Own Your Lips

“Own Your Lips” is the first track I worked on for “Recognize, De-escalate & De-code”.

I was in a basement next to a graveyard in Olympia, Washington with Scott Taylor and Skyler Blake of the band The Hard Way. These sessions were as much long stoned hang outs as they were industrious work on our parts, which led to the kind of musical synchronicities I’m always hoping to find. Like the entrance of Scott Taylor’s bass which was just him noodling around while Skyler was getting tones.

The song was written in response to a scholar who’d given an inspirational talk about the connection between The Rolling Stones lips logo and images of the goddess Kali. Later this same scholar would play a censorious role when Daniel Pinchbeck’s online magazine Reality Sandwich refused to publish excerpts from my book (after committing to doing so) because of my use of a word beginning with C in one of the chapter titles.

I’ve had some folks take offense at the song as being in some way anti-woman. I don’t think it is. Others are free to take it as they wish. The song is antagonistic to a popular tactic used by women and men, of playing the victim when their words and actions are being challenged. A liar is going to be offended by this song but someone who owns their lips will recognize this for what it is, a celebration of integrity.

Written & Produced by Andras Jones