Odes to Joy

What I Was Afraid Of · Track 90 · middle

Glock 17

Glock 17 — Modern polymer-framed pistol. Register: modern. This song is sung BY this weapon, in first person, about the one thing IT was afraid of. Find the fear that is true of this specific object, not a generic one.

No audio yet — generation pending.

Lyrics

Keys. Wallet. Phone.

I don't have a wooden grip to polish, no silver to catch the sun
I was born in a factory mold, a chemical run
Countless little pieces, snapped tight in the sterile air
I sit in the center console, breathing the AC there
Right next to the mints and the frayed charging wire
Right next to the crumpled receipts in the drawer
I have a million brothers, we share the exact same face
A matte black shadow that doesn't take up any space

And that is what keeps me awake in the dark
I made it too easy to carry the spark
Twenty-four point seven ounces loaded, I don't leave a bruise
On the hip, on the conscience, on the man who will choose
I took all the gravity out of the end
I am light as a habit, my friend
I am terrified of the casual hand
That picks me up like a remote control

No heavy steel cylinder to make you think twice
Just a polymer frame and a very low price
Just a steady pressure to break through the wall
You barely notice you're holding a weapon at all
I map to your palm, a synthetic extension of nerve
Your fingers find me and sink in the textured curve
Before you are angry, before your mind even clears
I have already vanished into your gears

And that is what keeps me awake in the dark
I made it too easy to carry the spark
Twenty-four point seven ounces loaded, I don't leave a bruise
On the hip, on the conscience, on the man who will choose
I took all the gravity out of the end
I am light as a habit, my friend
I am terrified of the casual hand
That picks me up like a remote control

The old irons rusted, they jammed, they demanded a ritual
I am just here. I am perfectly, coldly habitual
No safety to flick with your thumb, just the one on the trigger
I made the world smaller. I made the quiet much bigger.
I am the appliance of stopping a heart.
I don't even look like a dangerous part.

And that is what keeps me awake in the dark
I made it too easy to carry the spark
Twenty-four point seven ounces loaded, I don't leave a bruise
On the hip, on the conscience, on the man who will choose
I took all the gravity out of the end
I am light as a habit, my friend
I am terrified of the casual hand

Just another thing you grab.
Keys. Wallet. Phone.
I don't weigh enough to slow you down.
Keys. Wallet. Me.
Pick a song