Ergastulum

Lyrics

To increase your income out of Nothing You’ve got to have Privacy at home — Detachment

‘I want to be free Free: like a bird in a tree.’

My viewpoint is sociological And historical ‘I want to be free Free: like a bird in a tree.’

Three times riper in the U.S.A Three times riper in the U.S.A Is a ridiculous idea

Maturing conditions of change Derange;

Objective contradictions Independent contradictions Can’t grow

Three times riper in the U.S.A Is a ridiculous idea

(Three categories.)

‘C’, ‘V’ and ‘D’ are fundamental ‘D’ should be ‘S’ but it’s inconsequential

‘C’ is constant capital ‘V’ is varied capital ‘D’ is surplus value ‘C’ is the produced Means of production ‘V’ is wages and ‘D’ is the excess of (The) net production The profit rate is ‘D’ over ‘C’ plus ‘V’ As a long term tendency

A central argument That ‘C’ grows more rapidly Than ‘V’ but ‘D’ Can’t be an influence For ‘V’ against ‘C’

‘C’ plus ‘V’ Rises faster than traditions Numerator ‘D’: But we must reject the Argument As formally inconsistent And politically Irrelevant

Chronology

• Corrected Slogans
  • ? (man) - vocals
  • Mayo Thompson - vocals, acoustic guitar

Interpretations

• "I want to be free, free like a bird in a tree" is from Elvis Presley's "I Want to be Free" (1957).

• "Three times riper in the U.S.A." is from Paul Cardan's 1974 book Modern Capitalism and Revolution: "Who would be foolish enough to assert that the socialist revolution is today three times 'riper' in the United States than in Western Europe just because production per head is three times higher there?"

Live recordings

Show
October 14, 1982
Bismarckstr. 50
October 4, 1994
The Red Krayola in Tokyo	partial, video
April 21, 2000	video
December 13, 2006