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• Art Vandelay

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album: "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" (1982) "We're Only Gonna Die" Early man walked away, As modern man took control Their minds weren't all the same, To conquer was his goal So he built his great empire And he slaughtered his own kind Then he died a confused man, Killed himself with his own mind Go! [x3] We're only gonna die (only gonna die) From our own arrogance [x4]

"Latch Key Kids" In this world today there ain't nobody to thank, Just blame it on the kids and toss 'em into the tank. And if they yell for justice we'll hide them from the light So that when they learn the truth they won't be scared of the night. (1, 2, 3, 4) Put the key in the hole when you get home from school. I'll be home by 8:30, your father will too. If you cause any trouble then I don't want to see, 'Cause you'll go straight to bed and you won't have no TV.

"Part III" The final page is written in the books of history, As man unleashed his deadly bombs and sent troops overseas To fight a war which can't be won and kills the human race, A show of greed and ignorance, man's quest for dominance. They say when a mistake is made, a lesson has been learned But this time, there's no second chance, the hate engulfs the world. A million lives are lost each day, a city slowly burns, A mother holds her dying child, but no one is concerned!

"Faith In God" It's all right to have faith in god But when you bend to their rules and their fucking lies That's when I start to have pity on you. You're living on a mound of dirt, But you can't explain your reason for existence So you blame it on god. So much hatred in this world and you can't decide Who's pulling the strings So you figure it's god. Your whole life foreshadows death And you finally realize you don't want to die alone So you'll always have god. It's all right to have faith in god But when you bend to their rules and their fucking lies That's when I start to have pity on you.

It's all right to have faith in god But when you bend to their rules and their fucking lies That's when I start to have pity on you. There's people in the world today Who say they're Jewish, Christian and such, They're all ignorant fools. They'll tell you you can't have your own way unless you pay money and dedicate your life Or you'll be damned in hell. Don't be feeble like all of them, You have your own brain full of thoughts and choices, So use it don't let them use you. It's all right to have faith in god But when you bend to their rules and their fucking lies That's when I start to have pity on you.

"Fuck Armageddon... This Is Hell!" There's people out there that say I'm no good, 'Cause I don't believe the things that I should, And when the final conflict comes, I'll be so sorry I did wrong, And hope and pray that our lord god will think I'm good. Countries manufacture bombs and guns To kill your brother for something that he hasn't even done. Smog is ruining my lungs, but they aren't sorry they've done wrong, They hide behind their lies that they're helping everyone. In the end the good will go to heaven up above,

The bad will perish in the depths of hell. How can hell be any worse when life alone is such a curse? Fuck Armageddon, this is hell [x3] We're living in the denoument of the battle's gripping awe, So what's the use of being good to satisfy them all? How could hell be any worse? Life alone is such a curse! Fuck Armageddon, this is hell [x5]

"Pity" I show pity on the human race, On the ignorant plenty who devote their lives To an icon that they've never known. I show pity on eons past, When early man started the first civilization And human aggression was born. I show pity on the future to come, When the government system will be omnipotent And we'll be worse off... than we are now! Pity, pity, on the billions of ignorant people. Pity, pity, on the masses of aggression. Pity, pity, on the future centuries to come, on the billions of ignorant people, on the future centuries to come, on the masses of aggression. It's all a matter of looking at the past. It's all a question, are we gonna last? If we endure the aggression that's inside all of us We'll wipe out our own species and thus... the world! Pity! Pity on... on the masses of aggression,

on on on on

the the the the

billions of ignorant people, future centuries to come, masses of ignorant people, future centuries to come.

"In The Night" In the city, the day is too hot And you're hoping for relief, 'cuz your head is filled with pain, But you get no relief, 'cuz the night is the same... In the night, in the night you see through jaded eyes. In the night, in the night you feel barely alive. You live your life in darkness, you've got pennies on your eyes. But you say that it's all right, 'cuz you've never lived a lie, As you crawl back to your womblike existence in the night. In the night, in the night you see through jaded eyes. In the night, in the night you feel barely alive. You can't see no light, but you hear those heavy footsteps, And the little man inside twists your tormented mind. Your mind is filled with shadows, your palms are wet with sweat. Limbs are bound and tangled in a fatal net. There are two things you can do. One is turn and fight. The other's run headlong into the night. In the night, in the night you see through jaded eyes. In the night, in the night you feel barely alive. You can't see no light, but you hear those heavy footsteps, And the breathing at your side, is it yours, or is it Good bye!

"Damned To Be Free"

Death and the shadow that it casts on life scares me little or none. People tell me of a divine right and the happy chosen one. I'm a freak 'cause my morals clash with others in the world. I go home while they work hard, then they same I'm wrong. There's only one place to be, while living with tragedy. If their sins affected me, I gotta be damned to be free. Freedom is responsibility, pay more than it's worth. Instincts tells us not to die, hazy myth since birth. Learn their rules, play their game, deceive yourself in haste. Turn your own brain into dust; it's not theirs to waste. There's only one place to be, while living with tragedy. Extract the nectar, burn the tree, I gotta be damned to be free Thinking... This world it ain't so bad. Dying... It's just another fad. Working... 8 hours, that's not for me. Dying... It's just your destiny.

"White Trash (2nd Generation)" Wasted children, fixed blank eyes, blood and sweat, we socialize Broken homes from which they come, beer-stained dad, compliant Mom. Fear and love, much despised, replaced by comfortable lies. Teenage classic, more cliche, one step further on the edge of decay. White trash, 2nd generation, white trash, 2nd generation, White trash, 2nd generation, don your crown and cleanse the nation. Are you ready to fight for your morality? Right wing allies, white supremacy. Pretty fascist on the tube draped in red and white and blue White trash, 2nd generation, stupid foibles, indignation Offspring of suburban fright, pearl-white creatures of the night

White trash, 2nd generation, white trash, 2nd generation, White trash, 2nd generation, don your crown and cleanse the nation. Stiff blue collar, coat and tie, brand new breeds side by side. Christian ethic, right extremes, shoved down our throat as the American Dream. White trash, 2nd generation, stupid foibles, indignation Offspring of suburban fright, pearl-white creatures of the night White trash, 2nd generation, white trash, 2nd generation, White trash, 2nd generation, don your crown and cleanse the nation. White trash, 2nd generation, white trash, 2nd generation, White trash, 2nd generation, don your crown and cleanse the nation

"American Dream" I hate my family, hate my school, speed limits and the golden rule. Hate people who aren't what they seem, more than anything else, American Dream. American Dream's gonna swallow you whole, it's bursting at the seam, It'll sweep you away, so enjoy it today, tomorrow you'll be old thus useless. American Dream... American Dream.... American Dream, that's ok, 'cause no one dare give you away. I hate my job, I hate your god, I hate hypocrites and common slobs. Hate people who aren't what they seem, more than anything else, American Dream. Promise me today I'll have a Chevrolet, with whitewalls on the side, One boy, one girl, comfortable lies The American Dream... American Dream...

American Dream, that's ok, 'cause no one dare give you away. American Dream! (bleah!)

"Eat Your Dog" Weak and sick, dying in the sand, no such thing as a promised land. Don't lose faith in a better life--reincarnation, poor excuse. You're dying you assholes, your religion can't help you now. Dying and starving in the fields you used to plow. Rotting bones in your barren fields. Worshipped creature's supposed to heal. He won't save you and he won't save me. See what you want to see. Hindu religion in the mind of a working Joe, Starving and dying in the fields you used to know. You're tied and bound to a god's useless advice. Bloated stomachs from aching diseases hold back the fight. In the end you'll return once more to die again. Go on 'til you can't no more in non-eternal sin.

"Voice Of God Is Government" Neighbors, no one loves you like he loves you, And no one cares like he cares. Neighbors, let us join today in the holy love of God and money, Because neighbors, no one loves you like He loves you. And what better way to show your love than to dig deep into your pockets. Dig real deep, and give until it hurts. Alleviate your guilt, Free yourself once again, because he gave to you, brothers and sisters. Please give a 10, 25, or 50 dollar tax-deductible donation,

And I assure you your modest pledge will be used to censor TV and radio, Ban questionable books, and contribute to many other Godly services. No longer will young Christian Americans hedonistically indulge In masochistic submission to rhythmic music, for with your monetary support, There is no end to what we can achieve in this country. The voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. In God we trust, sinners repent! (1,2,3,4) Can't you see what we believe in, all our thoughts, all our reasons, Pursuit of life and liberty and happiness we cannot see? Speak of truth with a mighty voice, but politics are your real choice. Hire men to change the law, protect and serve with one small flaw. Voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. Voice of God is government. In God we trust, sinners repent! If we shun God and Jesus Christ, religious love is sacrifice. Love for God is shown in cash, the love they send is mailbox trash. With every pamphlet we receive, more money asked for Godly needs. Build a million dollar church, with money spent on God's research. Voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. Voice of God is government. In God we trust, sinners repent! On late night TV, God can heal, a certain force you cannot feel. Love for money in God's name, religion's now a TV game! Build a million dollar church, with money spent on God's research.

Build a million dollar church, with money spent on God's research. Voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. Voice of God is government. In God we trust, sinners repent! Yeah! Voice of God is government. The voice of God is government. Voice of God is government. In God we trust, sinners repent!

"Oligarchy" Presidential election every four years But neither man we can see or hear Urgent cries for society But we can see the blood on him Do you see? Do you see it's too much for me? Try that with our oligarchy, Try that with our oligarchy, Oligarchy, Oligarchy State the policy to me Reap your followers' currency What is right, what do we try? I'm afraid I can't decide

"Doin' Time" See the fight, old men crying, deny their ruin. Watch them try. The cynic laughs at the optimist's closed eyes. Darkness falls, curtain calls, the cynic's beer soon overflows. Other watches, has a drink, and from the same cup, They drink I'm doin' time, how long I don't know. William had 26, blew his brains out, now look at him. John had only one, watch the mother mourn her only son.

I'm doin' time, how long I don't know. I'll kiss goodbye my brain and body And go to sleep for generations. And go to sleep for generations. Salvation: Cease concentration. You'll only lose the fight. Don't tell me what's wrong or right! You're losing sight. You're just gonna die anyway!

album: "Into The Unknown" (1983) "It's Only Over When..." you never know that feeling till you try that healing feeling can turn you all about and you can see the second wave of life that losers triangle sets you down and out don't misread don't mislead you could be your only friend but when the hammer comes down and you don't hear a sound you can look all around and see... that it's only over when you give up!

"Chasing The Wild Goose" there was a man who banged his head against a wall he banged for 20 years, the damn thing wouldn't fall he left an honest life he left a broken wife he left it all behind, just to see what he could find millions and millions chase the wild goose tonight to conquer loneliness they'll chase it all their lives and when they find it they can just lay down and die it seems the game is mostly pointless in the presence of the prize. there was a woman who had a man as cold as ice he built four walls so strong and he kept her locked inside she harbored loneliness

her husband couldn't guess that she'd take off her dress and kill herself without a mess.

"Billy Gnosis" A crack developed and a name blew in, Billy Gnosis, weak and thin. He moved to California to start a new life because back in his hometown he just killed his wife. He started drinking early back then. He suddenly needed things that made his head swim. Then his brain became a factory, for making chemicals that shouldn't be. Oh Billy couldn't remember his name. Billy Gnosis was going insane, and soaked in blue light, he played and played. I can still hear the sound he made... Billy burned his phone and blew up his car. He sat and watched t.v. and played the guitar and read a book that made his head din, how could he have known that there were worms within? And the worms ate into his brain, Through his eyes and through his ears they came. They left a home so they multiplied, and fed on Billy's chemicals in paradise. Oh Billy couldn't remember his name. Our unsung hero, has gone insane. And soaked in blue light, he played and played. The only thing that killed the worms like Raid.

"Time And Disregard" part one from the bird and the deer who live on the same to the condominiums that litter the plain it took time... time and disregard from the green and the trees that shot high in the air to the high-business market-men who take all that's there it

took time... time and disregard part two one more acre, another tree "it's all untamed, of course it's free" one more acre, it seems no one cares "another great chance to put a building there" part three i used to roam, wherever i would i'd see my friends and i'd eat what i could we did live together in our borderless state survival our instinct, nature our fate today i see borders and my friends disappear man chooses my fate thus i live in fear tomorrow the trucks come i've nowhere to run my home is destroyed so they can have fun. part four from the wild natural wonderland from which we all came to the cement and metal that lost all the game it took time... time and disregard..........

"The Dichotomy" hey did you find the pieces your mentor left behind? and did you care, did you trade his genius for your despair? did you walk the line? did you see the mongrels on either side? did greasy fingers grasp for pieces of your mind?

"Million Days" when you're sitting alone, frown and groan over your bad day when you're laughing with peers forget your years, then be on your way but don't forget, all the while that you've crossed the social mile and a million days is worth one good laugh but don't forget, all the while that you've crossed the social mile and a million days is worth one good laugh.

"Losing Generation" the systems of life hum accordingly every day, every year, every century but, everywhere humans go things get worse can't you tell through the smoke in the dirty city the jungle was once a tranquil hideaway for the kind of trees and the mountains themselves but man those things sell a million

dollars a pound cut them up, dry them out, good display for the shelves why can't we just leave them alone? who is the animal? who is that dangerous beast? why were the other ones made? i know it wasn't just for our feast and now they're down to 250 lone souls they're a breed of a losing generation it seems the killers are ourselves so you know who to blame it was man with his plan and his frightening greed i don't think we'll ever leave them alone.

