By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: January 6, 2021
I know your anger
I know your dreams
I’m everything you want to be
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
Neon lights, a Nobel Prize
A mirror speaks, the reflection lies
I sell the things you need to be
I’m the smiling face on your t.v.
I tell you one and one makes three
I exploit you, still you love me
You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You gave me power in your own god’s name
I’m every person you need to be
I’m the cult of personality
~ from The Cult of Personality, by Living Colour, 1988