Linkin Park sings about Writing, Publishing

(Not really, but this song’s been my personal anthem/cattleprod, so y’all get to see it.)

I am not
a pattern to be followed.
The pill that I’m on
is a tough one to swallow.

I’m not a criminal
not a role model.
Not a born leader
I’m a tough act to follow.

I am not
the fortune and the fame.
Nor the same person telling you
to forfeit the game.

I came in the ring
like a dog on a chain.
And I found out the underbelly’s
sicker than it seems.

And it seems ugly.
But it can get worse.
‘Cause even a blueprint
is a gift and a curse.

‘Cause once you got a theory
of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing
to be just like the first.

And I’m not a robot.
I’m not a monkey.
I will not dance
even if the beat’s funky.

Opposite of lazy
far from a punk
Ya’ll ought to stop talking
start trying to catch up, motherfucker.

-Linkin Park, When they Come for Me

No commentary today; I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Still, a question: A Thousand Suns has been my touchstone album this November. How about you?

3 Replies to “Linkin Park sings about Writing, Publishing”

  1. Aww, y’know what? I will comment, just a little bit.

    Each verse, by the numbers:

    1 & 2. I tell people all the time not to listen to my writing advice, because it’s how *I* write, pry won’t work for anyone else, and may not even work for me.

    3. I will not get rich as a writer — I may not even make a living at it. Neither will I stop.

    4 & 5. I’ve followed all the rules of the publishing world. Write, edit, revise, submit to agents, revise, get agent, revise, submit to publishers, revise, revise, revise. The more I find out about publishing, the less impressed I am. This isn’t sour grapes — looking at it from a professional perspective, it is a *deeply* fucked up industry.

    6. And jesus but they love cookie-cutter formulas and “this is how we’ve always done it”s.

    7. The more I see of this, the less interest I have in trying to change things from within; why fix a fucked up ship when I have a perfectly serviceable dinghy already?

    8. Those last two lines; is it about NaNoWriMo wordcount, or publishing technology? Which one do I rant about here, more often? Hmm.

    SO… yeah, it’s a little spleen venting, and a little trite to post someone else’s song lyrics like they’re the key to the universe, but hey: it’s a Saturday, it’s my blog, and getting worked up by a song I’ve only just heard for the first time makes me feel young and stupid.

    Sometimes, young and stupid is just what I need.

  2. Yay LP! I do love how this song is both clearly about their music but is so easily about so many other things!

    Not my fave song on the album, but it’s top 3!

  3. I haven’t heard the song, but I do like the lyrics!My touchstone album for this NaNo is a tie between A Fine Frenzy’s Bomb in a Birdcage (not as good as her first album, IMO, but has the feeling that I’m looking for) and Sarah Barellies’ Kaleidoscope Heart (same deal – not as good, but what I’m needing for this book).

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