Tell Me Why

from Jack Of Hearts by Gordon Michaels

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about

This song started with the first verse accapella—that is, I wrote it with no instrumentation—that came later…I wanted to try and get a hip hop feeling with the drums---Ron found a sample that worked perfectly…although I think it came off with a lot more Stevie Wonder overtones than hip hoppy thing…Ron suggested some aggressive guitar in the chorus and I love the juxtaposition of the hard rock approach with the more R & B verses…and yes!—a protest song!—remember that genre?...I don’t mind a little wealth inequality but America has gotten extremely polarized between the haves and the have-not’s…I sure wouldn’t mind a little evening up of the playing field there…sorry if I left anybody’s favorite gripe out of the lyrics—I like to keep’em around 3 minutes or so…again some nice reverse guitar and piano sounds, a megaphoned protester-in-the-street sound in verse 3, half-step string dramatic punctuation…modulate into verse 4 for more effect…understated synth sub frequency key bass keeps it fat

lyrics

Tell Me Why
How come the haves have and the have-nots have not?
How come the haves have all the things that I ain’t got?
How come the haves get the girls in the glossy magazines?
Leave the have-nots hangin’ round holdin’ on to a dream?
Tell me why? Tell me why?
Tell me why, why, why…tell me why?
How come things are the way they are
And how did they get to be this way?
How come the big man always gets to run the show?
How the little man’s got a long long way to go?
How come the rich man lies and the poor man has to pay?
Sometimes the black man dies and the blue man gets away
[chorus]
How come the rich man lives in a big house on the hill?
How come the workin’ man breaks his back just to pay his bills?
How come the women work hard tryin’ to get equal pay?
How come the taxman takes such a big ol’ chunk away?
[chorus]
How come the holy man lives a life of tea and honey?
How come his followers bring flowers and lots of money?
How white man took all the land to make to make his nation?
Took it from the native man put him on the reservation
[chorus]

credits

from Jack Of Hearts, released July 15, 2021
Gordon Michaels: vocals, synth bass, keyboards
Ron Turner: guitars, programming

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Gordon Michaels Baltimore, Maryland

Gordon Michaels is a singer songwriter living in Parkville, Maryland with his wife Mary Ann and his dog, Mazie. Jack of Hearts and Tune Rider are Gordon's first album releases since his debut Stargazer on A&M Horizon Records in 1979. Gordon splits his time between writing, recording and teaching at Towson University. ... more

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