"Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3..." - Wamanda at the Bazaar Cafe 4-17-09

Wamanda performing live at the Bazaar Cafe in San Francisco. "Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3..." (Note: The videotape ran out at the end, so I added on the end of another video. The second performance wasn't as good, but oh well)

Check out www.myspace.com/wamandamusic for more!

Lyrics:
It's funny how much weight an acronym can place on your future. AP, IB, the (P-optional) SAT...and we've reached the height of stupidity when we practice for a practice test.

Put that hand down. No time for questions now. Keep those eyes down until things are looking up. Put that book down. Throw them all out. We'll keep them all down until we can keep those scores up.
We can afford to enrich another child's brain if we throw a thousand down the drain. I'm a little rusty on my arithmetic, but, to me, that sounds like a net gain.

Alright, kids, youd better listen cause Im only going to say this one thousand times: this test is to determine your relative value for the rest of your life. First youve got to bubble in your name, not that it really means a thing because all you are is a statistic now. We need all your information so that on the right occasion we can box you into groups and then track you down. Now pay attention to what I have to say. It may actually have a use someday. Until then, just rest your head on your desk; youre going to need something to hold onto

Any stray marks can be noticed by the machine. Stay inside the box and fill it in neatly. I'd hate to think you've wasted your life for nothing...
There's only one right answer according to the bureaucracy, so be sure to change your responses accordingly. Please allow 6-8 weeks for your future to arrive...
My life's become standardized, education bastardized, increasingly homogenized. Oh god! My worth now comes pocket-sized, humanity ostracized, every bubble scrutinized. And how!

Shh...do you hear that sound? The clocks ticking away. You'd better hurry or else you'll be late for the latest fad to decide your fate, give it a bar code, and ship it off to the state.

Number two pencil, sweet number two pencil...oh, number two pencil, don't fail me now. Don't derail me now...goddamn you!

When I close my eyes, bubbles stretch into infinity. I can't think until I'm given choices A-E. And you must think I've resorted to hyperbole, but these tests are driving me slowly insane.
After 18 years, I'm finally done with these absurdities. My intelligence has been broken into quantities. Since second grade, no one asked me if I wanted to be a number without a name. You can't quantify my brain, but they still try...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• wamanda
• amanda
• testing
• bazaar
• cafe
• guitar
• acoustic
• singer
• female
• woman
• music
• punk
• ska
• folk
• indie
• rock
• standardized
• ap
• ib
• sat
• psat
• test
• exam
• state

[youreallinsane]

Wow. You are truly talented.