"...You Give Up" so... you've given it all you can and your life is in the garbage can and you say you're tired and dry cuz your mind won't let you cry so you hang up what is left inside and you want to kiss it all goodbye you're lost in space, you're swirling ever higher you're lost on your own, you're too far from home you're no one's friend, you gave it your best try yeah! you're stuck in the drone, of being alone. you turn to light, but all you get is darkness your head turns to stone, your numbness has grown you're stuck inside your little world of rejects the good world unknown, you're stuck in the drone.

album: "Suffer" (1988) "You Are (The Government)" Hey sit down and listen and they'll tell you when you're wrong. Eradicate but vindicate as "progress" creeps along. Puritan work ethic maintains its subconscious edge As Old Glory maintains your consciousness. There's a loser in the house, and a puppet on the stool, And a crowded way of life, and a black reflecting pool,

And as the people bend, the moral fabric dies, The country can't pretend to ignore its people's cries. You are the government. You are jurisprudence. You are the volition. You are juridiction. And I make a difference too.

"1,000 More Fools" I heard them say that the meek shall reign on earth, Phantasmal myriads of sane bucolic birth. I've seen the rapture in a starving baby's eyes, Inchoate beatitude, the Lord of the Flies. So what does it mean when your mind starts to stray? Kaleidoscoping images of love on the way. Brother you'd better get down on your knees and pay. 1,000 more fools are being born every fucking day. They try to tell me that the lamb is on the way, With microwave transmissions they bombard us every day. The masses are obsequious, contented in their sleep. The vortex of their minds ensconsed within the murky deep. So what does it mean when your mind starts to stray? Kaleidoscoping images of love on the way. Brother you'd better get down on your knees and pay. 1,000 more fools are being born every fucking day.

"How Much Is Enough?" Tell me can the hateful chain be broken? Production and consumption define our hollow lives. Avarice has led us 'cross the ocean, Toward a land that's better, much more bountiful and wide. When will mankind finally come to realize

His surfeit has become his demise? How much is enough to kill yourself? That quantity is known today, as we blow ourselves away. Tell me is there anything so sure? Rapacity, tenacity, capacity for more! Like a dog that feeds until he suffers, The infirmity of man is brough on by his selfish cure. When will mankind finally come to realize His surfeit has become his demise? How much is enough to kill yourself? That quantity is known today, as we blow ourselves away.

"When?" I've seen a lot of things in five years. I struggle just to hold back the tears. But everyfuckingwhere I go, I see the pathos that I know Will spell the termination of us all. Someone's got to tell me, do you see That everything around you has a hidden tragedy? Seeds of happiness have never Found a place to grow, And our generation doesn't know. When, when will you try To change the logarithmic face of kissing things goodbye? When, when will you know That human life is so short and death is oh so slow? I've tried to make things make sense but I can't. I'm happy just to watch them all and laugh. And if you think you've got it made, Just revel in your selfish ways, 'Cuz when the world stops turning so will you! Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah.

"Give You Nothing" Hey, everybody's looking but they never can see, All the angst, corruption and the dishonesty. Think about the times and places you've never known, You're a man-swarm atom, yet you're alone, So I give you me, I give you nothing! I give you me, I give you nothing! So you got a place that you can call all your own, But you make a habit of carrying the stone. Look around and ask someone if you are alive, You're a sidewalk cipher speaking prionic jive, So I give you me, I give you nothing! I give you me, I give you nothing! Respectable, despicable, it seems all the same. Now we realize that we have nothing to say. If your reserve is weak, audacity complete. Ask yourself again, "Do I deserve much from them?" No! Hey, everybody's looking but they never can see, All the angst, corruption and the dishonesty. Look around and ask someone if you are alive, You're a sidewalk cipher speaking prionic jive, So I give you me, I give you nothing! I said I give you me, I give you nothing!

"Land Of Competition"

See there's a girl who's afraid of the world so she stays at home. Also, a boy who seems so lost in his joy, he's all alone. The camera's on them, they're in the land of competition. Southern California air feeds them. And they know they are best 'cuz of the way they are dressed, But you can bet you are not welcome in their home. See there's a girl who sits and watches the world from her blue screen. Also, a boy who truly wants to destroy his hometown scene. They both want to travel to the land of competition. Southern California will destroy them, And they won't be the best, they'll be the poseurs who dress Like the plastic idiots who they copy. Tell me what do you need to make you happy? Indeed, is it out of your reach? Beware of number one, see all the damage it has done, there are so few of them. You won't find to many in the land of competition. Southern California doesn't breed them. If you just want the best turn to yourself for the rest And forget about the ones who "have it all." Be careful of the ones who "have it all." Be careful of the ones who "have it all." Forget about the ones who "have it all."

"Forbidden Beat" There was a boy who had too many toys and an ache inside of his bones. He sought extrication through chemical vocation and now he answers to Jones. It's deadly and alluring, the sound of pounding heat, Enslaving all who dare succumb to the temptations of the forbidden beat.

Thinking today of what I want to say, thinking of inhibition and vice. What they call straight I do relegate as I cautiously saltate along. It's deadly and alluring, the sound of pounding heat, Enslaving all who dare succumb to the temptations of the forbidden beat. It thunders away at first light of each day and the simpleton lifestyle evolves But soon enters dusk as the last surrey rusts and a new day upon us results. It's deadly and alluring, the sound of pounding heat, Enslaving all who dare succumb to the temptations of the forbidden beat. Forbidden Beat [x6]

"Best For You" Above us lay the burdens, below us lay the truth. We're somewhere in the middle, and we're all discontent too. Is someone watching over you? Inside they know what's best for you. Judgment's not tomorrow, its today (yes now it's here). But no it isn't Jesus, take a look at all your peers. They're all looking down on you. Inside they know what's best for you... Everybody knows what's best for you [x8]

"Suffer" Did you ever see the concrete stares of everyday? The lunatic, the hypocrite, are all lost in the fray. Can't you see their lives are just like yours? An unturned stone, an undiscovered

Door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity have always had to suffer. The businessman whose master plan controls the world each day Is blind to indications of his species' slow decay. Can't you see his life is just like yours? An unturned stone, an undiscovered Door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity have always had to suffer. People blow their minds (they choose to resign) This deformed society is part of the design. It'll never go away (it's in the cards that way). The masses of humanity have always, always had to suffer! A door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity, still clinging to their dignity, The masses of humanity will always have to suffer. Always have to suffer.

"Delirium Of Disorder" Delirium of disorder [x2] Hey! Life is the sieve through which my anarchy strains, Resolving itself into works. Chaos is the score upon which reality is written, The timeless, swirling gyroscopic horde. Sit down! Delirium, Delirium, Of disorder Yeah! I am just an atom in an ectoplasmic sea

Without direction or a reason to exist. The anechoic nebula rotating in my brain Is persuading me, contritely, to persist. Let's go! Delirium of disorder [x8]

"Part II (The Numbers Game)" (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) It's superficial progress, they call it liberation. With opiates of silicon, Big Brother schemes to rule the nation. We're one nation under God, we stand above the rest; With mighty high technology, we're never second best. Our specialty is infiltration! Prepare yourself for subjugation, Victory through domination. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) The trepidatious throngs all fears the big eye in the sky. The government observes them with their own electric eye. We're one nation under God, we stand above the rest; With mighty high technology, we're never second best. Our specialty is infiltration! Prepare yourself for subjugation. Automatons, illiterates, and indigents of every shape and size Don't stop but aid this cruel crusade, participate in their own demise. We're one nation under God, we stand above the rest; With mighty high technology, we're never second best. Our specialty is infiltration! So pack your bags you third-world nation, Victory through domination.

"What Can You Do?"

So you waste another day getting older and gray in the head, And you're hearing lots of stories 'bout the happy time you have ahead. There are other folks in power so you kick back and get farther behind, And although the world rotates itself the only thing you twist is your mind. You see, the world's falling apart at the rifts, And surprisingly, the leaders can't make any sense of it. You mean nothing to the world, we're all someone else's fool, But oh, what can you do? "Yeah you waste your time with losers if you get stuck in a rock-n-roll band." Do you find it more rewarding to compete with morons throughout this land? They seem to be in power so I'll kick back and get farther behind. And I watch them as they fuck up every good thing on this earth with their "minds." You see, the world's falling apart at the rifts, And surprisingly, the leaders can't make any sense of it. You mean nothing to the world, we're all someone else's fool, But oh, what can you do? Yeah you waste another day getting older and gray in the head, And we're hearing lots of stories 'bout the happy time we have ahead. The morons are in power so we kick back and get farther behind, And we watch them as they fuck up every good thing on this earth with their "minds."

You see, the world's falling apart at the rifts, And surprisingly, the leaders can't make any sense of it. We mean nothing to the world, merely someone else's fool, But oh, what can you do? I said, oh, what can you do? Go!

"Do What You Want" Hey do what you want, but don't do it around me. Idleness and dissipation breed apathy. I sit on my ass all goddamn day, A misanthropic anthropoid with nothing to Say what you must, do all you can, Break all the fucking rules and Go to Hell with Superman and Die like a champion, yeah hey! Hey I don't know if the billions will survive, But I'll believe in God when 1 and 1 are 5. My moniker is man and I'm rotten to the core. I'll tear down the building just to pass through the door. So do what you must, do all you can, Break all the fucking rules and Go to Hell with Superman and Die like a champion, yeah hey!

"Part IV (The Index Fossil)" We're widespread and well fed, The earth's rotating fate is in our head, oh yeah. We're dominant and prominent, And our diety's omnipotent, oh yeah. And immortality's in our mastermind, And we destroy everything we can find.

And tomorrow when the human clock stops and the world stops turning, We'll be an index fossil buried in our own debris. We're listless, promiscuous, And life to us is either hit or miss, oh yeah. We're savoir faire and debonaire And things we do are done with pride and care, oh yeah. And immortality's in our mastermind, And we destroy everything that we find. And tomorrow when the human clock stops and the world stops turning, We'll be an index fossil buried in our own debris. See, immortality's in our mastermind, And we destroy everything that we find. And tomorrow when the human clock stops and the world stops turning, We'll be an index fossil buried in our own debris. In our own debris.

"Pessimistic Lines" So here we are again to experience the bitter, scalding end And we're the only ones who can perceive it. But others sing of beauty and the story that's unfolded As one that deserves praise and ritual. My pessimistic lines, Your superstitious lives, And the modern age's lies won't absolve you. And the professorial truth, And the dear clairvoyant youth, And of course the nightly news will deceive you. (Watch out!) My pessimistic lines, Your superstitious lives, And the modern age's lies won't absolve you.

And the professorial truth, And the dear clairvoyant youth, And of course the nightly news will deceive you. (Let's go!)

album: "No Control" (1989) "Change Of Ideas" Well the sheaves have all been brought, but the fields have washed away, And the palaces now stand where the coffins all were laid, And the times we see ahead, we must glaze with rozy hues, For what don't wish to admit what it is we have to lose. Millenia in coming, the modern age is here. It sanctifies the future, yet renders us with fear. So many theories, so many prophecies, What we do need is a change of ideas. When we are scared we can hide in our reveries but What we need is a change of ideas. Change of ideas, change of ideas, What we need now is a change of ideas

"Big Bang" This isn't another new fashion, or a new wave plastic trend. Everybody's searching for something but in the meantime let's all just pretend. I've got this feeling and I don't know what it is. This room is overcrowded, man, and I need air to breathe, yeah.

Big bang, big crunch, you know there's no free lunch. Kneel down and pray, here comes your judgment day. Big crunch, you know, it's gonna be quite a show. What goes around always comes around, yeah. A million hopeless faces dwell within protected walls, All waiting for a moment in life when they can heed the clarion call. And it's all so oppressive my mind feels like a sieve. This city's overcrowded, man, and I need room to live. Big bang, big crunch, you know there's no free lunch. Kneel down and pray, here comes your judgment day. Big crunch, you know, it's gonna be quite a show. What goes around always comes around, yeah. I think of the countless shadows that have all come and gone, All suffering in the notion of better things to come. If you share these beliefs you know I wish you well, 'cause there's no room left in heaven and there's sure no room in hell, yeah. Big bang, big crunch, you know there's no free lunch. Kneel down and pray, here comes your judgment day. Big crunch, you know, it's gonna be quite a show. What goes around always comes around.

"No Control" Culture was the seed of proliferation but it's gotten melded Into an inharmonic whole, to an inharmonic whole. Consciousness has plagued us and we cannot shake it Though we think we're in control, though we think we're in control. Questions that besiege us in life are testament of our helplessness. There's no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end. When we all disintegrate it will all happen again, yeah. Time is so rock solid in the minds of the hordes but they can't

Explain why it should slip away, explain why it should slip away. History and future are the comforts of our curiosity but here we are Rooted in the present day, rooted in the present day Questions that besiege us in life are testament of our helplessness. There's no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end. When we all disintegrate it will all happen again, yeah. If you came to conquer, you'll be king for a day, But you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away. And believe these words you hear when you think your path is clear... We have no control. We have no control. We have no control, we do not understand. You have no control, you are not in command. You have no control. We have no control. No control. No control. You have no control.

"Sometimes It Feels Like" There's a specter in the corner of an illustrated page And a lonesome muted stripling with a rapt remedial gaze. The poverty of his language and the wealth of his emotion Bring him endless murky musings and unexpected frustration Angst and madness weave the fabric of his life. Tomorrow might be better but right now it feels like There's a panther wild and proud behind the doors of a redolent cage, And an underdeveloped intellect filled with impotent and static rage. And don't think you're exempt if you earn good weekly wages, 'Cause you're neighbor's going crazy and insanity's contagious.

