's playing on the screen
And you just never know
Do you, baby Roe?
It's all absurd
But even you maintain
Timing is everything
When you're steppin' off a curb
And if you think this life
Is your only life, you're a fool
No, spirit can't be stopped
No matter who gives birth to who
No, spirit won't be stopped
No matter who gives birth to who
The path of least suffering
Leaves the best trail
The path of least suffering
It don't matter which side of the veil
It don't matter which side of the veil
I think we might be wrong about all of it
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Unprecedented Sh!t
I got a lot of heart
(The bigger the heart, the more it bleeds)
I got a lot of will
(To survive, to prevail, to succeed)
I got a lot of balls
And I hit them all over their heads
But I don't know if I'll ever have what it takes
To get out of bed (again)
No, I don't know if I'll ever have what it takes
To get out of bed (again)
'Cause I know, this is about to be some unprecedented shit
And I don't know if I have whatever this is
Whatever this is
I got a lot of heart
But I can't afford to let it bleed
I can't afford to empathize, compromise, or concede
And I don't wanna hear about it when the coldness reach your bones
I'm just thinking about that drink I'm gonna crack when I get back home (again)
Yes, I'm just thinking about that drink I'm gonna crack when I get back home (again)
'Cause, in this job, I have seen some unprecedented shit
And I don't know if I have whatever this is
Whatever this is
(The bigger the heart, the more it bleeds)
I got a lot of will
(To survive, to prevail, to succeed)
I got a lot of balls
And I hit them all over their heads
But I don't know if I'll ever have what it takes
To get out of bed (again)
No, I don't know if I'll ever have what it takes
To get out of bed (again)
'Cause I know, this is about to be some unprecedented shit
And I don't know if I have whatever this is
Whatever this is
I got a lot of heart
But I can't afford to let it bleed
I can't afford to empathize, compromise, or concede
And I don't wanna hear about it when the coldness reach your bones
I'm just thinking about that drink I'm gonna crack when I get back home (again)
Yes, I'm just thinking about that drink I'm gonna crack when I get back home (again)
'Cause, in this job, I have seen some unprecedented shit
And I don't know if I have whatever this is
Whatever this is
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
New Bible
If that nurse don't get you, then her sister will
With her Monday through Sunday dispenser of pills
Don't know which of my habits will be my demise
But there's more ways, everyday, to betray what is wise
It troubles a body
All this hidden pollution
Makin' some kinda cancer
A foregone conclusion
And deep in my saddlebags
I carry a rage
For the greedy top feeders
And their invisible cage
Oh, rise the proletariat
Red banners unfurled
Let's mend the failures of history
And the manmade world
Let's mend the failures of the profit system
Let's rewrite the law books
Quit following the path of least resistance
'Cause that's what makes the river crooked
Let's evolve into our true nature
So little flowers can bloom
In a world where relationship is sacred
And sacrifice is assumed
All for one and one for all
Boom chicka boom boom boom
There's just too many distractions
Too many coming attractions
Too many screens fiercely flashing
Their subliminal frame
It's no wonder we all just go along
Hungry as we are, just to belong
It's no wonder we're all crazy
It's amazing we're not all the same
You're gonna die way too early
Or you're gonna live way too long
It's kinda like it always was
Except the quiet is gone
Proving technology gets you nowhere
If your intentions are all wrong
And for clarity of vision
We need a pulsing polarity of vision
It is our singularity of vision
That got us to this place
Without equal and opposite forces
We will only ever know a distortion
We will never hit our resonant frequency
We will never find grace
Our roots are meant to be interwoven
Not churned up and turned upside down
Turn off your combustion engine
And listen to the sound
Get down off your tractor, mister
And put your nose to the ground
Out where the topsoil welcomes a heavy rain
Out where the shoreline can handle a hurricane
Out where god and nature are the same
A mind can think clear
As far as engines of evolution
Cooperation trumps competition
And if I were Darwin's girlfriend
I woulda whispered that in his ear
I think we should have a new bible
One that only has two words
I think we should have a new bible
That just says, mother earth
