The Stakes (Begging My Neighbors To Vote): In this song, the Main Character gets drunk to the point of blacking out on whiskey on the eve of local elections after working hard for candidates he hopes will change the culture of corruption that has been revealed to him in his adopted hometown. He reflects in his drunken stupor about the state of apathy and fear after the city has been in this climate for so long. He hopes the city’s shadowy Svengali, “The Fat Man,” as the Main Character calls him will be dislodged from his hold on the city. The Main Character wakes up on Election Day in the haze of a hangover to find this song on his digital recorder… apparently, he had improvised it during his drunken reflection. He has no memory of recording it. How did the election turn out, and did it make a difference? To be revealed in future songs and future albums.
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