I know there's so much you want to say But your tongue gets in the way and sometimes it feels like I know there's so much you want to say And the tumbrel of your mind gets in the way. It's the same for everybody to degrees. We all get that foggy freeze and sometimes it feels like

"Automatic Man" He's the latest superhero with powers so profound. He can leap a dotted line in just a single bound. I know you must have seen him in books and magazines. He's the quintessential mindless modern epicine. His life is meaningful because he gets things done. Bang bang he's dead, chalk up another triumph for our hero, The Automatic Man. It's true you must have met him, he's your best friend and your foe. His opinions are determined by the status quo. A true creature of habit, he smokes three packs a day. When he has an original thought, he forgets it right away. He's a paradigm of carefree living. He's our mentor, disturb him if you can. He's the answer if your peace of mind is lacking. He's our savior, he is the common man. So if you are troubled by the daily bump and grind, Then take a careful look around and brother you will find... The Automatic Man

"I Want To Conquer The World"

Hey Brother Christian with your high and mighty errand, Your actions speak so loud, I can't hear a word you're saying. Hey Sister Bleeding Heart with all of your compassion, Your labors soothe the hurt but can't assuage temptation. Hey man of science with your perfect rules of measure, Can you improve this place with the data that you gather? Hey Mother Mercy can your loins bear fruit forever? Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure? And I want to conquer the world, Give all the idiots a brand new religion, Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness and toil, Promote equality in all of my decisions With a quick wink of the eye And a "God you must be joking!" Hey Mr. Diplomat with your worldly aspirations, Did you see your children cry when you left them at the station? Hey moral soldier you've got righteous proclamation, And precious tomes to fuel your pulpy conflagrations.

And I want to conquer the world, Give all the idiots a brand new religion, Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness and toil, Promote equality in all of my decisions I want to conquer the world, Expose the culprits and feed them to the children, I'll do away with air pollution and then I'll save the whales, We'll have peace on earth and global communion. I I I I

want want want want

to to to to

conquer conquer conquer conquer

the the the the

world! world! world! world!

"Sanity" There's a watch in my pocket and its hands are broken. The face is blank but the gears are turning. Confusion is a fundamental state of mind. It doesn't really matter what I'm figuring out. I'm guaranteed to wind up in a state of doubt And sanity is a full-time job In a world that is always changing, And sanity is a state of mind That you believe in, sanity. There's a shadow on the wall where the paint is peeling. My body's moving forward but my mind is reeling. Depression is a fundamental state of being.

It doesn't really matter how my day has turned out. I always end up living in this world of doubt And sanity is a full-time job In a world that is always changing, And sanity will make you strong If you believe in sanity. And sanity is a full-time job In a world that is always changing, And sanity is a state of mind That you believe in, sanity.

"Henchman" Stranded In a life in which your struggle for acceptance Is a never-ending chore, Upbraided For your actions past and present and rewarded for the ideas Of the future's bright open door. The henchman Is the human analogue of the suffering multitudes Who like good dogs sit and lick for their reward. So what good advice have I got for you To insure against your likely metamorphosis into this reprobate? Don't be a henchman, Stand on your laurels, Do what no one else does and praise the good of other men For good man's sake. And when everyone else in the world follows your lead (Although a cold day in hell it will surely be) That's when the entire world shall live in harmony.

"It Must Look Pretty Appealing" The wheat waving next to you is healthy and so fine, As is dinner with your loved ones every day. But your routine is changeless through the decades of your life, Green pastures, open spaces, holy ways. And it must look pretty appealing, The acres of lights, The crowded festive nights And the millions of others just like you. Yeah it must look pretty appealing, This other world of sin. We keep dreaming of what other people do. The person sitting next to you is dismal and deranged On the bus ride home from work to end your day. And the food on your table is more plastic than protein, And your intellect depends on your TV. And it must look pretty appealing The pastoral retreat, The folks on old main street, And the few pleasant people just like you. Yeah it must look pretty appealing, The simple way of life. We keep dreaming of what other people do. But we never do what other people do. You're too scared of other people not like you.

"You" There's a place where everyone can be happy. It's the most beautiful place in the whole fucking world. It's made of candy canes and planes and bright red choo-choo trains, And the meanest little boys, the most innocent little girls,

And you know I wish that I could go there. It's a road that I have not found. And I wish you the best of luck dear. Drop a card or letter to my side of town. 'Cause there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend, But baby I'm amazed at the hate that you can send. And you... Painted my entire world. But I... Don't have the turpentine to clean what you have soiled. And I won't forget it. There's a place where everyone can be right (right...) Even though you remain determined to be opposed. Admittance requires no qualifications It's where everyone has been and where everybody goes. So please try not to be impatient, For we all hate standing in line. And when the farm is good and bought, you'll be there without a thought, And eternity, my friend, is a long fucking time. 'Cause there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend, That’s why baby I'm amazed at the hate that you can send. And you... Painted my entire world. But I... Don't have the turpentine to clean what you have soiled. And I won't forget it.

"Progress" And progress is not intelligently planned; It's the facade of our heritage, the odor of our land. They speak of progress, in red, white and blue. It's the structure of the future as demise comes seething through. It's progress, 'til there's nothing left to gain, As the dearth of new ideas makes us wallow in our shame. So before you go to contribute more To the destruction of this world you adore, Remember life on Earth is but a flash of dawn We're all part of it as the day rolls on. And progress is a message that we send. One step closer to the future, one inch closer to the end. I say progress is a synonym of time. We are all aware of it but it's nothing we refine, And progress is a debt we all must pay. Its convenience we all cherish, its pollution we disdain And the cutting edge is dulling, too many people to plow through. Just keep your fucking distance and it can't include you. It's progress, 'til there's nothing left to gain, It's progress, it's a message that we send. And progress is a debt we all must pay.

"I Want Something More" Going through a world of sad debris, Regard quixoitic reveries of ownership: The blossoming disease of man called tenure and accretion, The ancient western treadmill of deception and derision. But I want something more.

Racing through a life of tragic wastage, I experience the loss of trust and innocence. The billowing cyclone of time has blown away our reasons As we trudge like blind men forward trying to avoid collision. But I want something... More.

"Anxiety" It's a love song to the self, a story recapped every day, It's a world of bogus feelings and a world of slow decay, It's a world of laughter hidden by this world of fear and torment, It's a game of strange compulsion, our visceral convulsion: Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain, Anxiety, a feeling that you know you can't contain. Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man. Foundation of society, anxiety. Suppress it if you can. The caste of coffee achievers didn't perform like they planned. The morning rush hour traffic is our play of false elan. So run around your frantic track and lay you down to sleep; Tomorrow's the redemption, we strive for that exception. Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain, Anxiety, a fear that you have nothing more to gain. Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man. Foundation of society, anxiety. Suppress it if you can. What are we angry for? We all need a common cure. That common goal for which you strive: To have more than the other (have more than the other) guy. The quest for truth, the quest for gold, yeah, we end up all the same The common lie, the righteous cry, we end up all the same. The angry crowd, those lost and found, everybody's all the same.

The poet's pen, these words I lend, we all bend to Anxiety for love of life, anxiety for pain, Anxiety, a feeling that you know you can't contain. Anxiety destroys us but it drives the common man. Foundation of society, anxiety.

"Billy" I can recall the warm youth of a summer day, yeah: The sweetest lemonade, the darkest game arcade, And Billy had a yearning in the corner of his mind. It moved him secretly. It moved him powerfully. But prescience was lacking and the present was not all And his aptitudes were carelessly wasted. And challenging life with the abandon of a fool, He squandered the hours of his day. Then darkness and disorder slapped him sharply in the face, yeah. It hit him like a friend, struck something deep within. He couldn't break the chain of slow decay that seemed to drag him Just like a fatal tie toward the other side. And Billy was a lunatic, just barking at the moon, And his brain was totally wasted. He then exchanged his friends for a needle and a spoon And he threw his future away. Bolt the door and throw away the key. Your dim reflection is all that you can see. So where is the justice when no one is at fault And a human life is tragically wasted? How fragile is the flame that burns within us all To light each passing day?

"The World Won't Stop Without You"

You've got to quit your little charade and join the freak parade Now that your road has been paved from conception to your grave. Enormous things to do, others' practices to eschew, To be better than you is impossible to do, But the world won't stop without you. No, the world won't stop without you. Your achievements are unsurpassed, you are highly-ordered mass, But you can bet your ass your free energy will dissipate. Two billion years thus far, now mister here you are, An element in a sea of enthalpic organic compounds. The world won't stop without you. The world won't stop without you. You're only as elegant as your actions let you be A piece of chaos related phylogenetically To every living organ system, we're siblings, don't you see? The earth rotates and will revolve without you constantly. Two billion years thus far, now mister here you are, An element in a sea of enthalpic organic compounds. The world won't stop without you. No, the world won't stop without you. I said the world won't stop without you.

Yet still I'm a cyborg just like you, I am one big myoma that thinks, My planet supports only me, I've got this one problem: will I live forever? I've got just a short time to see Modern Modern Modern Modern

man, man, man, man,

evolutionary betrayer, ecosystem destroyer, destroy yourself in shame, pathetic example of earth's organic heritage

When I look back and think, When I ponder and ask "why?", I see my ancestors spend with careless abandon, Assuming eternal supply Modern man, evolutionary betrayer, Modern man, ecosystem destroyer, Modern man, destroy yourself in shame, Modern man, pathetic example of earth's organic heritage Just a sample of carbon-based wastage, Just a fucking tragic epic of you and I

"Turn On The Light"

album: "Against The Grain" (1990)

"Modern Man" I've got nothing to say, I've got nothing to do, All of my neurons are functioning smoothly

I had a friend who kept a candle in his pocket, He used to touch it when the wind was blowing high, I guess it made him feel like he could buck the system And when it flickered out, we laid him down to die Turn on the light, Turn on a million blinding brilliant white incendiary lights, Yeah, a beacon in the night, I'll burn relentlessly until my juice runs dry

And I'll construct a rock of tempered beams and trusses And equip it with just a million tiny suns, I'll install upon the roof on my compartment And place tinfoil on my floor and on my walls Then I'll turn on the light Turn on a million blinding brilliant white incendiary lights, A beacon in the night, I'll burn relentlessly until my juice runs dry And I'll burn like a roman fucking candle, (Burn) like a chasm in the night, (Burn) for a minuscule duration, Ecstatic immolation, incorrigible delight

"Get Off" Lascivious, it's all that I can think of as I drag my feet, searching like a diogenes Dangerous, the adjectives of the decade and of your alluring intricacies I can see your green-screen mentality And I can feel the sting of its consequence And I know I shouldn't but it's too much to ignore an emotion I deplore Every time I look at you, I just want to do it I can clench my fist right through it but I just want to get off Rectilinear, this direction we've been heading never realizing we are on a runaway machine Angular, the momentum that does turn us one step further on our ladder one more turn toward the east I realize your green-screen mentality

And I know it is shared by many more I know it is quite impossible but I am damned to find a way to revolve the other way Every time I scrutinize I just say "screw it" We're on a ride down a blind conduit and I just want to get of

"Blenderhead" Flying through a dark prismatic tunnel on a carousel The earth is turning and you know it very well Your mind is reeling like ten helicopters wheeling And you're gonna hit the ceiling like a mallet on a bell Hey, blenderhead, they're starting to ask questions Your transgressions are a danger flashing sign Challenge conventions and radiate your splendor And feel those flywheels churn your blenderhead, yeah Tally up the gleaming ventured on a wishing well Each shining trinket has a story it can tell Your moment's pining like those tales all intertwining Can become the rusted lining of a deep neglected shell Hey, blenderhead, you ask so many questions Your confusion's a life-affirming sign Break from tradition and carry on with valor and feel those flywheels churn your blenderhead, yeah

"The Positive Aspects Of Negative Thinking" Let's gather 'round the carcass of the old deflated beast We have seen it through the accolades and rested in its lea Syntactic is our elegance, incisive our disease, The swath endogenous of ourselves will be our quandary

We've nestled in its hollow and we've suckled at its breast Grandiloquent in attitude, impassioned yet inept Frivolous gavel our design, ludicrous our threat Excursive expeditions leave us holding less and less So what does it mean? When we tell ourselves it's only for a while we have been deceived And it's only for a moment that the treasures of our day Make life easier to complicate the treasure thrown away I'm so tired of all the fucked up minds Of all the terrorist religions and their bullshit lines Of all the hand-me-downs from all industrial crimes And the weeping mothers and those who are led so blind, From the plastic protests and the hands of time And the pursuit of mirth and all hating kind

"Anesthesia" everybody is talking about the girl who went and killed the delivery man, but she looks so kind and gentle, it just doesn't stand to reason, i saw her right there just like the other night as stately as a slot machine, but when she looked my way something mad as hell came over me,

i remember your face that august night when we lied about the beautiful time to come and that crazy old man who came much too late and caused a chain reaction, i've been hanging out here for eleven long years like a church mouse wondering where the cat has gone, and looking at you now is driving me to distraction. anesthesia, mona lisa, i've got a little gun, here comes oblivion, i never loved you, how did you find me? the cops will never prove complicity now, anna..., all good children go to heaven!

"Flat Earth Society" Lie lie lie [x4] The full moon is rising over dark water And the fools below are picking up sticks And the man in the gallows lies permanently waiting For the doctors to come back and tend to him The flat earth society is meeting here today Singing happy little lies And the bright ship humana is sent far away With grave determination, and no destination Lie lie lie [x4]

anesthesia, mona lisa, i've got a little gun, here comes oblivion, i never loved you, how did you find me? the cops will never prove complicity now, anna..., all good children go to heaven!

