FAWM: "I Might Overthrow The Government (As Long As Nothing Good Is On TV)"

I Might Overthrow The Government (As Long As Nothing Good Is On TV)

2 weeks ago by @anthonykapfer

NSFW

I Might Overthrow The Government (As Long As Nothing Good Is On TV)

anthonykapfer

00:00

Liner Notes

here's today's song. trying to get closer to writing something funny. best i can do is ironically apathetic.

this is a bit influenced by bands like parquet courts.

sorry no video.

i recorded the music live as a one man band and then overdubbed a couple of extra guitars and then worked on some lyrics and added the vocals after.

i was on the fence about the world hunger joke at the end. i don't really want to make fun of it, but i'm hoping in this context the butt of the joke comes across as being the apathetic jerk who is too lazy to try to make a difference in the world. let me know if you agree or disagree. that would be easy to change later

#indierock #powerpop #garage

Lyrics

i woke up really late today
but i’ve got big plans anyway
i think i’ll compliment a stranger then
i’ll be a real hero, they say
i might reduce my carbon footprint, man
oh, but that can probably wait
i might overthrow the government
as long as nothing good is on tv

i think i might
i know i might
i’ll definitely volunteer
or maybe
just maybe
i’ll probably do that next year

right now i’ll have a beer
and then another beer
i’ll volunteer sometime next year

no i won’t
that’s too much work
i’ll probably just stay home and get stoned

no i won’t
yes i will
i’m gonna stay home and get stoned

i was gonna read the communist manifesto
man, but that shit's way too long
i wanna save the entire human race
if not, i'll just do something else

i think i might
i know i might
i’ll definitely volunteer
or maybe
just maybe
i’ll probably do that next year

right now i’ll have a beer
and then another beer
i’ll volunteer sometime next year

no i won’t
that’s too much work
i’ll probably just stay home and get stoned

no i won’t
yes i will
i’m gonna stay home and get stoned

na, na, na etc

you know, it's like
i think of myself as a good person, you know?
but i can't be expected to
wake up every single day
and make a significant change in the world, you know?
i mean, i'm kind of hungry
can we just order a pizza and chill out?
and come up with a plan?
yeah! let's order a pizza
that sounds pretty good
let's order a pizza!
i could go for a pepperoni right now
yeah man
i mean, that gives me an idea anyway, like
if we wanna solve the problem of world hunger
let's start right here, right now
let's order a pizza

Comments

@axl 1w

Those distorted 7th chords rock. This makes me want to move...
oh, and I come to a somewhat milder judgement of the protagonist. The idea that you should make a significant change in the world is rather new and, to be honest, asking too much of most people. Becoming apathetic seems like a psychologically consistent reaction.

@jinx 1w

I'm a sucker for sarcastic/apathetic/ironic songs, and this is a bop. I totally love your vocals too. And that final chord/crash is so good!

FWIW, I don't think the "world hunger" joke is problematic; I find it fits perfectly with the character sketch you've built up here.

@heliosonorous 2w

Really captures the apathetic feelings well and the ending part works as the summary of where the character is at.

@kaminokai 2w

Love that chord structure at the open and for the verses. Dylanesque (lyrically- kinda…). Some Swirling Eddies and DA sounds going on!

@funnypunkband 2w

This song is very 2025. It’s hard to know what to do with all the nervous energy. The urge to distract myself out of it is omnipresent because reality feels overwhelming. A little bit of a Weird Al vibe in the verses in addition to the Parquet Courts/Pavement casualness and irony.

@djtjb 2w

I really loved the way you constructed the "no I won't" section both musically and lyrically. The transition to it from the beer/volunteer section is so sonically pleasing. Serious Stan Ridgway vibes in the verses. Such an earworm of a song man, I'll have this stuck in my head all day tomorrow. Great stuff!

@bradbrubaker 2w

Digging the chords here. As you said, has a Parquet Courts feel. Honestly, I love the world huger joke. Appropriately dark. The first and last stanza were the standouts for me. In a parallel universe, there's another version of this song that is just four stanzas like that and no chorus.

@nahlej381 2w

Ironically apathetic might be my default setting. This one is also really friggin good. Also possibly like 50x more poignant than you intended. I’m an inspired and defeated at the same time. You see what you do to me!? Damn…I do want pizza.

@davidtaro 2w

Love it! That intro riff is so cool, and then the verse comes out of the gate sounding all David Byrne. But for me, what really works here is that you’re doing the Randy Newman thing of inhabiting the voice of the object of satire, which is so much more effective than doing it from the outside. And I love Randy more than anything up to and possibly including my children. Also wouldn’t work unless the words were sharp, but they really are. You nail that kind of comfortable ‘know I should do the right thing’ apathy, and it’s all the more biting because I suspect most of us do this, to lesser or greater extents. I didn’t find the world hunger line jarring, in fact in the context of the character you’ve built up, it’s very funny and a great closer. Well done, sir.

@richaaaay 2w

Yes, I agree with @motorcitymusicman. There is an element of apathy throughout. The ending is consistent with the rest and doesn’t land like you are making fun of world hunger. It’s entertaining.

@motorcitymusicman 2w

Great song. The lyrics vividly paint the kind of person being described. For that reason, I think the world hunger reference at the end is ok; it's clear that it's just further characterizing the narrator. Great performance, too. Really well done.

@mal 2w

First: love the slap-back, Lux Interior-lke vocals on the verses.

Second, love the slap-back, Lux Interior-lke vocals on the verses.

Third, right now I'm having a beer.

Fourth, this is not only funny as fuck, but it's a brilliant bit of commentary, and most importantly, it's entertaining.