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Violence by a Man Against a Woman

by Oliver Ignatius

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about

TW: domestic violence

It began when my friend the artist Leslie Hong asked a simple question publicly: Why aren’t there more songs written by men that condemn patriarchal violence against women? It was true that I couldn’t list that many. My family was then reeling from the death of a friend at the hands of domestic abuse. Around that time, I also watched the classic “Streetcar Named Desire,” and was stunned and appalled by Marlon Brando’s histrionic, shrieking and abusive performance, knowing it had long since been granted icon status.

And so I made this song. Growing up an overseas expatriate boy with a strong, working mother, as a young person I assumed feminism was no longer a pressing, contemporary issue. Now I write from the vantage point of having learned over time how many of our sisters, mothers, daughters and friends have been abused by men. I write from having watched Hollywood abusers run victory laps while their (proven) victims slink into humiliated shadows. And I write as somebody who was born a man, and wants to do better.

This is a difficult song, and its creation was similarly tortuous. I hope it speaks to you. This one is dedicated to all the women that did not receive justice. All proceeds from this song will be donated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman (MMIW) USA.

lyrics

It is not equal
The ground can not be even
When man glows red like ember
He is not noble Brando

He forfeits what is noble
A terrorist is raging
And shrieking claims to weakness

He would never hurt you
He was just not home.

The force of civilizations
Of rope-tied mutilations
His impotence a lesson
He only wants possession

Now is it grace he's seeking?
He has her on the floor now
Her head bleeds on the tile

He would never hurt you
He was just not home.

There is blood but it will be forgotten.
There is blood but it will be forgiven.

credits

released September 23, 2022
Written by Oliver Ignatius
Recorded at Holy Fang

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Oliver Ignatius Brooklyn, New York

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