Yeah, nothing feels better than a spray of clean water And the whistling wind on a calm summer night But you'd better believe that down in their quarters The men are holding on for their dear lives

The flat earth society is somewhere far away With their candlesticks and compasses And the bright ship humana is well on its way With grave determination, and no destination Lie lie lie [ad infinitum]

"Faith Alone" Heard a sermon from a creaky pul pit with no one in the nave I paid a visit to the synagogue and I left there feeling blame No one could tell me what to do, they had not the capacity to answer me What the world needs now is some answers to our problems We can't buy more time 'cause our tender isn't valid If your soul needs love you can get consoled by pity But it looks as though faith alone won't sustain us no more

If your soul needs love you can get consoled by pity But faith alone won't sustain us anymore faith alone won't sustain us anymore [to fade]

"Entropy" Random blobs of power expressed as that which we all disregard Ordered states of nature on a scale which no one thinks about Don't speak to me of anarchy or peace of calm revolt, man We're in a play of slow decay orchestrated by Boltzmann It's entropy, it's not a human issue Entropy, it's matter of course Entropy, energy at all levels Entropy, from it you can not divorce And your pathetic moans of suffrage tend to lose all significance

Watched the scientists throw up their hands conceding, "progress will resolve it all" Saw the manufacturers of earth's debris ignore another green peace call No one could tell me what to do, no one had the ability to answer me

Extinction, degradation; the natural outcomes of our ordered lives Power, motivation; temporary fixtures for which we strive

What the world needs now is some accountability We can't buy more time 'cause time won't accept our money If your soul needs love you can always have my pity But it looks as though faith alone won't sustain us no more...

It's entropy, it's not a human issue Entropy, it's matter of course Entropy, energy at all levels Entropy, from it you cannot divorce

What the world needs now is some answers to our problems We can't buy more time 'cause our tender isn't valid What the world needs now is some accountability

A stolid proposition from a man unkempt as I My affectatious nature I can not rectify But we are out of equilibrium unnaturally

Something in our synapses assures us we're okay But in our disequilibrium we simply can not stay

A pang of consciousness at death and then you will agree.

Swimming upstream, I maintain against the grain

It's entropy... Entropy, it's matter of course Entropy, energy at all levels Entropy, from it you cannot divorce Entropy Entropy Entropy Entropy

There's a common consensus and a uncomfortable cheer A reverberating chorus that anyone can hear It sings "leave your cares behind you, just grab tenaciously" This lulling sense of purpose will destroy us rapidly

"Against The Grain" Three thousand miles of wilderness overcome by the flow A lonely restitution of pavement, pomp and show I seek a thousand answers, I find but one or two I maintain no discomfiture, my path again renewed Against the grain, that's where I'll stay, Swimming upstream, I maintain against the grain Here labeled as a lunatic, sequestered and content There ignored and defeated by the government There's an oriented public who's magnetic force does pull But away from the potential of the individual

Against the grain, that's where I'll stay, Swimming upstream, I maintain against the grain

"Operation Rescue" It is an S.O.S. sent out telepathically Signs of our distress don't allow complacency We need restoration now of our integrity And a drastic bold reminder of our morality The rectifying troop is here The ones we have needed all these years To stop the heinous wrongdoings and verify our moral benevolence as a people

Against the grain, that's where I'll stay, Swimming upstream, I maintain against the grain

Operation rescue They're here to right our fall They have heard a troubled call Operation rescue You may wonder where they come from But I just wonder why they're here at all

The flow is getting stronger with smaller increments of time And eddies of new ideas are increasingly hard to find You need all that the other has, it is your right to seize the day But in all your acquisitions you will soon be swept away

Life ever-after is what they're in the business for See them brandish the key to their kingdoms door It's persuasive, it's a part of you and me But it's not overwhelming as they wish it to be

Against the grain, that's where I'll stay,

If no one believed in fairy tales

There would be nothing they could do but fail Yet everywhere we look someone is trying to reassure our moral benevolence as a people Operation rescue They're here to right our fall They have heard a troubled call Operation rescue You may wonder where they come from But I just wonder why they're here at all Operation rescue You may wonder where they come from But I just wonder what compels them all

"God Song" And did those feet in ancient times Trod on America's pastures of green? And did that anthropocentric God Wane with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen? I don't think so He's up there with the others laying low Vying with those Who you've traded your life to To bless your soul And have they told you how to think Cleansed your mind of sepsis and autonomy? Or have you escaped from scrutiny And regaled yourself with depravity? Now we all see Religion is just synthetic frippery,

unnecessary in our expanding global culture efficiency And don't you fear this impasse We have built to our future? Ever so near And oh so austere

"21st Century (Digital Boy)" "Against The Grain" Version I can't believe it, the way you look sometimes Like a trampled flag on a city street, oh yeah And I don't want it, the things you're offering me Symbolized bar code, quick ID, oh yeah Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual Ain't life a mystery? Yeah I can't explain it, the things you're saying to me It's going yayayayayayaya, oh yeah Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to read but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual Ain't life a mystery? Yeah Tried to tell you about no control But now I really don't know

And then you told me how bad you had to suffer Is that really all you have to offer? Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual Cat's Foot, Iron Claw (21st century digital boy) Neuro-surgeons scream for more (21st century digital boy) Innocents raped with napalm fire (21st century digital boy) Everything I want I really need (21st century digital boy) 21st century digital boy [to fade]

"Misery And Famine" So proud a history, replete with sanctity Orbs in their harmony, they sing their code to me Have you ever heard yourself the orbit that you are in? The terse, oppressive blanket that's instilled here by our spin It's misery and famin, it's a force we cannot see Misery and famine, it compels us naturally Misery and famine, great ellipse, we bend to thee Misery and famine, just accept your vagrancy Others who bear no name, who feel that life's a game My verse they will defame, we suffer all the same They pay no regard to their position or their speed But the firmament still covers them with its malevolent seed It's misery and famin, it's a force we cannot see Misery and famine, it compels us naturally Misery and famine, great ellipse, we bend to thee

Misery and famine, just accept your vagrancy "you look for meaning in things no one comprehends You feel no affinity to the rabble we're in" Sources of inquiry have nothing to portend, They will perplex us all until the coming end A feeling of despair, hungry and full of care We resent everywhere the fortune that we share "This earth could be a better place" is a concept i condone Given our pathetic course our destiny is known It's misery and famin, it's a force we cannot see Misery and famine, it compels us naturally Misery and famine, great ellipse, we bend to thee Misery and famine, just accept your vagrancy

"Unacceptable" irreducible is the word for today, plastic compounds and nuclear waste, what the hell is the matter with the pople on this planet? have we all gone insane? the stigma of industrial progress killing us over and over agin, one part per trillion... unacceptable, on part per billion... unacceptable, one part per million... unacceptable, this mammoth program set upon us courtesy of the U.S.A., inexcusable are the men before our time, i'd like to kick their ass for what they left behind, cancer-causing chemicals, ozone-depleting aerosols, we're all going to fry, so put your head between your legs and kiss your

ass goodbye

"Quality Or Quantity" offer me eternity, and i'll trade a cup of coffee and a dime, looking for a handout on behalf of those who have so little time, but who wants to live on just 70 cents a day? padding your pockets doesn't make this a better place, "cereal and water" is a feast for some you say, your price-tag on existence can't cover your double face, quality or quantity: a choice you have to make, dipping in the icing, bringing home the largest turkey from the field, breaking all the piggy banks, scooping up the booty, licking all the right holes, bolstering the payroll, why reduce life to a dollar amount per day? and why let the world think this is the american way? your uneaten greens ar a feast for some you say, survival and living are concepts you can't equate, quality or quantity don't tell me they're the same

"Walk Away" shut off the t.v. and peel off those sunday gloves, and i'll stain the clean that you've been counting, old mr. fletcher passed by here

today, after 40 years of toil he just stood up and walked away, fantastic the panic that showed in his eyes, he shrugged when i asked him about it, he said "young man pay heed, you listen well to what i say, now there comes a time for a man to walk away", walk away, i'll be a parade, and i'll be determined that no one shall dissuade on my way, i'll sure take some time to burn all the bridges that i'm leaving behind, he passed by again and he was shivering from the cold, i'm not sure but i think that he was trying, he told me about the weather and something old to pay, "but tomorrow", he said, "i'm gonna surely walk away"

album: "Generator" (1992) "Generator" Like a rock, Like a planet Like a fucking atom bomb I'll remain unperturbed by the joy and the madness That I encounter everywhere I turn I've seen it all along In books and magazines Like a twitch before dying

Like a pornographic scene There's a flower behind the window There's an ugly laughing man Like a hummingbird in silence Like the blood on my door It's the generator Oh yeah, oh yeah Like the blood on my door Watch me clean and I will run Until I reach the shore I've known it all along Like the bone under my skin Like actors in a photograph Like paper in the wind There's a hammer by the window There's a knife on the floor Like turbines in darkness Like the blood on my door It's the generator Oh yeah, oh yeah, Like the blood on my door watch me clean and I will run until I reach the shore

"Too Much To Ask" A refreshing plunge a drink of platable water a deep inspiration on a warm summer day a safe stroll in the middle of the road community a neighbor who in times of need will not turn away I ain't no politiciam

I am a citizen And I wonder if I'm living too far out of bounds community protection rehibilitation police that serve without legitimate right to maim global aareness ecological guilt cultural and environmental awakening I ain't no optimist I try to be a realist and I think that we are living too far out of bounds is it too much to ask? Could it be the world is shrinking? I can see the walls closing in no one can take much for granted anymore remote control three cars for every family corruption at the expense of the simple majority a violent crash a plunder of the third world any wretched ploy that bolsters our economy I ain't no blind supporter I'm a conscious citizen and I know that we are living too far out of bounds is it too much to ask? can we keep the earth from sinking? I can see the walls closing in No one can take much for granted anymore (you better not take it for granted anymore) I'm not taking nothing for granted anymore

"No Direction" A sullen figure walks along a dusty road his life was holy and he couldn't bear the load

he left his people and a simple life behind he raised his torso and he looked into the sky shouting his questions looking for directions "what do I do now?" now a confused school girl stares at the TV tray the stresses of maturing compound every day she glances up to see her favorite video and gets ideas from Madonna's nasty clothes in need of affection she craves a direction her heroes offer her everyone is looking for something and they assume somebody else knows what it is no one can live with the decisions of their own it seems so they look to someone else to tell 'em what to be tell 'em what to wear tell 'em what to say tell 'em how to act and think and compel others compulsively until the world is all like them a righteous student came and asked me to reflect he judged my lifestyle was politically incorrect I don't believe in self important folks who preach no Bad Religion song can make your life complete prepare for rejection you'll get no direction from me you'll get no direction from me you'll get no direction from me

"Tomorrow"

Every day we profit so leaning toward the great unknown asking how it pertains to tomorrow aim for places we've not been trample paths that go between yesterdays foundations and tomorrow it's the way they say it's got to be we spear ahead and forge our destiny who do they represent? who do you belive? make a sound decision for others to heed try to set a faster pace try to build a master race one that will make a contribution to tomorrow it's the way they say it's got to be we put aside our fears and make history the clothes are in the dryer and the writing is on the wall we're trying everything we can to stop this fall everyday we profit so leaning toward the great unknown

"Two Babies In The Dark" There'a light on in the hallway so I can't understand why you hide underneath the covers there's a baby in your womb so don't be scared tonight because Raggedy ann is in the closet picking posies two babies in the dark like diamonds in the sand while pap's far away making children's stories the little one's inside so afraid to be alone she's trying to brave until the daddy comes home

so if you chance to see her please tell her it's alright 'cause everyone fights the tendency to snap sometimes it's not a matter of being brave and strong 'cause noises in the house are terrifying I'll put you to sleep at night like a foreign movie I'll sing you lullabies and I'll teach you about everything and I'll only ask you one thing please save me

"Heaven Is Falling" As I walk beneath the valley I shall fear no evil Cause thanks to King George and his rainbow cabinet today murder is legal God I know that it's wrong to kill my brother for what he hasn't done and as the planes blacken the sky it sounds like heaven is falling (falling) it sounds like heaven is falling you promised me a new day a'dawning I see a thousand points of light like so many points of hatred, shame and horror God I want to be a man but I don't want to die with a rifle in my hand and as the planes blacken the sky it sounds like heaven is falling (falling)

it sounds like heaven is falling you promised me a new day a'dawning well nothing here looks new to me but a score of mothers' sons caught 'tween the devil and the deep blue sea

"Atomic Garden" everybody wants to dance in a playpen but nobody wants to play in my garden I see the hippies on an angry line guess they don't get my meaning I'm enchanted by the birds in my blossoms I'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend I like the Fourth of July when bombs start flashing and I wish I had a shiny red top a bugle with a big brass bell would cheer me up or maybe something bigger that could really go pop! so I could make the gardening stop come out to play come out to play and we'll pretend it's Christmas Day in my atomic garden all my scientists are working on a deadline so my psychologist is working day and night time they say they know what's best for me but they don't know what they're doing and I'm glad I'm not Gorbachev 'cause I'd wiggle all night like jelly in a pot at least he's got a garden with a fertile plot and a party that will never stop

I hope there's nothing wrong out there I'm watching from my room inside my room

"The Answer" Long ago in a dusty village full of hunger, pain and strife a man came forth with a vision of truth and the way to a better life he was convinced he had the answer and he complelled people to follow along but the hunger never vanished and the man was banished and the village dried up and died at a time when wise men peered through glass tubes toward the sky the heavens changed in predictable ways and one man was able to find that he had thought he found the answer and he was quick to write his revelation but as they were scutinized in his colleagues eyes he soon became a mockery Don't tell me about the answer 'cause then another one will come along too I don't believe you have the answer I've got ideas too but if you've got enough naivete and you've got conviction then the answer is perfect for you an urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge overwhelmed by industry searching for a modern day savior from another place inclined toward charity everyone's begging for an answer

without regard to validity the searching never ends it goes on and on and on for eternity

"Fertile Crescent" Come and see the brilliant light don't let your emotions mask your sight it's the manifestation of a deeper fight that affects me and you my optimism was running high a new world order was on my mind but I couldn't believe it when I heard them say they're blowing it away and the fertile crescent is burning today and baby my emotions are too the cradle of humanity has led us all astray and we're all in this together don't you know 'cause our species has nowhere else to go aggression rears its ugly head retaliation brings further dread the two are linked by unseen threads that wind back through time I don't agree with the outdated trend nationalism is an evil friend but hatred is instilled by invisible lines drawn in our minds and the fertile crescent is haunting us today and baby our instincts are too the ghost of humanity is warning us this way

and I think we all should heed it don't you know 'cause we've got nowhere else to go

Mutations, aberrations and blatant anomalies They multiply and give rise to this... monstrosity

the fertile crescent is haunting us today and baby our instincts are too the ghost of humanity is warning us this way and I think we all should heed it don't you know 'cause we've got nowhere else to go

You took the most abundant smallest bits of matter And you instilled them with affinity And then you stratified accumulations weeded out bad variations And blended up your unique recipe

"Chimaera"

You have created a powerful monster With direction and purpose all its own And if you were here would things be any different? Or are you just a mosaic of thoughts alone?

