If the heavens are literally splitting open and leaking “purple rain,” Chip O’Gamma is the only man brave (or paid) enough to call it “art.” This track is a masterclass in bureaucratic deflection. While the physical world is visibly fracturing, Chip encourages the citizens of Sector 8 to “waltz in the haze” and “toast the ultraviolet days.”

The Routine Apocalypse

The charm—if you can call it that—of this song lies in its dismissal of the catastrophic. To Chip, the sky cracking like a “broken plate” isn’t a sign of the end times; it’s just a “celestial show” provided at a “government rate.” He takes the genuine terror of a “tear in the firmament” and suggests that it’s been safely “patched with red tape and glee.”

The imagery of a man on the roof clicking a sensor plate while “nearly crying” is the only moment of honesty in the song, but Chip quickly covers it up with a jaunty invitation to “crack a can” and enjoy the glow. It’s the ultimate anthem for anyone who has been told by an official that the fire they’re standing in is actually just a very warm hug.

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CRACKS IN THE SKY

by: Chip O’Gamma

The sky’s got cracks like a broken plate
Leaks purple rain at a government rate
They say it’s art a celestial show
But my roof’s caving where’d my taxes go

Cracks in the sky oh what a sight
Official word says it’s pure delight
Grab your coat feel the static bite
Cracks in the sky trust they’re right

There’s a crack in the sky and it’s leakin light
It hums real low in the middle of the night
The stars blink twice and the clouds turn mean
I asked the mayor he said that’s routine

Cracks in the sky no need to flee
Government’s patched it with red tape and glee
So duck your head breathe in the mist
Cracks in the sky can’t be missed

There’s a man on the roof with a sensor plate
He’s clickin fast but he says it’s great
Said the tear in the firmament’s classified
But he winked real slow then nearly cried

So crack a can and toast the haze
Put on your hat for these ultraviolet days
If the heavens twitch and the pigeons fry
Just waltz in the haze til the end walks by