And I think men should stand down
When women give birth
But if that nurse don't get you, then her sister will
With her Monday through Sunday dispenser of pills
Don't know which of my habits will be my demise
But there's more ways, everyday, to betray what is wise
With her Monday through Sunday dispenser of pills
Don't know which of my habits will be my demise
But there's more ways, everyday, to betray what is wise
It troubles a body
All this hidden pollution
Makin' some kinda cancer
A foregone conclusion
And deep in my saddlebags
I carry a rage
For the greedy top feeders
And their invisible cage
Oh, rise the proletariat
Red banners unfurled
Let's mend the failures of history
And the manmade world
Let's mend the failures of the profit system
Let's rewrite the law books
Quit following the path of least resistance
'Cause that's what makes the river crooked
Let's evolve into our true nature
So little flowers can bloom
In a world where relationship is sacred
And sacrifice is assumed
All for one and one for all
Boom chicka boom boom boom
There's just too many distractions
Too many coming attractions
Too many screens fiercely flashing
Their subliminal frame
It's no wonder we all just go along
Hungry as we are, just to belong
It's no wonder we're all crazy
It's amazing we're not all the same
You're gonna die way too early
Or you're gonna live way too long
It's kinda like it always was
Except the quiet is gone
Proving technology gets you nowhere
If your intentions are all wrong
And for clarity of vision
We need a pulsing polarity of vision
It is our singularity of vision
That got us to this place
Without equal and opposite forces
We will only ever know a distortion
We will never hit our resonant frequency
We will never find grace
Our roots are meant to be interwoven
Not churned up and turned upside down
Turn off your combustion engine
And listen to the sound
Get down off your tractor, mister
And put your nose to the ground
Out where the topsoil welcomes a heavy rain
Out where the shoreline can handle a hurricane
Out where god and nature are the same
A mind can think clear
As far as engines of evolution
Cooperation trumps competition
And if I were Darwin's girlfriend
I woulda whispered that in his ear
I think we should have a new bible
One that only has two words
I think we should have a new bible
That just says, mother earth
And I think men should stand down
When women give birth
But if that nurse don't get you, then her sister will
With her Monday through Sunday dispenser of pills
Don't know which of my habits will be my demise
But there's more ways, everyday, to betray what is wise
Writer: Angela DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Boots Of A Soldier
I wear the boots of a soldier
Who's name was Slidell
And my foot fits inside them
Really quite well
And I wonder about the stories
These boots could tell
Did Slidell live or die?
Did their mama cry
And go through hell?
Ten years my senior
And a hundred or so
This guitar that I'm strumming
'Neath this weeping willow
And it boggles the mind
All the passing of time
And the mysteries that abound
Elude and confound you
All the stories you'll never know
In your tiny little umwelt
Just livin' the dream
Learnin' that how you see things
Is just how they seem
And you could think of some ways
That happy could get hard to do
But there's never not more
So, I would say, if you're bored
That's on you
Who's name was Slidell
And my foot fits inside them
Really quite well
And I wonder about the stories
These boots could tell
Did Slidell live or die?
Did their mama cry
And go through hell?
Ten years my senior
And a hundred or so
This guitar that I'm strumming
'Neath this weeping willow
And it boggles the mind
All the passing of time
And the mysteries that abound
Elude and confound you
All the stories you'll never know
In your tiny little umwelt
Just livin' the dream
Learnin' that how you see things
Is just how they seem
And you could think of some ways
That happy could get hard to do
But there's never not more
So, I would say, if you're bored
That's on you
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
You Forgot to Speak
Between first sleep and second sleep
I stare into the dark
And I can feel there are two of me
So I put 'em both on the ark
And we'll find out what we're made of
When we're tossing at sea
And no one knows what their fate is
And there are no guarantees
And you know the flood is coming
So you watch the sky for weeks
And you see a bird pass overhead
With something in its beak
And nobody will listen
But then, you forgot to speak
How the hell can anyone listen when you forget to speak?