You took a time bomb and a case of crackers And you made a maelstrom of organic debris Then you took a workbench and a rusty anvil And you polished them for everyone to see You have created an unhealthy monster Yet you're nowhere but nowhere to be found So I guess I'll just cope with my provisions From now until the day they lay me down You took a baboon and made him perfect You took a lion and stripped him of his pride Then you took a million more varieties a scalpel and a sartory And you stitched up a horrible surprise You have created an unsocial monster Yet you're searched for all over the globe And most believe that things would sure be better If you'd come down here and tell us what you know Who is to blame for this? Someone tell me please His handiwork is flawed And it's there for all to see

"Only Entertainment" Transfixated on the big blue screen It's your window to the outside A melancholy dream A medium upon which you build reality This episodic currency That everybody needs Somebodies delivery lulls you to sleep The man behind the weather map The editor in chief They control two worlds Power and disease And you cannot suppress you curiosity But see it's only entertainment Superficial urgency Posterboard mentality Only entertainment Tightly constrained The buzz that remains Is the story of how we run our lives

Many our the people poor and suffering From the lack of coverage From the transmission beam And if it ever gets there You'll be offended too 'Cause you cannot distinguish Chicanery from truth See it's only entertainment A superficial episode As life continues to unfold Only entertainment Controlled and copied They've planted the seed That sprouts into your picture of the world Can't someone protect me (turn away, turn away) From this electron beam? Hey you, Mr. FCC Have you no advice for me?

it's best for all humanity the spread of culture the sword of progress the vector of suffrage a warm and septic breeze the pomp and elation the duty and vocation the blood of the hybrid it's just a recipe re-living our ancestry the frightful lack of harmony our fore-fothers who led the way their victims are still here today now it's time to erase the story of our bogus fate our history as it's portrayed it's just a recipe for hate

"Kerosene"

album: "Recipe For Hate" (1993)

"Recipe For Hate" can't you feel it can't you see it the promise of prosperity it's overwhelming you and me it afflicts us like a disease ubiquitous compelling too we cling to you like crazy glue and inject such a potent seed

everywhere I look I see exclusive huddled uninviting shelter is a privilege of the sane and competent kerosene keeps me warm I'm alone to watch it burn kerosene exposure is a pitiful and pointless way of dying before it gets me I'll build a funeral pyre kerosene keeps me warm I'm alone to watch it burn kerosene i'm a man and my dignity won't wave

Tonight buildings rage! kerosene keeps me warm feels so good to watch it burn kerosene kerosene keeps me warm I'm alone to watch it burn kerosene kerosene keeps me warm feels so good to watch it burn kerosene [to fade]

"American Jesus" I don't need to be a global citizen, 'Cuz I'm blessed by nationality. I'm member of a growing populace, We enforce our popularity. There are things that seem to pull us under and, There are things that drag us down. But there's a power and a vital presence, It's lurking all around. We've got the American Jesus, See him on the interstate. We've got the American Jesus, He helped build the President's estate. I feel sorry for the Earth's population, 'Cuz so few live in the U.S.A. At least the foreigners can copy our morality, They can visit but they cannot stay.

Only precious few can garner our prosperity, It makes us walk with renewed confidence. We got a place to go when we die, And the architect resides right here. We've got the American Jesus, Bolstering national faith. We've got the American Jesus, Overwhelming millions every day. He's the farmer's barren fields, (In God) The force the army wields, (We trust) Expressions on the faces of the starving millions, (Because He's one of us) The power of the man, (Break down) He's the fuel that drives the Klan, (Cave in) He's the motive and the conscience of the murderer, (We can redeem your sins) He's the preacher on T.V., (Strong heart) The false sincerity, (Clear mind) The form letter that's written by the big computers, (And infinitely kind) The nuclear bombs, (You lose) The kids with no moms, (We win) And I'm fearful that he's inside me... (He is our champion) We've got the American Jesus See him on the interstate We've got the American Jesus Exercising his authority We've got the American Jesus Bolstering national faith We've got the American Jesus Overwhelming millions every day

One nation, under God...

"Portrait Of Authority" Nothing more Nothing less An icon on the wall Decoration and duress That which many Strive to be It's the marble statue Starring over me And nobody has the will to tear it down It determines wrong and right But to me it's just a stereotype And it makes us lose our sight The Portrait of Authority Portrait of Authority You tell me that's what I'm supposed to be Portrait of Authority You tell me that's what I'm supposed to be! Another time Another man An oppressive intrusion And a plague across his land And it haunts Him every day It tells him he has no chance His hopes just fade away

And he lives his life prepared to tear it down But he can't muster the support And to him it's just a stereotype Of his life-long fight The Portrait of Authority Portrait of Authority It embodies what he cannot be Portrait of Authority It's what he cannot be! The Portrait of Authority! Portrait of Authority Portrait of Authority!

"Man With A Mission" Rescue me When I get too deep Talk to me There's nothing to tell Everyone Is a hypocrite Look to me I'll save your soul Now somebody out there must be reading my mail 'Cause everybody knows... Follow me When you give up Work for me It'll serve you well

Everyone Is a hypocrite Come to me I'll save your soul Now somebody out there must be tapping my phone 'Cause everybody knows I'm a man with a mission I'm gonna fly you away High above the noise and competition I'm a man with a mission Now somebody out there must be reading my mail 'Cause everybody knows I'm a man with a mission Passing through your town today I condemn you to fiery perdition I'm a man with a mission

"All Good Soldiers" All good soldiers crack like boulders The sun climbs up to a razor, Violins, new boots, and numbers on a chain All good soldiers All good soldiers fall in line When they march and shout All good soldiers are a spectacle Marching and singing Will go anywhere the president says Because the president believes in God Like all good soldiers should

All good soldiers wait like warheads When the fighting starts who will be Accountable, a cannibal, a cannonball All good soldiers, all good soldiers All good soldiers fall in line When they march and shout All good soldiers are respectible Marching and singing Will go anywhere the president says Because the president believes in God Like all good soldiers should It's 6 AM I can see my breath And the clay dirt is laughing at a weakling boy Today is the day That I'll write my friends It's something I've been trying to remember I had a dream of a wall That was twenty-one stories tall All... All good soldiers fall in line When they march and shout All good soldiers are a spectacle Marching and singing Will go anywhere the president says Because the president believes in God Like all good soldiers should

"Watch It Die" I was born on planet earth the rotating ball where man comes first

it's been around for a long, long time but now it's time to watch it die I saw a man on my big blue screen he ruled the world economy he said the rich would never concede but some day soon he'll be put to sleep I've seen the life of the forest green and adaptations of the deep blue seas and who knows who is the fittest they will all soon be put to rest On a plunging flight and we're sitting in the pilots seat in the midst of life people on a dark horizon praying somebody will save their lives I was born on planet earth at a drastic time full of plastic mirth and everyday I've seen increasing signs and you would too if you'd opened your eyes you had a chance you did not try so now it's time to watch it die

"Struck A Nerve" there's an old man on a city bus holding a candy cane and it isn't even christmas he sees a note in the obituary that his last friend has died there's an infant clinging to his overweight mother in the cold as they go to shop for cigarettes as she spends her last dollar on a bottle of vodka for tonight and I guess it struck a nerve

like I had to squint my eyes you can never get out of the line of sight like a barren winter day or a patch of unburned green like a tragic real dream I guess it struck a nerve every day I wander in negative disposition as I'm bombarded by superlatives realizing very well that I am not alone introverted I look to tomorrow for salvation but I'm thinking altruistically and a wave of overwhelming doubt turns me to stone and I guess it struck a nerve sent a murmur through my heart we just haven't got time to crack the maze like a magic speeding clock or a cancer in our cells a collision in the dark I guess it struck a nerve I try to close my eyes but I cannot ignore the stimuli if there's a purpose for us all it remains a secret to me don't ask me to justify my life 'cause I guess it struck a nerve like I had to squint my eyes you can never get out of the line of sight like a magic speeding clock or a cancer in our cells a collision in the dark I guess it struck a nerve

"My Poor Friend Me" I know a man who doesn't have many friends I know a place he lives where trouble never ends I know it's hard for him to read 'tween the lines And his days are getting so much shorter He simply turns away, ends up on bitter ground His world is crumbling, his ship is weighted down He doesn't care as long as he can wear the crown I know this man all too well It's my poor friend me A portrayal of the great dichotomy (great dichotomy) It's my poor friend me And I'm running out of steam I know there are people who are cynical and vane They point their finger 'cause they can't accept the blame They live their lives under a blanket of shame And their progeny crawl from underneath it Lately I've come to see the solution And it begins with me But I'm so fallibly human I've picked the lock but will not turn the key Are people running scared? We live, breed, and die All to a world where time is slipping on by We have solutions but don't even try And I feel I know just who to blame It's my poor friend me A reminder of a tragic history (tragic history)

It's my poor friend me And I'm running out of steam!

"Lookin' In" suddenly, it came to me a potent dosage of reality i saw myself in the broad daylight and it made me think about life im not the kinda guy who nods his head with closed eyes i scoff at labels i defy censuses and despise group mentality all along i through that this was only human but i know now that i'm in the minority i'm lookin' in now i think in relation to my fellow man and what strives to do we fail to see theres no compromise our evolution is our demise one day you may find that you are also one of me a micrososm of the human race observing those around us desiring to belong behing the guise of salvation

we suffer along the way we're lookin' in

"Don't Pray On Me" A grizzly scene on my electron beam Told a story about human rights So all of King's horses and all of King's men Had a riot for two days and nights Well, the city exploded but the gates wouldn't open So the company asked him to quit Now everybody's equal Just don't measure it Well, Hanson did it to Hester And Mark David did it to John And maybe Jack did it to Marilyn But he did it to South Vietnam For beauty and glory For money, love, and country Now everybody's doing it Don't do that to me A bitter debate and a feminine fate Lie in tandem like two precious babes While the former gets warmer, it's the latter that matters Except on the nation's airwaves And custodians of public opinion stayed back After vainly discussing her rights Lay hands off her body It's not your fucking life Now I don't know what stopped Jesus Christ From turning every hungry stone into bread And I don't remember hearing how Moses reacted

When the innocent first born sons lay dead Well, I guess God was a lot more demonstrative Back when he flamboyantly parted the sea Now everybody's praying Don't pray on me

"Modern Day Catastrophists" take those potatoes out of your ear listen to the warnings verify all your fears there's a world outside that's ready to blow and we're all to blame when it finally explodes you gotta listen up gotta listen to what they're telling you gotta listen up and think about what they're saying to you they're the modern day catastrophists they've got practical solutions (know all the right equations) they're the self-appointed righteous pragmatists and they know 50 ways to save the world what makes you think you can cure our disease? maybe its just our biology maybe its time to make room for another species this is the 21st Century

"Skyscraper" Come let us make bricks and burn them hard, We'll build a city with a tower for the world and climb so we can reach anything we may propose, anything at all Build me up, tear me down like a skyscraper Build me up, then tear down These joining walls So they can't climb at all I know why you tore it down that day You thought, that if you got caught we'd all go away, Like a spoiled little baby who can't come out to play, You had your revenge Build me up, tear me down like a skyscraper Build me up, then tear down these joining walls So they can't climb at all Well madness reigned and paradise drowned When Babel's walls came crashing down Now the echoes roar for a story writ that was hardly understood and never any good Build me up, tear me down like a skyscraper Build me up, then tear down these joining walls So they can't climb at all

Build me up Build me up

"Stealth" Hi, welcome to Stealth This is a strong narcotics stronghold This weekend I will spend over 800 million dollars on drugs First I will continue pushing free narcotics for all low income people Not now covered and soon after that we can get rid of each and everyone of them And I'm doing what I think is right, and they will certainly deserve it And I...

