TRAINED MONKEYS

By comparing humanity to primates at a zoo, Trained Monkeys is a commentary on the modern lack-luster work ethic that is permeating and festering in today's world and a look at the obvious culmination of it. The verses and refrain speak for themselves: "Primates of the zoo don't need to work 'cause everything is free. Easy living, all our needs traded for captivity. Independence lost but find most of us don't seem to mind. Hang on branches, swing on vines anything to pass the time. There's not much difference, from what l've seen, between trained monkeys and humanity. Which is caged and which is free? Trained monkeys or humanity? Primate swap meet truth for lies, lost looks behind our sunken eyes. Hide in plain sight in disguise with identities compromised. Never late, always behind. Pay the man and stand in line. Climb up branches slide down vines, Kilroy kill more wasted time."

Things get dicey at the bridge however. Scathing even.

We're instructed to "plug in, turn off. Who needs wisdom?" As talked about previously in the bridge of Third Time Down, wisdom appears again. Not information or knowledge. Wisdom. It seems as tough the wardens of the zoo know the difference and they'd rather the primates not have wisdom. If we have wisdom they won't be able to "tell us what to think" and "we'll listen."

"The shiny hill top city glistens while we don't have a pot to piss in" is a reality they would rather not have us notice. So the message "Program error" which causes the system to falter is accompanied by "Hard drive update - no installers." Access to wisdom seems to be actively shut down resulting in "smart phones smarter than their callers" but not to worry, "they" will fight our sickness with our dollars.

And if we're not careful, in the end things will return to "normal:"

"Primates of the zoo content to be wards of the government. Everywhere they're on display the mass of classless hairy apes. Cling to branches in the breeze, broken, hoping no one sees. Climb the walls but swear they're fine - swing from branches hanged by vines."