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I was never one to wanna throw away the laws
More the one to wanna floor debate the flaws
Offer up amendments and coordinate the cause Flobots – Wrestling Israel
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Jonny 5 consistently calls for change in his music, but in this line says he doesn’t want there to be a violent coup or revolution. He would rather debate their flaws on the floor (of Congress) and propose amendments or organize peaceful protests.

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Danny
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3 years

Judging by Jonny’s faith and the theological meat of this song, this could also have a double meaning, referring to the laws of the Old Testament (where the wrestling match between Israel and God takes place). These laws may be part of what he would rather “floor debate the flaws” instead of throwing away altogether.

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Saying "I ain't got nothing but my hands clutch my treasure" Flobots – Wrestling Israel
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Brer Rabbit’s only wealth is his hands, as a symbol of all the good hands can do, as also communicated with lines like “don’t put your fists up, fill them” in Fight with Tools.

May also reference Matthew 20:21-23 and similar verses from the New Testament regarding storing one’s treasures in heaven rather than on Earth.

If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.

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Yes we can, too big to fail Flobots – The Circle in the Square
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References the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. Then-Senator Obama’s campaign slogan was “Yes We Can,” promoting hope and optimism in the face of the recession. The Flobots' political views are largely Progressive (AKA left-leaning or Democrat), and they’ve supported Obama historically.

“Too Big to Fail” was the rationale behind the bailout of several financial institutions during the 2008 recession. The logic was that the damage from these companies going bankrupt would be far greater than the cost of giving them enough money to stay open.

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20

3 years

This lyric isn’t in support of Obama- it’s a contrast of the moment of promise of Obama’s election (“Yes we can”) with the ultimate betrayal of ordinary people with which he governed (“Too Big Too Fail” – bailing out the big banks that profited off speculating on mortgages while letting ordinary home-owning families go bankrupt).

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Jason
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8 years

Flobots political views are largely socialist, they promote libertarian communism in much of their songs. They’re not Democrats, Democrats in the U.S. these days are noeliberals.

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Party at the protest, rally like a rockstar Flobots – The Circle in the Square
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Flobots regularly promote political activism, which these lines do. Moreover, they do it by bastardizing the chorus from Party Like a Rock Star by Shop Boyz. They commonly reference or call out songs they regard as over-commercialized or destructive.

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4 years

The line also references the Occupy movement which in many places in America protested corporate America through musical acts and social gatherings rather than just marching the streets

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Do svidaniya ego Flobots – The Circle in the Square
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“Do svidaniya” is Russian for “Goodbye to”, while “Ego” is Greek for oneself. Thus the line is “Goodbye to myself.”

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6 years

It’s time to let go of the “ego”, the sense of self, for the sake of common good and well-being. The ego doesn’t really matter, it’s just your perception of yourself, which may be blocking you from doing many things, like helping someone or standing up for others.

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7 years

The symbolic implications of, “goodbye to myself,” are huge – it states that there things more important than the self, which is an indictment of individualism, as in the US.

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We Are Winning Flobots – We Are Winning
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This song is the outro for the Flobots' album Fight with Tools (the next track, Rise is a bonus track). It recaps the message of the album and references the stories told by other songs on the album. “We Are Winning” borrows musical elements from “Fight With Tools”.

The verses are all rapped by Jonny 5 as he sums up the message of the album, as the spoken word interludes are done by an old woman, possibly a spiritual guide for the band, as she describes the positive changes she sees happening as a result of the music.

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6 years

That’s Anne Braden right there.

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5 months

John_McSayer, no that isn’t Anne Braden in this song, it’s an old woman from Jonny 5’s church, he refused to give her name. Anne Braden has a deeper voice and a different accent, which can be clearly heard in the song “Anne Braden”

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Imagine me and you and you and me
No other way for we to be Flobots – Happy Together
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Another allusion to the original lyrics of the Turtles' song “Happy Together”. Brer Rabbit used to believe that the only way he could exist was with this girl and vice-versa.

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Happy Together Flobots – Happy Together
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This song was released as a bonus track on the Flobots single “Rise.” It samples the famous Turtles song of the same title, and features two opposing narratives about the complicated nature of relationships. The result is a love song in a style that only the Flobots can accomplish.

Jonny 5’s first verse ponders the way that love seems to be harder than it was for our parents. He seems a little bit incredulous that the woman he’s involved with is really interested in him. As the verse goes on, he realizes that what they have is truly meant to be, and that nothing can stop them.

Brer Rabbit, who raps the second verse, has a different story to tell. He thought he was in a perfect love story, but he’s realized that eventually, even this perfection was bound to fall apart. He wonders if there’s another person out there who he’s truly meant for, or if every relationship he has is destined to end in the same pain he’s feeling now. That pain is pouring out of him and he’s putting it down on the track to help himself cope.

The third verse takes us back to Jonny’s story, which is reaching a “Happily Ever After” conclusion. The final line breaks the fourth wall and thanks the audience for listening.

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C556573d79888521680c298410c87cec

101

9 years

I LOVE THE SONG IMAGINE ME AND YOU

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This hollow hole won't coalesce
Regrets emote from hole in chest
As less remote emotions pour
From cavities' growing depths Flobots – Happy Together
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Now that Brer is separated from this girl, it hurts him like if his heart had been torn form his chest. This has led to his emotions and feelings pouring out of that wound and spilling onto this track.

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And there's nobody else to distract me
'Cause you've got me on lockdown Flobots – Happy Together
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Jonny hardly notices other women because the one he has monopolizes all of this thoughts.

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