album: "Stranger Than Fiction" (1994)

"Incomplete" Mother, father, look at your little monster, I'm a hero, I'm a zero, I'm the butt of the worst joke in history, I'm a lock without a key, a city with no door, a prayer without faith, a show without a score, I'm a bad word, a wink, a nod, a shiver, an untold story, sex without purity, a creeping gray memory,

I am incomplete....incomplete....incomplete....incomplete Doctor, cure me; what is the cause of my condition, this madness shoots me, like bullets smashing glass in a silent movie, I'm a trap without a spring, a temple with no god, a jack without an ace, the tip of your tongue, I'm a promise, an unmailed letter, an unbuilt motor, deck without a joker, a creeping gray memory I am incomplete....incomplete....incomplete....incomplete Tell Saint Peter not to bet on me, I got a naked obsession, a good intention gone bad, I am incomplete....incomplete....incomplete....incomplete

"Leave Mine To Me" there are desperate times upon us, there are codes of white and black, political resentment and people start to crack, there's hate and opposition, there's fumbling dialog, yet you sit there and judge me and you think it makes a difference

if you think I'm all alone you are foolishly wrong, there's an entire army who blindly follow along, and you happen to be one of them believe it or not, even though you try not to be we are of the same plague the other ways we're taught to fear, don't even scratch the surface of the problem here, I'm not blind, and I'm not scared, so many crucial factors exist out there, and we're but one, and they're bout two, and how we come to terms will help us pull through things cannot change too fast, it took us this much time, to reach our current platform and walk this fragile line, if I thought I'd make a difference I'd kill myself today, but so many are like me lost in the fray you create your own reality, and leave mine to me

"Stranger Than Fiction" A febrile shocking violent smack And the children are hoping for a heart attack. Tonight the windows are watching, the streets all conspire And the lamppost can't stop crying. If I could fly high above the world, Would I see a bunch of living dots spell the world "stupidity"? Or would I see hungry lover homicides, loving brother suicides And olly olly oxen frees who pick a side and hide? The world is scratching at my door. My morning paper's got the scores,

The human interest stories And the obituary. Oh yeah. Cockroach naps and rattling traps. How many devils can you fit upon a match head? Caringosity killed the Kerouac cat. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. In my alley, 'round the corner, there's a wino with feathered shoulders And a spirit giving head for crack and he'll never want it back. There's a little kid and his family eating crackers like Thanksgiving And a pack of wild desperadoes scornful of living. The world is scratching at my door. My morning paper has the scores, The human interest stories And the obituary. Oh yeah. Cradle for a cat, Wolfe looks back. How many angels can you fit upon a match? I want to know why Hemingway cracked. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Life is the crummiest book I ever read, there isn't a hook, Just a lot of cheap shots, pictures to shock, And character's an amateur would never dream up. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

"Tiny Voices" The brown and orange sky holds its breath as the sun retreats To the distant horizon, And our hearts palpitate anxiously as we soon will lay supine And wait for sleep to overcome us. And from somewhere in our black subconscious minds, when we're asleep, Comes a haunting, swelling mass of voices, resonating Its screams of forgotten victims and the cries of innocence, And the desperate plea for recognition and recompense. Tiny voices. Echoes of our heritage, our long and sallow faces turn the other way Tiny voices, Harbored deep within as we outwardly deny that they have something to say, And if you don't confront them they will never go away. The billions of tiny pinhole embers fade into a morning Sky, filled with poignant morose wonder. Waking a bear, a cosmetic peace that verifies the turmoil That we carry deep inside. And from somewhere in our black subconscious minds, when we're asleep, Comes a haunting, swelling mass of voices, resonating Its screams of forgotten victims and the cries of innocence, And the desperate plea for recognition and recompense. Tiny voices. Echoes of our heritage, our long and sallow faces turn the other way

Tiny voices, Harbored deep within as we outwardly deny that they have something to say, And if you don't confront them they will never go away. Go away. Go away.

"The Handshake" Every time you shake someone's hand And it feels like your best friend, Could it be that it's only superficiality? Without regard to well-being, Without an inkling of compromise, Handshakes are nothing but a subtle "fuck you", And contracts determine the best friendships This is the way of the modern world, Everyone's vying for patronage This is the way of the modern world, And something's gotta give Every time you shake someone's hand, And you share neither color or creed You gotta overcome the obstacles of history, There is restrained passion, Mistrust, and bigotry And these have created the new foundations of society, There's no harmony just class and race This is the way of the modern world, Everyone's fighting for dominance This is the way of the modern world,

And something's gotta give Now I believe in unity, And I am willing to compromise, But I'm not gonna lie or sell my soul Every time you shake someone's hand, It determines where you stand And if you won't uphold your side It's better to Fend for yourself, Fend for yourself, Fend for yourself, And shun the handshake, Fend for yourself, Fend for yourself, Fend for yourself, And shun the handshake, Fend for yourself (I) Fend for yourself (Believe) Fend for yourself (In unity) And shun the handshake, Fend for yourself (And I am) Fend for yourself (Willing to) Fend for yourself (Compromise) And shun the handshake, Fend for yourself (I) Fend for yourself (Believe) Fend for yourself (In unity) And shun the handshake,

Fend for yourself (But I'm not gonna lie) Fend for yourself (Or sell) Fend for yourself (My soul) And shun the handshake,

Better off dead, you're better off dead. Why don't you try pushing daisies instead? Better off dead... you're better off dead, a smile on the lips and a hole in the head.

Someone's gotta give!

And I'll never make the same mistake, the next time I create the universe I'll make sure you participate, oh yeah.

"Better Off Dead" I'm sorry about the sun, how could I know that you would burn? And I'm sorry about the moon, how could I know that you'd disapprove? And I'll never make the same mistake. The next time I create the universe I'll make sure we communicate at length, oh yeah.

And I'll never make the same mistake, the next time I create the universe I'll make sure you participate, just in case.

"Infected"

But until then... better off dead, a smile on the lips and a hole in the head. Better off dead, yeah better than this. Take it away cuz there's nothing to miss.

Now here I go, Hope I don't break down, I won't take anything, I don't need anything, Don't want to exist, I can't persist, Please stop before I do it again,

I'm sorry about the world, how could I know you'd take it so bad?

Just talk about nothing, Let's talk about nothing,

And I'll never make the same mistake, so if you're looking for a patsy why not try the entire human race just to play it safe?

Let's talk about no one, Please talk about no one, someone; anyone!

But until then... better off dead, a smile on the lips and a hole in the head. Better off dead, yeah better than this. Take it away cuz there's nothing to miss.

You and me Have a disease You affect me, You infect me I'm afflicted,

You're addicted You and me, You and me I'm on the edge, Get against the wall, I'm so distracted, I love to strike you, Here's my confession, You learned your lesson, Stop me before I do it again Just talk about nothing, Let's talk about nothing, Let's talk about no one, Please talk about no one, someone; anyone! You and me Have a disease You affect me, You infect me I'm afflicted, You're addicted You and me, You and me You're clear As a heavy lead curtain Want to drill you Like an ocean, We can work it out, I've been running out, Now I'm running out Don't be mad about it baby,

Yeah, yeah, yeah [x7] You and me Have a disease I want to tie you, (You affect me) Crucify you (You infect me) Kneel before you, (I'm afflicted) Revile your body (You're addicted) You and me We're made in heaven (Have a disease) I want to take you, (You affect me) I want to break you (You infect me) Supplicate you, (I'm afflicted) With thorny roses (You're addicted) You and me Are incurable (Have a disease) I want to bathe you, (You affect me) In holy water (You infect me) I want to kill you, (I'm afflicted) Upon the alter (You're addicted) You and me You and me

"Television" Featuring Tim Armstrong of Rancid Television, television, television, television Television, television, television, television I know, oh yeah! I want to bask in your golden light,

submerge in electric waves, I need my connection to the world outside

Television, television, television, television Television, television, television, television

The world outside is buzzing like an angry wasp in summer, the candidates are running, and soon the son of God is coming, crackle mental convolutions tune in to the revolution, whereby everyone's included so we'll never have to be alone

"Individual"

Television, television, television, television Television, television, television, television You know, oh yeah! I want to bask in your golden light, submerge in electric waves, I need my injection to the world outside Yeah! Every atom of my body, blood and sinew, bone and fibre, I can't distil you from my blood, you're a hungry germ inside of me, you're my lover, my heroine, my conscience and my voice, and I know that I have learned to let you in I'll lever have to be alone Television, television, television, television Television, television, television, television We know, oh yeah! I want to bask in your golden light, submerge in electric waves,... I'd take after my mother but she's from a different generation, I prefer my big brother he's so gentle and understanding, and I learn what I can from him by the television light, so that when I'm all alone I know everything's gonna be alright yeah alright!

individuals run for cover, for the multitudes of thoughtless clones have reached a critical mass, individuals hide in fear, under cover, sheltered by the wafer thin veil of intelligence individuals, nowhere to be seen urbana is oozing like a bloated carcass, with maggots cooking in the desert heat, oozing, with progeny writhing and desperate for input from someone more determined congregating in invisible circles, half apart and half apart, all too aware of the insignificance, pushing on with soul and heart individuals don't pray for forgiveness, when pinned up against the wall under siege of persecution, individuals command exception, and accept dichotomy, maybe you can't choose anymore procreation without gain or purpose, languid wills and torped minds, catapulted ever faster by the arrow of time

"Hooray For Me..."

Well I can see my teenage father Standing straight on a desolate corner In the shadow of tentacled towers By the red light of America I imagine how his mother felt When she heard that her husband was dying And that underground heroes of the tarmac Shooting smack were blowing up worlds and damned out loud Hey, can you tell me how does it feel? Yeah, tell me Can you imagine For a second Doing anything That you don't have to? Well, that's what I'm accustomed to So Hooray for Me… And fuck you! When I slept with stony faces on the riverbank my angel-devil reveler shook me desperately in dying I don't exactly want to apologize for anything And now we're all mad and tangled In secret rooms with roman candles On an endless graveyard train Yeah, tell me Can you imagine For a second Doing anything Just cause you want to? Well, that's just what I do

So Hooray for Me… And fuck you! Yeah, I was dreaming through the "how’s life", Yawning car black in my mind When she told me "Mad and meaningless as ever..." And a song came on my radio like a cemetery rhyme For a million crying corpses in their tragedy Of respectable existence Tell me Can you imagine For a second Trying half the things You ever wanted to? Well, that's just what I do So Hooray for Me… Oh, yeah I'm unrespectable Never sensible Maybe incredible So damned irascible, and I like the things I do So Hooray for Me… And fuck you

"Slumber" So, you're feeling unimportant, 'Cuz you've got nothing to say. And your life is just a ramble No one understands you anyway Well, I got a piece of news son,

That might make you change your mind Your life is historically meaningful And spans a significant time Slumber will come soon And you are helping to put it to sleep Side by side we do our share Faithfully assuring That slumber will come soon. Well, now do you feel a little better Lift up your head and walk away Knowing we're all in this together For such a short time anyway There is just no time to parade around Sulking, I would rather laugh than cry The rich, the poor, the strong, the weak We share this place together And we pitch into help it die We pitch into help it die! I'm not too good at giving morals And I don't fear the consequence If life makes you scared and bitter At least it's not for very long

if I'm a monster, I am a willing one, this roller coaster ride is an enticing one, on the tip of a continuum flowing wavelike through disorder carry me like a vessel to water everything everything everything everything

you you you you

see leaves a mark on your soul, feel leaves a mark on your soul, touch leaves a mark on your soul, make leaves a mark on your soul

if I can touch it, I can destroy it, if it's imaginable to some degree, I can become it, like a hungry turning vortex that just flickers to existence, consuming bits and pieces until I'm finally extinguished everyone everyone everyone everyone

you you you you

see leaves a mark on your soul, bare leaves a mark on your soul, touch leaves a mark on your soul, love leaves a mark on your soul

everything you take leaves a mark on your soul, everything you give leaves a mark on your soul, and all the fear and loneliness that's impossible to control, and every tear you cry leaves a mark on your soul

Slumber will come soon.

"Marked" Featuring Jim Lindberg of Pennywise

"Inner Logic" Automatons with business suits swinging black boxes, sequestering the blueprints of daily life contented, free of care, they rejoice in morning ritual as they file like drone ant colonies to their office in the sky

I don't ask questions, don't promote demonstrations, don't look for new consensus, don't stray from constitution if I pierce the complexity I won't find salvation just the bald and overt truth of the evil and deception

but I don't know what it is

there is an inner logic, and we're taught to stay far from it it is simple and elegant, but it's cruel and antithetic and there's no effort to reveal it

there's a beginning, and there's an end, there's a climax, some would contend, there's a way to signify this, but I don't know what it is

graduated mentors stroll in marbled brick porticos in sagacious dialog they despise their average ways betraying pomp and discipline, they mold their institution where they practice exclusion on the masses every day decorated warriors drill harmless kids on pavement simulating tyranny under red alert protecting the opulent and staging moral standard they expect redemption of character and self-growth (no equality, no opportunity, no tolerance for the progressive alternative...)

