WHITE COLLAR CRIMES

By Subhas

On TABULA RASA

Released on March 11, 2021

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We tear down a forest to build a building to plant trees inside and call it a Garden City - that’s a White Collar Crime

When the welfare hotline redirects and you have to tell your story four or five times - that’s a White Collar Crime

When you have a government that will sell it’s own people out for the right dollar signs - that’s a collar crimes…

Irappathu sevai

இறப்பது சே வை

Nilathirku uriyavane neeyum nirkka

நிலத்திற்கு உரியவனே நீயும் நிற்க

Idam indri poi vidumo

இடம் இன்றி ப ோய்விடும ோ

We used to belong to the land

What happened in between, shit - we'll never know

Naalai yendru sinthai kollaathey unarnthidu

நாளை என்று சிந்தை க ொள்ளாதே உணர்ந்திடு

The time is now, what’s lost we found, a sacred thing to do

Ottrai kaalil thaan neeyum nirkkire ena

ஒற்றை காலில் தான் நீயும் நிற்கிறே என

Athuvum ottapatta kaalumillai

அதுவும் ஒட்டப்பட்ட காலுமில்லை

Oonapaduthi unakku ootapatta kaalo?

ஊனப்படுத்தி உனக்கு ஊட்டப்பட்ட கால ோ?

Neeyum unmai unarnthida narukappattu vidumo

நீயும் உண்மை உணர்ந்திட நறுக்கப்பட்டு விடும ோ

Antha ottrai kaalum - arasiyalvaathiyaal

அந்த ஒற்றை காலும் - அரசியல்வாதியால்

Mannikka, arasiyal viyaathiyaal

மன்னிக்க, அரசியல் வியாதியால்

The sick, the greed, with license to kill

Why fill our lungs for anything short of an anthem?

(Ithu oru vaazhkaiyaa?

இது ஒரு வாழ்க்கை யா?)

We ball our fists, within a list of demands!

(Ithu oru vaazhkaiyaa?

இது ஒரு வாழ்க்கை யா?)

Why fix our lips to speak a language any other than resistance?

(Ithu oru vaazhkaiyaa?

இது ஒரு வாழ்க்கை யா?)

Why walk when we must march?

(Ithu oru vaazhkaiyaa?

இது ஒரு வாழ்க்கை யா?)

So I’m loyal to the truth and I would never tell a lie

I’ve been rolling back and forth and I just wanna get my high

I know that you are located somewhere deep inside my mind

So I… so I,… so I

The new topography

Possibly property -

Dredged sea geography

Manifest destiny of a business in the family

Hypocrisy prophecy of the HDB and PAP

Forcibly force fit people into fulcrums of poverty

They don’t let you fly drones cos they don’t want you to see sand

On outlying islands, they out-lying their old man

Toxic exposure, sperm counts, Ayer Chawan, Bukom

Eugenics, Exxon bread

Two birds one stone

They took homes, demolished, and built whatever the fuck. How?!

We let them dump people to build a dump in Semakau

We are South East Asian - decolonize now!

You can’t spell Singapore without organise, now!

My mind plays, these foolish games… ooh

Fragments of me will fill the loss the seas, fragments of me, ash and debris

And I say these same old names… ooh

Grandfathered in, silver spoons, iron seats

Fracking the seas, greenwash the speech

My mind plays…

Fragments of me

These games

… ash and debris

And I can’t remain - ooh

Jurong burns

For climate justice, the courts adjourned

It’s about time we wake up!

And I never trust a - Louis Ng

They never learn

Different lipstick on the same pig

I recognise ya makeup

So starch the collar, iron the crease

Whitewash the histories, utilise the police

Fuck your Masterplans, on Malay land, stolen sand, migrant hands - HA!

Never will I let that chill

Never will I catch that feel-ing

I don’t wanna make those bills

All I got in wallet are bills - ah -

Not the dollar type…

Not the father type…

Make it through the night

Not a hope in sight

White Collar Crime

All the fucking time

How the fuck to survive..!

But we came from.a fishing village what

And Lee Kuan Yew is a visionary, right?

If that's bullshit say, AH-AH

Let me hear you say, AH-AH

Everybody say, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

If your vote don't matter NAH

Let me hear you say, AH-AH

Everybody say, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

The middle class is a lie so say, AH-AH

If you don’t talk to the police say, AH-AH

Everybody say, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Cold Store was a lie so say- AH

Colonialism still alive today

Everybody say, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Thaipusam should be a holiday

Everyone deserves minimum pay

Everybody say, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

And Josephine Teo...

Che, venaa la, vaayile nalla varuthu...

சே , வே ணா lah, வாயில நல்ல வருது...