Which Side Are You On?

Life Boat 

every time i open my mouth
i take off my clothes
and i’m raw and frostbitten
from being exposed
i got red scabby hands
and purple scabby feet
and you can smell me comin
from halfway down the street
i remember that old hotel had quite the smell
where i would go to use the phone
between the doughnut shop and the pizza parlor
where i learned to live alone
sweet sixteen and smiling
my way out of any jam
learning the ways of the world, oh my
learning the ways of man
and i didn’t really want a baby
and i guess that i had a choice
but i just let it grow inside me
that persistent little voice
i guess i got her off and running
and then run off is what she did
and that’s part of what i think about
i think about that kid
so now there’s nothing left to wish upon
except the passing cars
the cacophony of city lights
is drowning out the stars
this park bench is a life boat
and the rest a big dark sea
and i’m just gonna lie here
til something comes and finds me
yeah i got this tired old face
still grinnin most of the time
just cuz it don’t have a better way
to express what’s on its mind
and i got this running monologue
entertaining in its outrage
and i’ve got the air of an animal
that’s been living in a cage
every time i open my mouth
i take off my clothes
and i’m raw and frostbitten
from being exposed
i got red scabby hands
and purple scabby feet
and you can smell me comin
from halfway down the street
 

ani ... baritone guitar, voice, percussion, synth bass
todd sickafoose ... bowed bass, wurlitzer piano
adam levy ... distorted electric guitar
cc adcock ... clean electric guitar

Unworry 

i know i’ve seen you around
you can’t forget that hair
but i didn’t hear you come in
how long have you been sitting there?
you know, you can tell me anything
i promise i don’t scare
let’s only ever be allies
even if the whole background dissolves
and little pink hearts can pop over our heads
but we’ll keep our cool
i have enjoyed my life
it’s been exciting
and i’ve become more peaceful
no more fighting
and i ain’t gonna waste your time
wronging and righting
round and round
center-bound the grooves on an old LP
nibbled by minnows
and licked by a salty sea
i gotta say i’m amazed (not in a good way)
at how much i don’t remember
i just gotta hope though i’m slow
it’s all part of what i know
and the facts are pretend anyway
yeah the facts are pretend anyway
i know i’ve seen you around
always in that uniform
pirate hat just a little stained
sword just a little worn
you know, you can tell me anything
i’m not just tooting my own horn
let’s only ever be allies
even if the whole background dissolves
and little pink hearts can pop over our heads
but we’ll keep our cool
teach me to unworry
i will teach you to unhide
in the city where they don’t need x-rays
to see each others’ insides
under a big old oak tree
synchronicity’s gathering tide
round and round
center-bound the grooves on an old LP
nibbled by minnows
and licked by a salty sea
i gotta say i’m amazed (not in a good way)
at how much i don’t remember
i just gotta hope though i’m slow
it’s all part of what i know
and the facts are pretend anyway
yeah the facts are pretend anyway
yeah the facts are pretend
 

ani ... guitar, voice
todd sickafoose ... bass, mellotron, piano, harpsichord
andy borger ... drums
mike dillon ... tympanis
adam levy ... electric guitar 

Which side are you on? 

 they stole a few elections
still we the people won
we voted out corruption
and big corporations
we voted for an end to war
and new direction
and we ain’t gonna stop now
until the job is done
come on all good workers!
this here is our time
now there’s folks in washington
that care what’s on our minds
come one come all voters!
let’s all vote next time
show em which side are you on now
which side are you on?
which side are you on now
which side are you on?
thirty years of digging
got us in this hole
the curse of reaganomics
has finally taken its toll
lord knows the free market
is anything but free
it costs dearly to the planet
and the likes of you and me
i don’t need no money lenders
suckin on my tit!
a little socialism
don’t scare me one bit!
we could do a whole lot worse
than europe or canada
come on mr. president
come on congress make the law!
which side are you on now
which side are you on?
they say in orleans parish
there are no neutrals there
there’s just too much misery
there’s too much despair
america who are we
now our innocence is gone?
forgive us mother africa
history’s done you wrong
too many stories
written out in black and white
come on people of privilege
it’s time to join the fight
are we living in the shadow of slavery
or are we moving on?
tell me which side are you on now
which side are you on?
which side are you on now
which side are you on?
my mother was a feminist
she taught me to see
the road to ruin is paved
with patriarchy
so let the way of women
guide democracy
and from plunder and pollution
let mother earth be free
feminism ain’t about women
that’s not who it is for
it’s about a shift in consciousness
that will bring an end to war
so listen up you fathers
listen up you sons
and tell me which side are you on now
which side are you on?
which side are you on now
which side are you on?
so are we just consumers
or are we citizens
are we going to make more garbage
or are we going to make amends?
are you part of the solution
or are you part of the con?
tell me
which side are you on now
which side are you on?

