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Swimming Upstream

from Still Life's Allusions by M. West

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Richly textured rumination on the human condition.

lyrics

Swimming Upstream
by M. West

In a swirling atmosphere you take what you're given
And all you can do is hope
That your blood, sweat and tears will make you a living
Or give you enough rope
When the clouds overhead that seem so dark and gray
Are gonna pass in their own good time
And the crowds that you dread teem in the subway
And rip the rhythm from your rhyme...

(You know you're)
Swimming upstream, fighting the tide,
Running against the wind,
Swimming upstream, all day and night,
Seems like it'll never end,
You're swimming upstream.

In a messy marketplace you buy low and sell high
To keep one step ahead
But the map on your face refuses to tell why
You're not already dead
And the pool of tears that passes for laughter
Conceals your deepest fear
That the cruel persevere and long endure after
We're no longer here...

(Because we're)
Swimming upstream, rolling the stone,
Never summitting,
Swimming upstream, feeling alone,
When it goes plummeting,
You're swimming upstream.

In a stubborn traffic jam you gird up for gridlock
And fight to keep your place
You go nowhere fast and hear your engine knock
The unremitting pace
Your thoughts drift away to the place in your mind where
You have things in control
But within the rat race, you're lost in the maze, there's
No grace in feeling old.

(And)
Swimming upstream, playing a part,
Reciting all the lines,
Swimming upstream, hiding your heart,
And falling behind,
You're swimming upstream.

credits

from Still Life's Allusions, released March 14, 2019

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M. West Brooklyn, New York

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