In the song “50 Ways to Bleed Your Customer,” from the Fallen House, Sunken City album, I play a cynical character giving advice to the listener on how to get ahead. When URB offered me this space, I figured I’d take the opportunity to dissect the song a little bit and talk about the meaning and issues behind some of the songs lyrics.

1. “Treat the side effects with side effects, supply the next disorder.”
Common side-effects of anti-depressant drugs may include: dry mouth, constipation, bladder problems, blurred vision, potentially serious or even fatalserotonin syndrome, fever, confusion, muscle rigidity, cardiac, liver, and kidney problems, and thoughts of suicide (no shit).

“Worstpills.org” is a website I’d recommend for people to check out. They’re run by Public Citizen, and maintain a list of dangerous drugs that the FDA and pharmaceutical industry haven’t pulled off the market yet. According to them, about 9.6 million Americans experience negative side effects from their medications every year, and adverse drug reactions are responsible for over 100,000 American deaths each year.

2. “Poison the well, bottle the water.”
Activists in India have an active campaign against Coca-Cola, claiming that communities across India living near Coke plants are experiencing severe water shortages. In some communities, the company has literally drained the entire drinkable water supply and poisoned what’s left.

Wells run dry, hand pumps that people rely on for clean water stop working. The plant digs deeper to find more water, causing the water to smell and taste strange. Coke has also been discharging waste water into fields around the plants and sometimes into rivers in the area.

This practice isn’t limited to Coca-Cola either. Corporations are very quickly buying up the “rights” to people’s water, no matter where you live. Check out the book Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water.

Say it ain’t so, Common!