Hark the Harold

"Hark the Harold" is a song written by Mikaela Thorn and Mike Scholl, recorded under Thorn's alias ThornBrain. It was released on her debut album, *BlackholeWhitespace*. It was the last song on the album to be recorded, and it is Sawtooth's favourite song on the album; she remixed the song that year, though this version was unreleased until *Quaero* in October 2018. However it's Thorn's least favorite of her original songs, being excluded from *The Forgotten Ones (The 2020 Mixes)*.

## About

The song is a venomous attack on a dishonest, corrupt, religious-establishment government. The song's title is a pun on the Christmas carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"; "Harold" is a metaphorical politician who enters Washington DC ("Another angel come to you") with the intent of causing further damage to the country's laws, scientific studies and education. The song also directly references Sarah Palin and her attempts to use her son Trig, who has Down's Syndrome, as a political tool, despite her efforts to stop scientific studies that could benefit Trig ("Why are there flies in here/They couldn't heal my mongoloid"). This lyric is also a reference to a later song on the album, "Count All the Flies in My House".

The bridge of the song is lifted from a Mike Scholl song, "Leap of Faith", with an alternate second line by Mikaela and a slight shuffling. "Leap of Faith" follows a similar theme to "Hark the Harold", talking about Mike's dubiousness towards electing a President every four years, later finding they're not who you were hoping they'd be and they've followed through on none of their promises ("Is it hypocritical/Or am I being cynical/To vote my conscience for the year/Then wish the bastard outta here").

## Lyrics

Hark the Harold, Washington

Another angel come to you

He wants a piece of everyone

And make a mess no matter what you do

Smiling like a frozen man

It's true when they said it would stay

He represents you like a tick

Though sometimes it's the better way

An empty head and an active mouth

American as a shot in the eye

The quality is there

The quality is there

Asked for it when we put our fates in the

Hands of people made of rats

The quality is there

But not where I need it

"Hail Mary", he once said

Ideals only fit when relevant

He's gotta pray in school,

'Cause he knows he's gonna need it

Look at all these clever minds

Check it where it says "destroyed"

Why are there flies in here

They couldn't heal my mongoloid

An empty head and an active mouth

American as a shot in the eye

The quality is there

The quality is there

Asked for it when we put our fates in the

Hands of people made of rats

The quality is there

But not where I need it

But not where I need it

But not where I need it

When they get the winning hand

The candidate becomes a man

Wears 'round their necks their secret locks

But the one who lies is the one who walks

Now is it hypocritical

Or am I being cynical

To vote my conscience for the year

Then wish the bastard outta here

Hark the Harold, Washington

Another angel come to you

He wants a piece of everyone

He's already had one or two

An empty head and an active mouth

American as a shot in the eye

The quality is there

The quality is there

Asked for it when we put our fates in the

Hands of people made of rats

The quality is there

But not where I need it

But not where I need it