Here’s an upbeat depressing song (see lyrics below). The music is cheery but the message is a downer. Many of my songs are built to convey a message. This one is about the way people join any line they see and follow it mindlessly without even considering where it is going. I know that’s pretty lightweight, but this was written when I was in high school or thereabouts, so cut me a little slack here.

Still, I still like the juxtaposition of an upbeat marching song with a depressing scenario. I think it helps make the point that often the most terrible things in life are sugar-coated, dressed up, and celebrated so that no one looks at what’s really going on.

The recording quality is pretty poor, so here are the lyrics:

Lyrics

Three billion people marching in line,
going to death but they don’t know.
Three billion people marching in line,
going to death but they don’t know.

La la la la, la la la la.

See all the children marching in line,
follow their parents footsteps.
They’re punished whenever they step out of line.
Nobody but the sky wept.

La la la la, la la la la.

What is the purpose and what is the cause,
and where do we think we’re going?
We hope for the harvest but really we know,
we won’t even finish sewing.

La la la la, la la la la.