"What It Is" there's a purpose, there's a goal, there's a virtuos, and immoral, there's a reason for all of this, and I don't know what it is I am one, and plural too, I accept them but they exclude, I could make sense of all of this,

the seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind, the beacon of awakening is somewhere that I can't find, so I don't know what it is

"21st Century (Digital Boy)" "Stranger Than Fiction" Version I can't believe it, the way you look sometimes Like a trampled flag on a city street, oh yeah And I don't want it, the things you're offering me Symbolized bar code, quick ID, oh yeah Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual Ain't life a mystery? Yeah I can't explain it, the things you're saying to me It's going yayayayayayaya, oh yeah Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to read but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual

Ain't life a mystery? Yeah

One by one we all fall down

Tried to tell you about no control But now I really don't know And then you told me how bad you had to suffer Is that really all you have to offer?

The Gray Race shrivels Trapped inside the world it creates Is black and white

Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual My mommy's on valium, so ineffectual Cat's Foot, Iron Claw (21st century digital boy) Neuro-surgeons scream for more (21st century digital boy) Innocents raped with napalm fire (21st century digital boy) Everything I want I really need (21st century digital boy)

The Gray Race shrivels Trapped inside the world it creates Is black and white The perpetual destructive Motion machine Began to chart a course Never before seen Turning raw compassion Into fields of plus and minus One by one we all give in

Ain't life a mystery? Yeah The Gray Race shrivels Trapped inside the world it creates Is black and white

"The Gray Race" (1996)

"The Gray Race" The framework of the world is Black and white The infrastructure builders Flex their might Turning true emotion Into digital expression

The Gray Race shrivels Trapped inside the world it creates Is black and white… I'd swear there were times When I was someone else A person with determination And knowledge of the self But you flattened me to rubble And now I can see that I'm Just faded negative Of the image I used to be

Just a Shadow And that's our dilemma

"Them And Us" despite that he saw blatant similarity he struggled to find a distinctive moiety all he found was vulgar superficiality but he focused it to sharpness and shared it with the others it signified his anger and misery them and us lobbying determined through a mire of disbelievers them and us dire perpetuation and incongruous insistence that there really is a difference between them and us hate is a simple manifestation of the deep-seated self-directed frustration all it does is promote fear and constrenation it's the inability to justify the enemy and it fills us all with trepidation them and us bending the significance to match a whimsied fable them and us tumult for the ignorant and purpose for the violence a confused loose alliance forming them and us I heard him say we can take them all

(but he didn't know who they were, and he didn't know who we were. and there wasn't any reason or motive, or value, to his story, just allegory, imitation glory, and a desperate feeble search for a friend)

"A Walk" I'm going for a walk not the after dinner kind I'm gonna use my hands and I'm gonna use my mind and who the hell are you to tell me what to do? you can't even tie your own haggard shoes your closet is a mess, and your backyard's falling down and I have no grand ideas or intentions of sticking around I'm gonna build a world independant and exempt all alone I'll be an empire with no mortgage and no rent and I don't need to live in your stinking zoo you can't even feed the animals donated to you your storage sheds are ramshackled, flies decorate the walls and you expect me to die here in this shit-filled tiny stall? and I know you're watching! everything I do call me threat to your children call me socially unglued call me master of insanity, unable to relate call me lazy, bane, and filthy call me monstrous reprobate

I'm going for a walk and there's nothing you can do 'cuz I don't have to live like you so I'm going for a walk

"Parallel" sleeping on a time bomb, staring into space there's an ocean of unpleasantries we are not prepared to face sitting on the fence post to watch the storm roll in and terrified of the damage it will bring when it begins it will begin splintered dreams of unity (our lives are parallel) so far from reality (our lives are parallel) independent trajectories (our lives are parallel) separate terms of equality (our lives are parallel) our lives are parallel is there no redemption? no common good? is there nothing we can do for ourselves? or only what we should? comes the hard admission of what we don't provide goes the insistence on the ways and means that so divide they so divide side by side suffering loneliness (our lives are parallel) phony collective progress (our lives are parallel) accepting that it's all such a mess (our lives are parallel) gesturing without hope of redress (our lives are parallel) our lives are parallel

forging little plays of deception and pain as we watch our foundation crumble away staggering like birds against a hurricane and trying all the while to stay out of each other's way broken dreams of unity (our lives are parallel) independant trajectories (our lives are parallel) screaming out for understanding (our lives are parallel) turning inward and suffering (our lives are parallel)

"Punk Rock Song" have you been to the desert? have you walked with the dead? there's a hundred thousand children being killed for their bread and the figures don't lie they speak of human disease but we do what we want and we think what we please have you lived the experience? have you witnessed the plague? people making babies sometimes just to escape in this land of competition the compassion is gone yet we ignore the needy and we keep pushing on keep pushing on... this is just a punk rock song written for the people who can see something's wrong like ants in a colony we do our share but there's so many other fuckin' insects out there and this is just a punk rock song have you visited the quagmire? have you swam in the shit?

the party conventions and the real politik the faces always different, the rhetoric the same but we swallow it all, and we see nothing change nothing has changed... this is just a punk rock song written for the people who can see something's wrong like workers in a factory we do our share but there's so many other fuckin' robots out there this is just a punk rock song 10 million dollars on a losing campaign 20 million starving and writhing in pain big strong people unwilling to give small in vision and perspective one in five kids below the poverty line one population runnin' out of time runnin' out of time this is just a punk rock song written for the people who can see something's wrong like ants in a colony we do our share but there's so many other fuckin' insects out there this is just a punk rock song and the figures don't lie they speak of human disease but we do what we want and we think what we please one in five kids below the poverty line one population runnin' out of time This is just a punk rock song this is just a punk rock song this is just a punk rock song

"Empty Causes" everwhere you looked there was confusion, violence, drama and drugs so many righteous revolutionaries spouting utopian love everyone shrouded in purple haze then one day they woke up from their dream state they found themselves no more at peace than before older, meek, and conformed empty causes a bluster for the soul, a fix for their mind empty causes cling to everything you find well, the shots rang out like popcorn and the Chief was hit and rushed out of sight the mohawk-chain, leather brigade rejoiced maliciously on that night someone cried out "fuck the government" his mates couldn't define what he meant so no one gave him the time of day and the scene died away empty causes a war for the body, an army in the mind empty causes losing steam as time goes by could it be that everybody selfishly desires their own personal retinue and that causes are just manifestations of too much time and far to little to do empty causes

direction for the soul, conviction for the mind empty causes cling to everything you find empty causes you've got yours and I've got mine

I can't help you now

"Nobody Listens"

So nobody listens! Nobody listens to you!!

Hey mister, don't point at me! You shout rhetoric nonsense like a Pavlovian model responding to his questions!

"Pity The Dead"

Hey teacher, arrogance is bliss! You spend your time turning water into life as if you were God's foreman!

there's a boy in crimson rags with a grimace and a spoon, and a little sullen girl face-up staring at the moon and there's no one around to hear their lonesome cries then they pass away alone into the night

Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive So nobody listens! Hey Recluse, Dont shout at me! You proclaim yourself expert by extensions of the methods detailed in your magazines! Hey downer, Don't prey on me! We've all got bum raps that torment us day to day that we hoist on our own shoulders! Is it any wonder people pass you by? Your plea for understanding is heard as desperate lies! So nobody listens! I can't help you I can't help you I can't help you

Is it any wonder things are so inane? So many quests for compassion are just for someone's personal gain

why do we pity the dead? are you churned by emotion from voices in your head? (are you scared of the logic that swirls within your head) look at all the living and you'll ask yourself why oh why do we pity the dead? pity the dead! well, you've seen the disease, suffering and decay, and you whisper to yourself blissfully "it's okay" and you still refuse the possibility that the dead are better off than we tell me what you see, tell me what you know is there anyone who lives a painless life? if there is show me so the destitute and famished, demonic and the banished, dejected and the ostracized, the

brainwashed and the paralyzed, the conquered and objectified, the few who see the other side tell me what you see! It's a mortal wretched cacophony in the end you may find there's no guiding subtle light, no ancestors or friends, no judge of wrong or right just eternal silence and dormancy and a final everlasting peace

"Spirit Shrine" shed a tear for the criminal, give him something to believe light a fire for the miserable, give the darkness some meaning closed wounds harbor pestilence, when you lick them from within charity has a redolence, chastity cannot rescind spirit shine, it's a sign of a tortured mind spirit shine all the time can render you blind you can take it all to heart or throw it all away you can give until you're dry and sucked of all your gleam you can fake another cry and compromise your dream cling tight to the parable - let it dominate your life create a God who's infallible - give your leader some respite clouds wounds harbor pestilence - when you lick them from within rosy smiles lose their radiance - when you take it on the chin spirit shine, it's a sign of a troubled mind spirit shine all the time

can render you blind spirit shine, it's a sign of a tortured mind spirit shine all the time can render you blind

The Streets Of America" desolate and without purpose radiating from so many septic sources forming the fabric of a wayward people disappearing as the vestiges of our past scratched like tartan into virgin soil a substrate for progress and disarray a spreading network of broken dreams searching for a thoroughfare to take us away just a little tale from the streets of America (say a little prayer) sparkled promises paved with pathos and hysteria trenchant, weary native sons step back and see the damage done meander to the horizon (shoot straight to the horizon) the streets of America black, tarred concrete pine for me lying domant for you and country hardened surface cracked within catch the sweat from off the chin

Ahhhh! of men and women senior and child who look to you and your sterile miles and in their stares is bald dismay for what you promised led them astray hard-cracked, daunting, lifeless veins false hope corridors to greener pastures is all that remains

"Ten In 2010" Parched, cracked mouths, empty swollen guts Sun-baked pavement encroaches on us Haves and have-nots together at last Brutally engaged in mortal combat Ten In 20-10 Ten In 20-10 What kind of God orchestrates such a thing? (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Ten billion people all suffering (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Truth is not an issue just a hungry mouth to feed (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Forget what you want, scrounge the things you need (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Ten In 20-10 Ten In 20-10

Happy and content it can't happen to you (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Fifteen years we'll think of a solution (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) It won't just appear in one day (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) For ten in twenty-ten we're well on our way (Ten In 20-10; ten In 20-10) Ten In 20-10 Ten In 20-10 Like piercing ear darts, I heard the news today 10 billion people coming your way Ten In 20 Ten In 20 Ten In 20-10

"Victory" The velveteen and oaken pastries soothed the lonely child The parents watched the escort take him while they stood outside The priest was kind and gentle as he positioned his head The pain was like brimstone, but the kid hardly bled Victory Instinct over intellect Victory It erupts from deep inside History

History is laughing at us Plotting its discovery Victory, victory Blame it on the victory Among the parade crowd there stands a decorated man Remembering how he helped to save this sacred land His helpless enemy was wounded, both hands raised with hope He killed him without second thought, with brute force and a rope Victory Instinct over intellect Victory It erupts from deep inside History History is laughing at us Plotting its discovery Victory, victory Blame it on the victory So many times, so many lives Test the other side Waiting to see what the maker has in mind The unsuspecting commoners hum diligent each day They wallow in their father's sins, as time passes away The crimes are without motive but they ignore all restraint The evil sits inside them torpid timing its escape Victory Instinct over intellect Victory It erupts from deep inside

History History is laughing at us Plotting its discovery (Ahh) Victory, victory Blame it on the victory Blame it on the victory Blame it on the victory Plotting its discovery Victory, victory Blame it on the victory

"Drunk Sincerity" The smell of virgin pages wafted through the swinging doors And the croaking speech he'd heard from countless counselors before They said "We all care for you, we know how you suffer But I know you can succeed, I used to have it so much rougher" There's hope in the words and emotion in the eyes It's so easy to be misled by the savvy gentle guise And like fools we trust the delivery But it's all just drunk sincerity In maternal family assembly poised regarding the blue tube The numbers crept up higher and the hawks stayed out of view Then the generals said "We don't want our boys dead Your sons and your husbands will be coming back heroes soon" With steam, heat, and rhythm in the back seat of the car And adolescent perspective projecting life's forecast to the stars

You heard love from the lips and you were rapt by the hips And the promise was eternal but you couldn't see that far

"Come Join Us" so you say you gotta know why the world goes 'round and you can't find the truth in the things you've found and you're scared shitless 'cuz evil abounds come and join us well I heard you were looking for a place to fit in full of adherent people with the same objective a family to cling to and call brethren come and join us all we want to do is change your mind all you need to do is close your eyes so come and join us come and join us come and join us don't you see the trouble that most people are in and that they just want you for their own advantage but I swear to you we're different from all of them come and join us I can tell you are lookin' for a way to live where truth is determined by consensus full of codified arbitrary directives come and join us all we want to have is your small mind turn it into one of our own kind you can go through life adrift and alone desperate, desolate, on your own but we're lookin' for a few more stalwart clones

so come and join us come and join us come and join us we've got spite and dedication as a vehement brew the world hates us, well we hate them too but you're exempted of course if you come and join us independent, self-contented, revolutionary intellectual, brave, strong and scholarly if you're not one of them, you're us already so come and join us

"Cease" blacktop pavement cover me like a chemical reaction or a steam roller spreading randomly there's a distant buzz and a low frequency it tickles my ear, it rumbles under my feet and it shakes the leaves off of every tree (violently) what pretension! Everlasting peace everything must cease institution on the Hill like a beacon in the mind of an ancestor to ignite a people's will there's a shadowed stain on the west facade it has spread like decay to enshroud the fraud and the descendants find oh so odd (oh so odd) what pretension! Everlasting peace everything must cease

grave memorial hewn white stone like the comforting caress of a mother or a friend you've always known it evokes such pain and significance what was once is reduced to remembrance and the generations pass without recompense (oh!) what pretension! Everlasting peace everything must cease what pretension! everlasting peace everything must...

