Ezekiel's Bread

“Ezekiel’s Bread” is a song composed in response to Bible passage Ezekiel 22:29-

The people of the land have used oppression

And exercised robbery

And have vexed the poor and needy:

Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully

It is a passage that spoke to me because we are all people of the land and simultaneous strangers. We oppress ourselves and are then quick to oppress our neighbor, the stranger. I see it every day as I commute on the Q69 bus in Astoria, Queens. I am constantly reminded of this as the bus departs from my neighborhood and goes through others of different affluence. I hear, see and taste oppression as people flow on and off the bus. The oppression is layered as different strangers come on and off. This song is a trip on the Q69. The text and the lyrics are aligned as one. The song follows a 19 measure chord progression that is repeated again and again, building momentum each time the listener is brought to the top of the form. The lyrics are repeated again and again, as instrumentation is added. Sound is used from a daily commute aboard the Q69.