The Trick (for Esme)*

Описание: TMON-79: The Myth of Normal, Chapter 23, Song 4
Alex Hickey ©2025
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This song is based on information in Chapter 23 of The Myth of Normal, a book written by Dr. Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté. You can find more information about this book on Dr. Maté's website: https://drgabormate.com/book/the-myth-of-n...

I am writing a series of songs in response to the ideas in this book, sometimes in combination with ideas from other books by Dr. Maté and some of his colleagues.

These are my interpretations of these ideas. I acknowledge that I can make mistakes, misunderstand and/or take poetic license when transforming these ideas into songs. I welcome questions in the comments section and refer you to the book itself as the final authority about what it is saying.

Lyrics:
They thought they’d figured out a method
That would make every man a king
Each in the centre of his own story
With the women all around him merely things

Chorus:
It’s a trick, it’s a trick, it’s a trick
It’s a trick, it’s a trick, it’s a trick
Nobody winds up with anything
Just a hollow, empty feeling.

Remember the story of King Midas
A greedy and ambitious man
He wished he could turn everything he owned to gold
With just a touch of his hand

King Midas thought that if he had that power
If would raise him up o’er everybody else
But he lost all the things that made him human
The pleasures of the table, of his family, his Self

Chorus

These days, we’ve forgotten what the trick is
With think it’s just the “normal” way to be
And women can pretend to “liberation”
As long as they still satisfy men’s needs

Bridge:
If they don’t, they meet petulant resistance
Each man-baby and incel will complain
Why can’t we go back to the good old days
When I stomped my foot and always got my way

We’re told we should want money and power
When what we need is love and connection
We are getting more lost by the hour
We need to change direction.

When merit is defined by race and gender
Or the sex that was assigned someone at birth
We’re denying vital aspects of our nature
And depriving our culture of diversity and worth

Chorus

*If you'd like to watch a clip of Robert Webb telling more of the story that inspired the title of this song, you can find it here:
   • Peep Show star Robert Webb: don’t say ‘man...  

#gabormate #patriarchy #robertwebb