That's Freedom

That's Freedom was the last song written and recorded for the album.  I realized that this song was the introduction to the entire Edges series.   Although there are many references here, the two songs which inspired the song itself was "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa" by Sam Cooke, and Shirley Ellis' "The Name Game".  Of course, we all know who the Ya Ya Ya was in 1964. This is a riddle song, a puzzle song, a song with no ending.   

That’s Freedom 

Hear the sound of the Ya-ya-ya, 
past the brain draining strain of the Ooh-la-la.
See the Ooh-la-la doin’ the cha-cha-cha
as they shout out the praises of the Blah-blah-blah.
When the Blah-blah-blah say, “Nah-nah-nah,”
they can frame the blame game on the Ah-ah-ah.
But the Ah-ah-ah’s singing, “See see see,
there’s a scream in the dream of the I-ee-i-ee.”
When the Ieeiee cries, “Wha’ wha’ wha,”
bring it down to the sound of the Ya-ya-ya.

Pull the chain from left to right,
        that’s freedom clashing.
When you see it all black and white,
        that’s freedom crashing.
Two and two says use your brain.
        That’s freedom rising.
When you take it way past your game,
        that’s freedom.   

When the Go-go-go’s going zoom zoom zoom,
the bottom to the top goes boom boom boom. 
When the Hi-dee-ho does the nay-nay-nay
‘n they find out they’re racing to the Hey-hey-hey,
then the Hey-hey-hey leads the Ga-ga-ga,
and they all get together for the Doo-da-da.
Then the Doo-da-da does the oom-pa-pa
‘n they plot how they gonna take out the Ah-ah-ah,
while the Tra-la-la’s goin’ “Hee hee hee,”
so to drown out the screams of the I-ee-i-ee.
There’s a red stain running out the Doo-da-da.
Let the facts bring it back to the Ya-ya-ya.

When the big game’s just too much fun,
        that’s freedom clashing.
When you wanna go and get your gun,
        that’s freedom crashing.
When the whole world talks back to you,
        that’s freedom rising.
When you know that you’ve got the blues,
        that’s freedom.

When the Pow-pow-pow says to go-go-go, 
you can follow the squealing of the Yo-yo-yo.
You can hear the crash, you can smell the fumes,
you can find the forgotten in the moo-lah rooms.
When the moo-lah minds meet the Ah-ah-ah 
and they all get upset bout the Blah-blah-blah, 
‘til the boom boom boom makes it oom-pa-pa,
and the facts bring it back to the Ya-ya-ya. 

When a dull knife cuts to the bone,
        that’s freedom clashing.
When you worry that you’re all alone,  
        that’s freedom crashing.
When you get up and find a way,
        that’s freedom rising.
And when you finally know you’re ok,
        that’s freedom.  

Copyright © 2004, 2014 by David Larstein, all rights reserved.  

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