Released just a few weeks before the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, Leo’s “In the Mean Times” was a galloping distillation of the malaise that inspired the candidate’s followers. The song touches on the frenetic anxiety of white privilege and the damage it can cause when given free rein...
It's been a long, long year
Just trying to maintain
We're up and down this hill
I'm trying to remain
A sinner being sincere
A human being humane
I get exhausted till
I get pissed off again
I know the healthcare cost
I know the GDP
I can't believe in luck
I know there ain't no free
But I see the wealth that's lost
On this society
And I see these motherfuckers
Trying to gaslight me
I got my four cards paying
Automatically
I ain't naive or dumb
I can't afford the fees
Oh and to keep me sane
I can't afford to see
I pay the minimum
So they don't email me
Oooh
In the lean times
You lean upon me, friend
Oooh
In the mean times
We push against that trend
The arc is ours to bend
This isn't where it ends
Who owns anxiety
And who is put upon
Anxiety is baked
Into the ground we're on
But what they feed that tree
Is just a racist con
We've got some rounds to make
I'm pulling my boots on
Oooh
In the lean times
You lean upon me, friend
Oooh
In the mean times
We push against that trend
Oooh
In the lean times
You're gonna need a friend
Oooh
In the mean times
We're gonna buck that trend
The arc is ours to bend
It's never where it ends
Sometimes on Saturday
I walk the avenue
I live over the hedge
Oh but my eyes are blue
Policemen block my way
But I know they'll let me through
I've got some privilege
I've got some work to do
In the Mean Times was written by Ted Leo.
In the Mean Times was produced by Ted Leo.
Ted Leo released In the Mean Times on Tue Oct 25 2016.