Somebody’s Gonna Steal My Carbon!

I was in the kitchen a little while ago preparing dinner, roast chicken a la Omneo, when Modest Mouse’s song ‘Parting of the Sensory‘ came on, courtesy of shuffle mode. I like Modest Mouse, they have a ‘raw’ sound, I think it’s the lead singers voice that does it, some like it, some despise it, some think they’ve sold out and become more ‘radio friendly’, quite frankly I couldn’t give a fuck. I like them.

As I was busy pounding garlic, chilli and lime juice in the pestle I reflected on the lyrics. There’s so much talk about ‘Carbon’ and ‘Carbon Footprints’ these days it’s no wonder most peoples eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the word carbon. For myself, as soon as I hear someone mention carbon I hit my internal ‘snooze button’ This ensures that my brain goes to sleep for 15 minutes before prompting me to wake up and re-join the conversation, during this time I display a look of blank affirmation, I may nod a few times and occasionally I will repeat some of what is being said with a sound of either surprise of disgust.

When I’m aware that the speaker has finished I will announce, “Who gives a fuck? The Earth has to go through a cycle of birth and re-birth, it’s karma man. We’re just pawns in the game of life, stop thinking you have some higher purpose, our purpose is to live and die and if we’re lucky we might have time to throw in a spot of loving”

Usually by that point people realise I have no interest in saving the planet, the end? Bring it on! Won’t be a minute too soon if you ask me.

Anyway, back to Modest Mouse’s lyrics, as I stood there pulverizing the ingredients for my dinner I thought about my own demise, or more exactly, I thought about millions of years after my demise, when my own carcass had become a bundle of carbon, lying dormant under layers and layers of rock and what have you. Suppose I turn into a diamond? How cool would that be? Actually, even if I only end up as a chunk of coal, ready to fuel some futuristic retro furnace, it would still be a pretty cool legacy to have, either I keep someone warm or I become a trinket that people lust after. Both have their pluses and minuses but right now I’m not too fussy, after all, it’s only carbon *snooze*

OK, so you don’t know the song I was talking about? Here are the lyrics, the song can be found on the album ‘We were dead before the ship even sank

Parting of the Sensory Lyrics
There’s no work in walking in to fuel the talk
I would grab my shoes and then away I’d walk
Through all the stubborn beauty I start at the dawn
Until the sun had fully stopped
Never walking away from
Just a way to pull apart
Dehydrate back into minerals
A life long walk to the same exact spot

Carbon’s anniversary
The parting of the sensory
Old old mystery
The parting of the sensory

Who the hell made you the boss?
We placed our chips in all the right spots
But still lost
Any shithead who had ever walked
Could take the ship and do a much finer job
This fit like clothes made out of wasps
Aw, fuck it I guess I lost

The parting of the sensory
Carbon’s anniversary
Just part it again if you please
Carbon’s anniversary

Who the hell made you the boss
If you say what to do I know what not to stop
If you were the ship then who would ever get on
The weather changed it for the worse
And came down on us like it had been rehearsed
And like we hope, but change will surely come
And be awful for most but really good for some
I took a trip to the exact same spot
We pulled the trigger, but we forgot to cock
And every single shot

Aw, fuck it I guess we lost

Some day you will die and
Somehow some thing’s going to steal your carbon

Some day you will die and
Somehow some thing’s going to steal your carbon

Well some day you will die somehow and
Some thing’s going to steal your carbon

Some day you will die and
Someone’s or some thing’s will steal your carbon

Some day something will die and
Somehow you’ll figure out how
Often you will die somehow and
Something going to steal your carbon

Well some day you will die somehow and
Some thing’s going to steal your carbon.

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