featuring:
pete seeger and the rivertown kids
derrick tabb and the roots of music marching crusaders
pete seeger ... banjo, backing voice
ani ... tenor guitar, voice, percussion
todd sickafoose ... bass, mellotron
derrick tabb ... snare drum
andy borger ... drums and percussion
mike dillon ... percussion
allison miller ... backing voice
the rivertown kids ... backing voices
roots of music marching crusaders ... horns and drums

Splinter

something about this landscape just don’t feel right
hyper air-conditioned and lit up all night
like we just gotta see how comfortable
comfortable can get
like we can’t even bring ourselves to sweat
sweat in the summer, shiver in the winter
just enough to know that we’re alive
watch out for that tv
it’s full of splinters
and remember you can always go outside
(really really really far outside)
some might call it conservation
some might call it common sense
and maybe it’s because i am libra
but i say balance balance balance balance
i say balance balance balance balance
who put all this stuff in my apartment?
who put all this ice in my drink?
who put the poison in the atmosphere?
who put the poison in the way i think?
women won’t you be our windows?
women who bleed and bleed and bleed
women who swell with the tide
women who change when the wind blows
show us we are connected to everything
show us we are not separate from everything
so here’s to the trials of living
here’s to feeling our share of pain
all the way from childbirth to dying
here’s to being connected to everything
here’s to staying connected to everything
ani ... guitar, voices, keyboards
todd sickafoose ... electric bass, piano, theremin
andy borger ... drums and percussion
mike dillon ... vibraphone, tympanis, tubular bells
adam levy ... electric guitar
michael juan nunez ... pedal steel guitar

Promiscuity 

promiscuity is nothing more than traveling
there’s more than one way to see the world
and some of us like to stick close to home
and some of us are columbus
what can i say
nature always gets her way
nature always gets her way
and seeing the world through another’s eyes
is like busting a window in a house of lies
and in the end you make up your own mind
and there’s wide open spaces
and little cordoned off places
check em out
check em all out
take your time
how far is too far?
how much is enough?
you gotta test this stuff
how you gonna know
what you need, what you like
til you been around the block
a few times on that bike
how you gonna know
who you are, what you feel
til you felt a few things
that just don’t feel real
promiscuity is research and development
evolution begs embellishment
and baby you’re a star
you got to invisiblize society
when society gets cruel
just make like you are nature’s tool
which you are
nature always gets her way
nature always gets her way
and monogamy is that carnival trophy you earn
when you throw that ball
into that urn
it’s somewhat dumb luck
somewhat learned
and you just know when it’s your turn
and honesty is the hardest part
yeah honesty is the highest art
and honestly i myself just started
and eureka i’m less broken-hearted
how you gonna know
what you need, what you like
til you been around the block
a few times on that bike
how you gonna know
who you are, what you feel
til you felt a few things
that just don’t feel real
 

ani ... guitar, voices
todd sickafoose ... bass
allison miller ... drums
mike dillon ... vibraphone
adam levy ... electric guitar

Albacore 

look here i just tattooed
a wedding band
on what looks like to me
my mother’s hand
i’m no blushing girl
no innocent dove
it took me a long time to find love
but now i have no doubt
and i never will
that i am meant to be
loving you
and it fairly blew my mind
to be so sure
when that little needle said i do
my love gives me hope
my love gives me pride
my love gets me past
the land mines inside
when i am next to you
i am more me
inside me is a room to which you hold the key
look at that honeymoon
in the albacore sky
look with all of you
not just your eye
look at its dancing light
through the whispering trees
look how i love you and you love me
look how i love you and you love me
 

ani ... guitar, voice, synthesizer
todd sickafoose ... bass, piano, sk1
andy borger ... drums and percussion
dave rosser ... electric guitar 

