Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.
I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.
Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought ‘a be a Man In Black.
I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen’ that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen’ that we all were on their side.
Well, there’s things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin’ everywhere you go,
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything’s OK,
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
‘Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.
Hi,I live in Melbourne, Australia, and I think I first came across Znet courtesy of the linear notes of a Propagandhi album along time ago. Soon after that Michael Albert gave a talk at my university- University of Queensland- where I first encountered in any detail his proposals on Parecon, which opened my eyes to exciting and new possibilities for progressive change. I particularly related to his call to offer people something other than just critiques- the 'What are we for?'Since then I have attempted to become more involved in social change, probably not as successfully or actively as I hoped (and still do), but I continue to try and discuss, engage and grow more confident/assured in political/social activism outside just those close to me. Not only do I agree with the many focuses examined in ZMag and Znet but I also have a passion for animal liberation/rights. Ive been a vegan for 6 years and a vegetarian before that and have appreciated the exeprience of having the personal and the political combine in daily life, having my lifestyle choices and habits be a daily political challenge to those around me. Its allowed me to engage and discuss other radical political views on other topics further just thru an initial question of 'what my lunch is today?'More personally I enjoy punk music, as controversial as some may find that label, its energy and ability to question help provide me with daily motivation. I also enjoy movies, and I like engaging science fiction novels- especially sci-fi's ability to hold a mirror to current society thru the use of future worlds, scenarios or alien customs.I've just started a PhD in Melbourne, where I hope to examine the continuing rise of nationalistic rhetoric in Australian society. Im looking for some part time work as there are a lot of bills and not much money. My old job was as a file clerk at the University of Queensland, shuffling paper as a means to pay the bills. So it was by no means the worse job available but it put into sharp relief the need for social change where work can be engaging and empowering for all.Im more than happy to chat about any ideas or topics, so please feel free to contact me as I look forward to meeting new people and hopefully working together to make the changes we seek in this world.
