The Rebel Black Dot Exodus 90 Song o' the Day

Rilo Kiley, "A Better Son/Daughter" from The Execution of All Things (St. Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I've never been able to take the character Kylo Ren seriously because his farcical name is so similar to that of the late, lamented indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Perhaps he ought to have been called Kylo Rieli to make a full anagram? Of course, then you'd lose the priceless & hilarious association with Ren & Stimpy (above). Seriously, he'd be more intimidating if they called him Fluffykins the Periwinkle Pixie.

What has any of that to do with Exodus 90? Not a blessed thing, but have you ever listened to the lyrics of "A Better Son/Daughter"?

"Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can't move,
Awake but cannot open my eyes,
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs,
I know I can't breathe
And hope someone will save me this time.

"And your mother's still calling you insane and high,
Swearing it's different this time,
And you tell her to give in to the demons that possess her,
And that God never blessed her insides.

"Then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
Crawl back into bed to dream of a time
When your heart was open wide,
And you loved things just because,
Like the sick and the dying.

"And sometimes when you're on,
You're really fucking on,
And your friends, they sing along
And they love you.

"But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fucking cheap,
And it teases you for weeks in its absence.

"But you'll fight and you'll make it through,
You'll fake it if you have to,
And you'll show up for work with a smile.

"And you'll be better and you'll be smarter
And more grown up and a better daughter,
Or son, and a real good friend.

And you'll be awake, you'll be alert,
You'll be positive though it hurts,
And you'll laugh and embrace all your friends.

"You'll be a real good listener,
You'll be honest, you'll be brave,
You'll be handsome, you'll be beautiful.

"You'll be happy.

"Your ship may be coming in,
You're weak but not giving in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below.

"And your ship may be coming in,
You're weak but not giving in,
And you'll fight it,
You'll go out fighting all of them."

My Exodus 90 "Why" is to be better, smarter, more grown up, a better son, a real good friend, awake, alert, positive though it hurts, a real good listener, honest, brave, handsome, beautiful, & happy.