(It will never be)
You forgot to speak
(It will never be)
You forgot to speak
(It will never be)
Hey (fair)
Between first sleep and second sleep
I stare into the dark
And I can feel there are two of me
So I put 'em both on the ark
And we'll find out what we're made of
When we're tossing at sea
And no one knows what their fate is
And there are no guarantees
A big picture is just clutter
With no space to hang it in
And there's only so much justice
In a world of broken men
You gotta wonder, why begin?
Let alone, begin again
And tell me
How the hell can anybody listen when you forget to speak?
(It will never be)
You for-, you forgot to speak
(It will never be)
You for-, you forgot to speak
(It will never be)
Hey (fair)
I stare into the dark
And I can feel there are two of me
So I put 'em both on the ark
And we'll find out what we're made of
When we're tossing at sea
And no one knows what their fate is
And there are no guarantees
And you know the flood is coming
So you watch the sky for weeks
And you see a bird pass overhead
With something in its beak
And nobody will listen
But then, you forgot to speak
How the hell can anyone listen when you forget to speak?
(It will never be)
You forgot to speak
(It will never be)
You forgot to speak
(It will never be)
Hey (fair)
Between first sleep and second sleep
I stare into the dark
And I can feel there are two of me
So I put 'em both on the ark
And we'll find out what we're made of
When we're tossing at sea
And no one knows what their fate is
And there are no guarantees
A big picture is just clutter
With no space to hang it in
And there's only so much justice
In a world of broken men
You gotta wonder, why begin?
Let alone, begin again
And tell me
How the hell can anybody listen when you forget to speak?
(It will never be)
You for-, you forgot to speak
(It will never be)
You for-, you forgot to speak
(It will never be)
Hey (fair)
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
The Thing at Hand
Thanks to the bullfrogs and the crickets and the cicadas
Thanks to the loons and the songbirds too
Thanks to all my music teachers
And the beauty they exude
They remind me, I don't need to be anything
I don't need a look, I don't need a brand
They remind me, I don't need to be anything
I don't need to know what to say
I don't need to know where I stand
I just need to show up
For the thing at hand
Yes, I just need to show up
For the thing at hand
I'm not black or white or grey
I'm not he or she or they
I'm not gay or bi or straight
I'm just me and maybe
That's just another thing to say
I just wanna show up
For the thing at hand
Yeah, I'm just trying to show up
For the thing at hand
Thanks to the pine trees and the tall breeze
Thanks to the ocean
Thanks to the heartbeat and the spring leaves
Springing into motion
Thanks to the big spinning cosmos and it's do-see-do
Thanks to the emptiness and the energy
That teaches me how to flow
I just wanna show up
For the thing at hand
Yes, I'm just trying to show up
For the thing at hand
I defy being defined
I am not my body
I am not my mind
Yeah, you can point right at me
And still, there's nothing there
And whatever you call me
I don't care
Thanks to the loons and the songbirds too
Thanks to all my music teachers
And the beauty they exude
They remind me, I don't need to be anything
I don't need a look, I don't need a brand
They remind me, I don't need to be anything
I don't need to know what to say
I don't need to know where I stand
I just need to show up
For the thing at hand
Yes, I just need to show up
For the thing at hand
I'm not black or white or grey
I'm not he or she or they
I'm not gay or bi or straight
I'm just me and maybe
That's just another thing to say
I just wanna show up
For the thing at hand
Yeah, I'm just trying to show up
For the thing at hand
Thanks to the pine trees and the tall breeze
Thanks to the ocean
Thanks to the heartbeat and the spring leaves
Springing into motion
Thanks to the big spinning cosmos and it's do-see-do
Thanks to the emptiness and the energy
That teaches me how to flow
I just wanna show up
For the thing at hand
Yes, I'm just trying to show up
For the thing at hand
I defy being defined
I am not my body
I am not my mind
Yeah, you can point right at me
And still, there's nothing there
And whatever you call me
I don't care
Writer: Ani DiFranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
The Knowing
I have a name
And my name has a story
I have a look
A sound, a smell
A shape, a size
I have a color to my hair, my skin, my eyes
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
I have a favorite blanket, it's a little torn
I have a family and a place where I was born
I have a favorite song and a favorite food
I have a favorite game, depending on my mood
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