J

can’t sit on my porch and smoke a j
and remember how peaceful life can be
but all night long are a bunch of pushers
selling drugs right there on my tv
drugs that whether or not i buy
are going to end up in my water supply
along with who knows what else
who knows when
just gotta take a deep breath
and drink it in
round here if there is one thing people know
it’s that government ain’t there for you
it’s all for show
and i’m tryin to tell em
it don’t have to be so!
but i can understand that their confidence is low
cuz round here people so high they can see
over the tops of the tall pine trees
down to the mouth of the mississippi
blood ignited in a blighted sky
blood on the water like we all could die
blood in the reeds glistening in the sun
blood on our hands each and every one
here in the calm before the wars
when the earth shrugs us off like dinosaurs
here in the sunset days of yore
the first signs washing ashore
. . .
goddess come and lift us
here in deepest louisiane
in the gut where hunches come from
a message goes out loud as it can
. . .
and you’d a thought we’d a come more far somehow
since the changing of the guard and all
i mean, dude could be FDR right now
and instead he’s just shifting his weight
and the disappointment is the knockout blow
filmed in torturous slow-mo
oh hope please come where i can see
don’t let the poison get the best of me
. . .
goddess come and lift us
here in deepest louisiane
in the gut where hunches come from
a message goes out loud as it can

truth is for telling
truth is foretold
truth is for those with the guts to behold
we got vampires down here in louisiane
we need voodoo dolls
we need talisman
we need wooden stakes and shards of light
we need harbingers riding through the night
we need fountain pens
we need whale harpoons
to overthrow the oil tycoons
cuz there’s no fish in the water
no birds in the sky
no life in the soil
no end to the lie
no time like the present
and it is passing us by
but it’s never too late
never too late to try
cuz if we all had to change
we all just would
and we would move closer
and that would be good
and we would buy local and we would buy less
and we’d realize that wasn’t our happiness
no that wasn’t our happiness
no that wasn’t our happiness
no that wasn’t our happiness
no that wasn’t
. . .
goddess come and lift us
here in deepest louisiane
oh goddess come and lift us
here in deepest louisiane
oh goddess come and lift us
here in deepest louisiane
in the gut where hunches come from
a message goes out loud as it can
. . .
ani ... guitar, voices, harpsichord
ivan neville ... keyboard bass, synthesizer, backing voice
cyril neville ... drums
anaïs mitchell ... backing voice
jeffrey clemens ... percussion
ashley toman ... harp 

If Yr Not 

Hearse

i don’t wanna strive for nothin anymore
i just wanna lie here with you
keep the wolves outside the door
there is nothin in this world you could ever show me
that could ever matter more
little baby in the next room dreamin
is just icing on the cake
there is nothing like dancin
our dance of give and take
one step forward
one step sideways
that helpless feeling when the earth shakes
i will always be your lover
even after our atoms are dispersed
we’ll be pushing up daisies
and my crush will just be gettin worse
and i will follow you into the next life
like a dog chasing after a hearse
i just don’t wanna strive for nothin anymore
i just wanna lie here with you
keep the wolves outside the door
there is nothin in this world you could ever show me
that could ever matter more
 

ani ... guitar, voice, drum
todd sickafoose ... bowed bass, piano, bells, pump organ
mike napolitano ... drum loops 

Mariachi 

 i’ll be the right hand
you be the left hand
you and me we make
a mariachi band
standin on the corner
waitin for the light
when you’re around i always feel alright
from the painted desert over to paris, france
i’ve followed your pointed finger with my glance
and i’ve seen so much more than i would see
if it was just me
just me
if it was just me
just me
our first rehearsal was under a redwood tree
and you brought lyrics and you handed them to me
and you said here you are
the only one
who can sing this
and i felt kissed and i wondered
if it was just me
just me
if it was just me
just me
let’s get this party started
let’s squeeze the lime
the mariachi life is really more than fine
you know i’ll meet you
you know i’ll be flying blind
at the appointed corner at the appointed time
at the appointed corner at the appointed time
what if it was just me
just me?
 

ani ... guitar, voice, bells
todd sickafoose ... bass, piano
allison miller ... drums, backing voice
mike dillon ... vibraphone, triangle

