A loser will rise.
Rewriting The Gene Pool
An ampersand (or epershand; "&") is a logogram representing the conjunction word "and". This symbol is a ligature of the letters in et, Latin for "and".
The word ampersand is a conflation of the phrase "and per se and", meaning "and [the symbol which] by itself [is] and".
Traditionally, in English-speaking schools when reciting the alphabet, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A", "I", and, at one point, "O") was preceded by the Latin expression per se (Latin for "by itself"). Also, it was common practice to add at the end of the alphabet the "&" sign as the 27th letter, pronounced and. Thus, the recitation of the alphabet would end in: "X, Y, Z and per se and". This last phrase was routinely slurred to "ampersand" and the term crept into common English usage by around 1837.
Through popular etymology, it has been falsely claimed that André-Marie Ampère used the symbol in his widely read publications, and that people began calling the new shape "Ampère's and".
The ampersand can be traced back to the 1st century A.D. and the Old Roman cursive, in which the letters E and T occasionally were written together to form a ligature (figure 1). In the later and more flowing New Roman Cursive, ligatures of all kinds were extremely common; figures 2 and 3 from the middle of 5th century are both examples of how the et-ligature could look in this script. However, during the following development of the Latin script that led up to the Carolingian minuscule (7th century), while the use of ligatures in general diminished, the et-ligature continued to be used and gradually became more stylized and less revealing of its origin (figures 4–6).
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976), sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She has since started a solo career, and is also one half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn.
Palmer was born in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital, and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department, and attended Wesleyan University where she was a member of the Eclectic Society. She staged performances based on work by the Legendary Pink Dots, an early influence, and was involved in the Legendary Pink Dots electronic mailing list, Cloud Zero.[citation needed] She then formed the Shadowbox Collective, devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc, which she directed).
With an interest in the performing arts, both in music and in theatre, Palmer spent time busking as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square, Cambridge; Edinburgh, Scotland; Australia (where she met Jason Webley); as well as many other locations. She references this line of work on The Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, with the song "The Perfect Fit":
Michael John Macaulay (born 19 April 1939 in Durban, Natal) is a former South African cricketer who played in one Test in 1965.
Adrian Belew (born Robert Steven Belew, December 23, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock group King Crimson (which he has fronted since 1981) and for his unusual impressionistic approach to guitar playing (involving arresting, yet frequently melodic sounds more akin to animals and machines than to standard instrumental tones).
Widely recognized as an "incredibly versatile player", Belew has released nearly twenty solo albums for Island Records and Atlantic Records which blend Beatles-inspired pop-rock with more experimental fare. His 2005 single "Beat Box Guitar" was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category. In addition to being a member of King Crimson, he is also in the more straightforward pop band The Bears and fronted his own band, "Gaga", in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He has worked extensively as a session and touring musician, most famously with Talking Heads, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and Nine Inch Nails.
Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Roth is signed to Schoolboy Records, SRC, and Def Jam.
Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm. His mother has Scottish ancestry and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. Roth does not consider himself Jewish, although his name often leads people to believe he is. He attended Pennsbury High School. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little hip hop in his family, with his parents preferring "The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire ... Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits." According to Roth:
The first CD I ever bought was Dave Matthews Band's Crash ...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the Annie sample with Jay-Z....When I wrote my 'A Milli' freestyle, that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell coke. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch rims. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.
ampersand ampersand
ampersand the angry sea beats
on the rocks of futility
fields ever grown, groves ever green
this is the madness of my dreams
ampersand
ampersand ampersand
fields ever grown, groves ever green
this is the madness of my dreams
ampersand
tools I use the tools at hand,
I walk down my street at night
The city lights are cold and violent
I am comforted by the
Approaching sound of trucks and sirens
Even though the world's so bad
These men rush out to help the dying
And though I am no use to them
I do my part by simply smiling
The ghetto boys are catcalling me
As I pull my keys from my pocket
I wonder if this method
Of courtship has ever been effective
Has any girl in history said
Sure, you seem so nice, let's get it on
Still I always shock them
When I answer, "Hi, my name's Amanda"
And I'm not gonna live my life
On one side of an ampersand
Even if I went with you
I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you
'Cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm not gonna watch you
'Cause I'm not the one that's crazy
I have wasted years of my life
Agonizing about the fires I started
When I thought that to be strong
You must be flame retardant
And now to dress the wounds calls into question
How authentic they are
There is always someone criticizing me
She just likes playing hospital
Lying in my bed I remember what you said
There's no such thing as accidents
But you've got the headstone all ready
All carved up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction
Those his and hers matching
The daisies all push up'n
Pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup
It's nice that you're trying
The headstone's all ready
All carved up and pretty
Your sick satisfaction
Those his and hers matching
The daisies all push up'n
Pairs to the horizon
Your eyes full of ketchup
It's nice that you're trying
But I'm not gonna live my life
On one side of an ampersand
And even if I went with you
I'm not the girl you think I am
And I'm not gonna match you
'Cause I'll lose my voice completely
No, I'm not gonna watch you
'Cause I'm not the one that's crazy, yeah
As I wake up to a cough
The fire burned the block but ironically
Stopped at my apartment
And my house mates are all sleeping soundly
And nobody deserves to die
For you were awful adamant
That if I didn't love you
Then you had just one alternative
And I may be romantic
I may risk my life for it
But I ain't gonna die for you
You know I ain't no Juliet
I'm not gonna watch you
While you burn yourself out, baby
No, I'm not gonna stop you
'Cause I'm not the one that's crazy, yeah
I'm not the one that's crazy, oh yeah
If I gave you my word
Tell you what I would do
Yo you know the shit I grow the shit
My mood is... is devoted to the...
Take the time out to remind them
Watch your hinny right behind you
Lions hide and strike in silence
I am giant,... with Iron Mike and Kobe Bryant...
... reaching new heights, now that I'm defining science
I'll provide entire slices, all depends how big my pie is
But I forgot the... gosh I'm just a Roger...
... back at the opera...
... call it karma if you want
... this what we started bro,
Departed down the closest road
Slowly going north, let's go
A forester scorched earth, morphed to Steven...
A... the poor world... assure what it's even worth
Even worst, my torso is town between the 2...
Which do I want more, is it reality or fantasy
... in my... the frenek manic depression...
Yeah my plan's to be a man I can stand up,
So I banished quick, my... is scandalous
Fanciness is damaging, nobody mix the standards up
Plant your hands and handle it
This game I put my stamp on it...
Dismantle the... they... me in
I expect a whole lot more...
If I gave you my love,
Tell you what I would do
If I gave you my love
Tell you what I would do
If I gave you my love
Tell you what I would do
If I gave you my love
Tell you what I would do
I expect a whole lot more from you baby