Professional Victim
π΅ Alt rock synthpop for the oppressed majority
VERSE 1
You're a bleating scapegoat,
stepping up to take the fall.
Your neck upon the block.
A rubber band around your balls.
You're not disposed to agitation,
your beliefs flip on a dime.
You confess before the allegation,
plead guilty before the crime.
CHORUS
They fire you without hesitation,
confirming your true occupation:
Professional victim.
VERSE 2
They take your rights, but you don't cry.
They break in your home, you step aside.
They steal your secrets and call you chump.
They take your 'chute, but you still jump.
If it's wrong, you are complicit.
If it's right, they cut you out.
Black is woke and white is good,
(says the man in the bedsheet hood).
CHORUS
They fire you without hesitation,
confirming your true occupation:
Professional victim.
Professional victim.
BRIDGE 1
When they deny your truths,
you embrace their lies.
When they tank your future,
their profits you subsidize.
VERSE 3
You take their meager pay-offs,
and gag on their hush money.
They stomp your name into the ground
and still you sacrifice your honey.
Where there's a mill, you're the grist.
Where there's a thumb, you're underneath.
Where there's cannon, you're the fodder.
Where there's an ass, you lick and pucker.
BRIDGE 2
Your compliance only heats their wrath,
as they cuff you on your front path,
tase you 'til you shit your pants,
then shoot you down in self-defence.
While cancers rot your insides,
your insurance is denied.
Tylenol is all you get,
because there is no safety net.
VERSE 4
Every day your ritual is denial.
You bend and kowtow, blind, servile.
You don't believe me when I tell you how
it's you today, your kids tomorrow!
Modern slave, zero-hour contractor,
triple-jobbing, polycrisis actor!
CHORUS
Professional victim!
Professional victim!
Professional victim!
VERSE 5 / OUTRO
You saw it coming, but you stood still.
A deer in headlights. A roadkill shill.
You've been marked for death since birth.
Always second while the nation's first.
Every day your ritual is denial.
You bend and kowtow, blind, servile.
You don't believe me when I tell you how
it's you today, your kids tomorrow!
Modern slave, zero-hour contractor,
triple-jobbing, polycrisis actor!
Professional victim!
Well lookie here... We got a special extra bonus. It's only a gosh darn BLUEGRASS cover version!
Author's Note
The lyrics are 100% my work, but the music, including the singer's voice, is produced by a generative AI called SUNO (with some tweaks and edits in GarageBand).
I am deeply conflicted about AI music, but I continue to be astounded by the quality and variety which SUNO produces, and even the "personality" it brings to the voice. The fact I can write some lyrics then have a full band perform them is literally a dream come true.
Since Vocal.Media is a showcase for writing β not music production β I feel OK using AI music as a way to illustrate my writing. The same applies to my use of AI imagery.
But I feel obliged to make this disclaimer: it's an unnecessary evil, and an ill omen for the future financial viability of all art.
About the Creator
Addison Alder
Writer of Wrongs. Discontent Creator. Editor of The Gristle.
100% organic fiction ππ» hand-wrought in London, UK π¬π§
π Linktr.ee, β¨ Medium β¨, BlueSky, Insta
Keep reading
More stories from Addison Alder and writers in Beat and other communities.
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The ISS is oscillating, gently but constantly. I am tethered in the Soyuz descent module. It's docked at the far end of the Russian Zvezda module, mothballed and neglected. For decades since the 1960s, these old Russian ships had been our Crew Return Vehicles β our lifeboats β until SpaceX's Dragon programme superceded them.
By Addison AlderExclusive β’ about a year ago
'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan6 days ago in Beat
Comments (17)
I do love these lyrics, and like you, I am not in particular agreement with AI either. However, I do think that this is a great job, and maybe one day we might hear you sing the lyrics yourself!
Back to say, congrats...this was epic
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! ππππππ
π Congrats on your Top Story! π°β¨ Super proud of youβso well deserved! πͺπ Keep shining! ππ
Congratulations my dear
Soooooo good!!! My goodness me. πππ
Vocal did specify to use your own voice, but what the heck. there are all kinds of workings in todays world. Very well done. I need go try something, this is encouraging. Kudos.
Like the lyrics a lot. And I'm impressed by the AI output. Clearly a lot of thought and skill gone into setting up the prompts: it sounds like a legit tune. Whether it should is a whole other question!
I absolutely love that song. Iβd like to download it to my gym playlist!
Admittedly, not had a chance to listen to either version and curious about the AI music thing. I am in two minds about it. But, as we are writers predominately, I do see your argument for taking advantage of it for the musical side of things. The lyrics, by the way, and your arrangement and format, are pitch perfect. This is definitely a strong entry. Well done Addison and well done on Top Story too! Will swing back with my thoughts when I've listened to the music :) But, didn't wanna wait to pop this comment down! Again. well done!
Amazing
I would listen to this on the radio...rock version preferred. Very, very good
Very well written, congrats π
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Congratulations on your top story, Addison! I think the first version fits your lyrics perfectly. I applaud your creative risks, and truth be told, I am conflicted about AI music, too, but I commend the artist in you for exploring this area. Well done!
Your lyrics strike to the heart of the situation for most of us. Normally I really like Bluegrass but I have to admit to preferring the first rendition. It seemed more appropriate to the words.
Firstly, you nailed it on the lyrics. As for music, I be more likely to want to listen to the rock version, but the bluegrass makes me want to get and dance around like a hillbilly....after a few shots of course.