I have a life that I am here to live
I have gifts that I'm here to give
I have friends and with my friends, I have fun
I have a love of the wind and of the sun
Yes, I can take heart in what's showing
Knowing it's all a part of the knowing
Yes, I can take part in what's showing
Knowing we're all a part of the knowing
I have beliefs and someday those beliefs might change
I have blocks that I like to arrange and rearrange
There are things that I'm told and things that I learn
There are skills I've practiced and praise I've earned
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
And my name has a story
I have a look
A sound, a smell
A shape, a size
I have a color to my hair, my skin, my eyes
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
I have a favorite blanket, it's a little torn
I have a family and a place where I was born
I have a favorite song and a favorite food
I have a favorite game, depending on my mood
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
I have a life that I am here to live
I have gifts that I'm here to give
I have friends and with my friends, I have fun
I have a love of the wind and of the sun
Yes, I can take heart in what's showing
Knowing it's all a part of the knowing
Yes, I can take part in what's showing
Knowing we're all a part of the knowing
I have beliefs and someday those beliefs might change
I have blocks that I like to arrange and rearrange
There are things that I'm told and things that I learn
There are skills I've practiced and praise I've earned
But this is not all of who I am
Underneath this is something more
All of these things are just what's showing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Underneath all that I know is the knowing
Writer: Ani Difranco
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
These days, every artist's album needs to have a story. The music can't speak for itself.
But after 22 records, why can't Ani DiFranco's work speak for itself? Yes, her forthcoming album is shaped by stories — ones about reproductive freedom, the double-edged sword of the pandemic, identity and ever-evolving belief systems that have shaped each of its 11 songs. It was paramount to the folk-feminist hero that listeners not be saddled with preconceived notions while diving into her 23rd album Unprecedented Sh!t. "I believe there is a rhyme and a reason as to why these songs have come together in this way now and I want people to experience this album as a journey, a piece of art, without being influenced by a cacophony of surrounding narratives.”
While many of DiFranco's albums were made more insularly, she's opened herself up to collaboration in recent years. For 21 of DiFranco's 22 albums, she opted to self-produce. With Unprecedented Sh!t, she wanted to try working with a producer and tapped BJ Burton, who produced one of her favorite albums, Bon Iver's 22, A Million.
The title Unprecedented Sh!t is not only representative of how much of a sonic departure the 11-track album is from Ani's other work, but also a political and social commentary on the current state of the world. "We find ourselves in unprecedented times in many ways, faced with unprecedented challenges. So, our responses to them and our discourse around them, need to rise to that level.”
Performed By:
Ani DifrancoBut after 22 records, why can't Ani DiFranco's work speak for itself? Yes, her forthcoming album is shaped by stories — ones about reproductive freedom, the double-edged sword of the pandemic, identity and ever-evolving belief systems that have shaped each of its 11 songs. It was paramount to the folk-feminist hero that listeners not be saddled with preconceived notions while diving into her 23rd album Unprecedented Sh!t. "I believe there is a rhyme and a reason as to why these songs have come together in this way now and I want people to experience this album as a journey, a piece of art, without being influenced by a cacophony of surrounding narratives.”
While many of DiFranco's albums were made more insularly, she's opened herself up to collaboration in recent years. For 21 of DiFranco's 22 albums, she opted to self-produce. With Unprecedented Sh!t, she wanted to try working with a producer and tapped BJ Burton, who produced one of her favorite albums, Bon Iver's 22, A Million.
The title Unprecedented Sh!t is not only representative of how much of a sonic departure the 11-track album is from Ani's other work, but also a political and social commentary on the current state of the world. "We find ourselves in unprecedented times in many ways, faced with unprecedented challenges. So, our responses to them and our discourse around them, need to rise to that level.”
Genre(s): Indie rock, folk rock
Released: March 21st, 2024
Year: 2024