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Bend the Arc

from PUSHBUTTON ROMANCE by Rich Arithmetic

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about

Talking & playing guitars one night in Charlie Maliszewski & Heidi Mosbarger's living room, a mutual friend, Stewart Lyman, handed us some lyrics he'd written -- lyrics that alluded to Martin Luther King, Jr's famous statement that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" and also to Barack Obama's addition that it doesn't bend on its own. Charlie, Heidi, and I put the lyrics to music with the refrain reminding us that it's up to us to help bend the moral arc toward justice.

lyrics

BEND THE ARC
Lyrics by Stewart Lyman, © Stewart Lyman, BMI
Music by Richard Horton, Charlie Maliszewski, Heidi Mosbarger, © Hortones, BMI

The arc of the moral universe,
Bends toward justice we’ve been told,
But the world is full of suffering
Toxic schemes that still unfold.

Some say the arc is far too mighty,
It can’t possibly be bent.
But joining the fight against injustice
Is how we pay our moral rent.

CHORUS 1:
Let’s bend the moral arc (with kindness)
Lift our sunburned, fevered brows
Shift its shape with understanding -- now

Centuries of torment to reject
Suspended balances and checks,
Terrible tales of brutal acts
With angry knees on tender necks.

(CHORUS 1)

Fight for justice now!

It’s not permanent
The arc is bendable to some extent
We’ll pull until we’re spent

Strong words express our discontent
While Hatred attempts to circumvent
Our power – we won’t relent
Nor request their consent

CHORUS 2
The arc won’t bend without us
We’ve got to help it move along
Our hopes remain ascendant
Justice needs us strong.

(CHORUS 1)

credits

from PUSHBUTTON ROMANCE, released February 23, 2024
RICH ARITHMETIC: Lead, Harmony & Backing Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drum programming
CHARLIE MALISZEWSKI: Harmony Vocals & Harmonica

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Rich Arithmetic Bellingham, Washington

Rich Arithmetic serves up power pop, psych-pop, and folk-meets-surf-and-sand harmonies that "eliminate the gaps between the ‘60s, ‘80s and the 2020's" - Steve Stav, stevestav.com

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