Amendment 

wouldn’t it be nice if we had an amendment
to give civil rights to women
to once and for all just really lay it down
from the point of view of women
i know what you’re thinking
that’s just redundant
chicks got it good now
they can almost be president
but it’s worker against worker
time and time again
cuz the rich use certain issues as a tool
and when i say we need the ERA
it ain’t cuz i’m a fool
it’s cuz without it
nobody can get away with anything cool
and you don’t have to go far
like just over to canada
to feel a heightened sense of live and let live
what is it about americans
like so many pit bulls
trained to attack and to never give
we gotta put down abortion
put it down in the books for good
as central to the civil rights of women
make diversity legal
make it finally understood
through the civil rights of women
and if you don’t like abortion
don’t have an abortion!
and teach your children
how they can avoid them
but don’t treat all women
like they are your children
compassion has many faces, many names
and if men can kill
and be decorated instead of blamed
then a woman called upon to mother
can choose to refrain
contrary to eons of old-time religion
your body is your only true dominion
nature is not here to serve you
(or at any cost to preserve you)
that’s just some preacher man’s
old-time opinion
life is sacred
life is also profane
a woman’s life must be hers to name
let an amendment put this brutal game to rest
trust
women will still take you to their breast
trust
women will always do their best
trust
our differences make us stronger not less
in this amendment shall be
family structures shall be free
we’ll have the right to civil union
with equal rights and equal protection
intolerance finally ruined
and then there’s the kids’ rights!
(they’ll naturally be on board)
the funnel through which women’s lives are poured
our family is so big and we’re all so very small
let a web of relationship be laid over it all
over the strata of power piled up to the sky
over the illusion of autonomy on which it relies
over any absolute that nature does not supply
and the birthing woman shall regain her place
in a circle of women in a sacred space
turn off the machines
put away the knives
this amendment shall deliver from bondage
midwives
 

ani ... 12-string, baritone, and standard guitar, voices, percussion
todd sickafoose ... bass
andy borger ... drums
mike dillon ... vibraphone and atmospherics
skerik ... tenor saxophone (solo) and atmospherics
adam levy ... electric guitar
ashley toman ... harp 

Zoo

i can no longer watch tv
cuz that shit really melts my brain
i think i’m what they call sensitive
and easily thrown off my game
all that bloodshed and pettiness
just makes the world seem so insane
and i just feel drained
i go to do my food shopping
and all i can see is packaging
one big mountain of garbage
about to be happening
and i walk past my own self loathing
like i walk past animals in the zoo
trying not to really see them
and the prison they didn’t choose
and if i should ever quit your spotlight
i hope you won’t think me wrong
says the poet to the moonlight
says the singer to the song
it’s enough just to stay upright
upright in every single way
and pour your love into your children
until there’s nothing left to say
pour your love into your children
until there’s nothing left to say
 

ani ... tenor guitar, voice, atmospherics
todd sickafoose ... electric bass, wurlitzer piano 

Credits

produced by ani and mike napolitano
recorded by mike napolitano
at studio in the country, bogaloosa, la
additional engineering ... ben mumphry
assistant engineer ... jay wesley
at brooklyn bridge, brooklyn, ny
additional engineering ... andy taub
assistant engineer and pro tools
operator extraordinaire ... ben liscio
and at the dugout, new orleans, la
mixed by mike napolitano and ani
mastered by brent lambert at the kitchen
art direction ... ani difranco and brian grunert
design ... brian grunert, annie stoll,
and maria taczak
peacock photograph ... michael napolitano
ani photographs ... patti perret
funnel and feather photographs ... biff henrich
thanks to alvarez, audix, d’addario, and rivera
thanks to jack miele, george ortolano,
rich vogel, ben ellman, and bruce barielle
for perennial help and gear lending
thanks to comrades pat sansone,
david torkanowski, rene lopez, susan tanner,
tracy mann, and ed hamell
thanks to mary begley, anna kapechuk,
ashley vito, lorraine eads,
and all the worker bees at rbr
thanks to michael bongiorno, heidi kunkel,
jason kendall, jay anderson, steve schrems,
larry berger, klon, and the whole extended
past and future road crew (you know who you are!)
thanks to jim fleming, karla rice, cynthia dunitz,
susie giang, and the whole team at fleming artists,
and to nigel hassler
thanks to ian blackaby
for flying the rbr flag overseas
thanks brent lambert and brian grunert
for going on this crazy ride with me
thanks to my touring companions
todd, mike d, andy, and alli
for the company and the inspiration
thanks to animal prufrock
for the love and affirmation
thanks to nappy for the realism
thanks to scot for the carpentry