Page type: lyric reference
Artist: What Happens Next?
Canonical path: /what-happens-next/power-corrupts
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Power Corrupts
Read Power Corrupts lyrics by What Happens Next? on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
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Lyrics
Power Corrupts
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"Civilization has proved a harsh task master. With no inherent limit to the drive toward power-maximization, the demands of civilization for human labor to do its work are also unlimited. As long as power is a function of human productivity, civilization will tend to regard the free spirit as a wastrel and the dedicated drudge as a virtuous man. The selection for power places man under the yoke." Andrew Bard Schmookler from The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution.
This song was inspired by reading such works as the Parable of the Tribes, The Warrior's Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience by Michael Ignatieff and The Unabomber Manifesto.
Absolute power
breeds absolute contempt
for the powerless
without repent
when life is too easy
decadence prevails
the end result
of demoralization
living should be
our occupation
survival of our species
and perpetuation
power an
unnatural purpose
displacement of humanity
in nature's service
Bellum Hostile
and Bellum Romanum
how can one
differentiate?
it's all based on hate
but slaughtering innocents
is excused
when it's not done face to face
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Who performs "Power Corrupts"?
What Happens Next? performs "Power Corrupts", and this lyric page sits inside the What Happens Next? catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Power Corrupts"?
Yes. The related section below points to Advice To D'artagnan and Ahora Mas Que Nunca with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by What Happens Next??
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