album: "No Substance" (1998) "Hear It" Like a morning crow and his unwelcome song Or a worn-out broken record that keeps skipping along Mountains of instructions you keep piling on me Resound like a cacophonous symphony But I don't wanna hear it anymore Priests and politicians pretend they're your friend And police speak to you like you're a child again Blanket statements cover you like a rug And thet tell me maybe I'm acting a little too smug But I don't wanna hear it anymore Every day we hear the secrets of life Reduced to cheap jokes, poetry, and friendly advice They'd rather see us all pusillanimous Absorbent in their chorus of correctness But I don't wanna hear it anymore

"Shades Of Truth" Here inside this quiet room there's direction Outside in the sultry noon-time reflection A million scurry they are looking for advice None willing to lend charity just exercise their Shades of Truth, and partisan convention Shades of Truth between dispirate lines Shades of Truth interpret my intentions You don't know I'm alright Who authored the blueprints and made us captains? Someone proclaimed creation, people listened While children by the millions are thrown into this zoo The so-called gift of clarity! Oh what was God up to? Shades of Truth, and lenient conventions Shades of Truth, between dispirate lines Shades of Truth interpret my intentions You don't know I'm alright So many walking paralell and pull their blinders tight So few offer apology and accept others rights And nothing absolutely can be cherished in the end Can't we all accept that it will all happen again? Just partisan convention Shades of Truth between dispirate lines Shades of Truth interpret my intentions You don't know I'm alright

"All Fantastic Images" England seemed like such a beautiful place from afar Until one day I went and saw how miserable things really are All Fantastic Images they only are apparent Propagated just by hope and desire to share it

Beauty was the allure that brought me close to you Loneliness was the bond that made me stick like glue All Fantastic Images they only are apparent Promoted by desperate hope that things are somewhere better I don't have a thing against fantasy But to chase it down just don't make sense to me If you're only hope is simply peace and love You end up discarding most of what you're made of All Fantastic Images they only are apparent Promoted by desperate hope And the need to share it

"The Biggest Killer In American History" K..k..k..killer K..k..k..killer You have got your stranglers and prowlers in soft shoes. Furniture makers, carpenters too Bombers and commandos, all with some lost cause Disgruntled workers, immersed in "veritás" But stealthily, in the land of the free, it's lurking right there, most are unaware of The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history And God shed his grace on thee Business institutions, universities Both are quite the circus when the killer wants his way I think of Edward Teller and his moribund reprise Then I look to Nevada and I can't believe my eyes

It's time for him to die! Most cannot remember minutia learned in school It's not there on the blackboard, it's what they don't tell you We have got a problem, it starts and ends right here It can be defeated but you've got to face your fear We'll join and unite and steady our sight Then we'll put it right 'cuz it's time to fight The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history The biggest killer in American history And God shed his grace on thee

"No Substance" History doesn't make something right Consensus is not a fact-based exercise You're tied and bound to this selfindulgent enterprise... We call America A brush with a star, a token of love A name in the sand, enough is enough A diet of air, a face on the net A fish your palm, your television set Once you convince yourself The universe falls into place You've got your ideas And your posse of friends You all make up rules And the fun never ends But still there's a problem that leaves you gasping for air You look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there And still water stales a soft summer breeze

You cling to your hopes while your drop to your knees There's no substance Once you convince yourself The universe falls into place You've got your ideas And your posse of friends You all make up rules And the fun never ends But still there's a problem that leaves you gasping for air You look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there And still water stales a soft summer breeze You cling to your hopes while your drop to your knees There's no substance

"Raise Your Voice" Featuring Campino from Die Toten Hosen fa fa fafa fa fa fafa Raise Your Voice! Don't be played like someone else's board game Don't be classed out like some desolate redoubt Don't be misled you've got alot on your head And nobody's gonna pay attention when you are dead So: fa fa fafa fa fa fafa Raise Your Voice! It's the primary rule, you gotta wanna be fooled It's our daunted restraint that keeps us silent in shame It's our nature to be adversarial and free Our evolution didn't hinge on passivity fa fa fafa fa fa fafa Raise Your Voice!

"Sowing The Seeds Of Utopia" We all know politicians only go Just half-way there

Just half-way there The innocence of youth needs protection not abuse But no one seems to care Yet no one seems to care And you sit there adn watch the world go around From your pseudo-benevolent vantage point While we who've been left to pick up after you Try our best to make some sense for those who Come next Now what have you done to foster the truth Besides just hide hide the lies? Besides just hide hide the lies? A selfish campaign never justifies the gain But the means are verified Yeah the means are verified And you sit there and insist you are right From your popular psychological podium While those who rely and depend on you They wilt because you don't accept we need Each other Whule sowing the seeds of Utopia, You invoked a convenient amnesia You forgot how to care, you forgot how to provide, You forgot how to work toward a meaningful life

"The Hippy Killers" Our Apocalypse 1981 Teenage vagrants looking for some fun A renewed promise of prosperity A vulgar platform for the world to see We were The hippy killers Busted refuse from broken homes Pocked flesh and malicious bones

Creatures sustained by desire, heart, and soul Nothing to leave and nowhere to go We were The hippy killers Good days during horrible times Overused bodies, neglected minds Shoulder to shoulder we formed as one The next miserable generation We were The hippy killers

"The State Of The End Of The Millenium Adress" Neighbours, nobody loves you like we do. Neighbors, your government has triumphed in finally making you a public fit for the 21st century. Never before has a governing body shown so much concern for the economic well-being of its subjects. Today we have insulated you from countless factions who threathens your financial viability; such as the poor; the idealistic foreigners still clinging to their childish notions of social welfare; why, you're even kept uninformed of useless propagandist journalism that reports alleged violations of human rights (We all know they wouldn't have been punished if they hadn't been doing something wrong!!). And who better to dispens such blantently evident factoids but a self-appointed authority like myself?

Acid Rain is a thing of the past... Too many possible causes, too little signifigance for our modern thinking public, besides industrial manufacturing is at an all time low anyway, who needs those narrow minded laborers anyway. Too many mouths to feed, and to many burden on the pay roll! Who needs 'em? Here in the land of the free-time. Someother ass back-ward country will give us what we need by exploiting its uneducated children. The Internet has expanded our ability to pacify average americans better than ever by offering fantastical adventures to every corner of the imagination. Your home office is the window to your world, and the heart of your social life. Such reclusive behaviour helps clear the roads and public works from overburden like the lower middle-class and others who depend shamelessly on their government. Today you are freer than ever to do what you want, provided you can pay for it! Remeber, the first word in USA is US We have arrived neighbours, we are the priviliged elite!

"The Voracious March Of Godliness" Since the start of the 17th century There's been the scent of unseasoned wood burning in the air And the conquest of nature meant nothing at all While we betray exception we take all that is there Motives are transcluent in the reflection of shame

The actions ghostly remnants of our ancestral ways And unwittingly, you just take your place in this parade The voracious march of godliness makes us all the same anyway Since the dawn of our human family There's been concentrated sepsis blowing in the breeze And we turned on each other with ferocity Desperation, forced, without reprieve But the missions were misguided and the trammeled led astray The air resounds with thunder as the victors seized the day And the haunting voice of history lives ignored but not betrayed The voracious march of godliness will get us close to heaven one day

"Mediocre Minds" Look around the country, an abundance you'll find of Mediocre minds Sift trough the fodder as the sane justice declines because of Mediocre minds Shrouded under cover, the most flamboyant guise hides a Mediocre mind You got yours but you can never bend mine with your Mediocre minds When the cry foul you had better watch out becaus you never know which aptitude they'r griping about Don't act too smart for their stenoscopic ways You'll be discarded away Reason's not to be what the privileged define with their Mediocre minds So many sighted people act so helplessly Blind from their Mediocre minds

If you want attention then you will be asked to bend but the surest insurrection is enlightenment Then you can live outside inharmoniously An enemy They wanna keep me locked away `Cuz I'm an overactive brain Leaders, presidents and the nightly news guys cater to Mediocre minds Reason's not to be what the privileged define with their Mediocre minds You got yours but you can never bend mine with your Mediocre minds The only natural thing that I despise are Mediocre minds

"Victims Of The Revolution" What will prove to be our big mistake? Short-sighted arrogance all for what sake? Our families to ashes, our ambitions to dust Our progeny in silence thinking "what about us?" But don't forget The dance of neglect The march for empowering prosperity The pain from loss and want for mere lucidity Just maternal residue, and I was there too And maybe so were you When something is won it comes with sacrifice It's there beneath the joy, the glory, and pride And rarely it's acknowledged but in positive light Consciously omitting the losers plight But don't forget The dance of neglect The craving for community that never was met

The longing for status and the overture of regret With no one to deter, pathetically unsure Forgetting who they were

"Strange Denial" A mutinous enemy carved a nascent country Sweat, blood, and valor Forms the grit of our history Beqeathed to everyone: Chance and free expression Substance was restrained And the spirit was broken I feel a strange denial Rythmic as a change Constance as time Lonely Insistent whispers Somber as a wave bye bye Searching for solution, without constitution Blackcoats by our sides Promising salvation Advocating dogma as tickets to hereafter Mortals in their prime With their desperate hands in the air Daunting Complex and burning Rythmic as change Constant as time Conflicts Craving approval Weighted as a murder trial Oh I feel a strange denial Correct is Consensus Everything else, nonsense

Forward is the hope Forget recompense Peace and tranquility is only for the wealthy Dearth for the massses And inequality I feel a strange denial Rythmic as change Constant as time Lonely Insistent whispers Dissipating in the night Like a lone forgotten light And no one is helping me It's a strange denial

"At The Mercy Of Imbeciles" What you do is what you are And wishing upon distant stars Won't improve the hole you're in Won't absolve your deepest sin But action is no gift from some covert and lofty god It's dependant and weighty all the same And it is oh so easy just to keep to yourself But then you're at the mercy of imbeciles Now I didn't make up the rules But clearly we are led by fools It is wise to know their ways So you know how not to behave But sometimes we find ourselves in desperate need And we look to those with privilege and power It's then we learn compassion sits inert on their shelves We're at the mercy of imbeciles NO Actions is no gift from some masked spirit in the sky It's reducible to flesh, mind, and bone

And it is oh so easy just to keep to yourself But then you're at the mercy of imbeciles Imbeciles Imbeciles IMBECILES

We're not the same person We're not the same person (Don't even wanna know) Wooohhh

"The Same Person"

I can see the shadows on the wall Drifting as the leaves start to fall Unfazed by rugosity, the objects yield to gravity And depict the destiny of us all No one really knows why we die No one gets a break so we try Ignoring mortality, we worship mediocrity And wait to see what happens up on high In so many ways we live to follow the sun In so many ways we exalt and fail as one In so many ways we want so bad to be done In so many ways we show our pain in unison Something in you is busy counting the days Catapulting you trough the haze Blind to virtuosity, ignorant of your sanctity, Revealing you, in so many ways In so many ways we live to follow the sun In so many ways we exalt and fail as one In so many ways we want so bad to be done In so many ways we show our pain in uniso

You want prosperity For yourself, but not for me Somehow you just can't see We're in this collectively You think that freedom is A drastic severance From your past relations Just a quest for new bargains We're not the same person We're not the same person (Don't even wanna know) Wooohhh Don't need no good advice Nor shoddy merchandise I'm the suspect device Beaten down, unable to strike We're not the same person We're not the same person (Don't even wanna know) Wooohhh And the sun comes over us again We lament, we pine, and we rescind And we ask for understanding But arent't we the stingy ones indeed When it's needed from us in the end? We watch the days go by Compete and then we die So few ever ask why But so many just abuse the design

"In So Many Ways"

"The New America" (2000)

"You've Got A Chance"

a rhapsody! contestants in disguise a nation of desire but who will win the prize? the people stand united, reluctantly aligned copying and lying are the favorite past-time you've got a chance to confront the world today desperate romance is the curse of castaways what good is skill if you don't make it to the dance? despite circumstance you've got a chance common life, depicted on afternoon tv, is spiked to give the miserable a vogue identity hate your neighbors, cheat your friends, they don't discriminate popularity and fame don't care if you're a reprobate I'm tired of all this shakespearean misinformation I want to win the game you've got the right intentions but who's got time to think? you've got a noon appointment, you've got to hit the links you're talking in the stratosphere, you're curled up on the floor with such a wealth of information, why are you so poor?

you've got a chance to be relevant today desperate romance is the curse of castaways what good is skill if you don't make it to the dance? (don't you believe what the wise men have to say) despite circumstance you've got a chance

"It's A Long Way To The Promise Land" it's a long way to the promise land so you'd better well know your way where's a ship on the ocean and an albatross who is trying to lead you astray leaders, politicians, and power whores are in line to receive your choice and you bet your ass, if you give it to them, they will gladly take your voice and it's a long way to the promise land wo-oh oh oh oh it's a long way to the promise land, if we work we might find it here there's no substitute for enlightenment, there's no reason for bridled fear when you join the people who've joined the club you gotta clench and play your hand cuz if you fall in line you're gonna fall in time and you'll never make a stand it's a long way to the promise land wo-oh oh oh oh what are you going to do? when they call for you?

bend and capitulate? or keep your head on straight? easy answers bought without experience, is gonna lead you to certain doom because the truth is just what you make of it, it begins and ends with you! and it's a long way to the promise land wo-oh oh oh oh

"A World Without Melody" I don't want to live in a world without melody sometimes the rhythmic din of society is too much for me but purpose is prioritized these days, the goal is win the prize there's a sleeping resonance we hold, through which we're unified so let it out! don't just get lost in the crowd no one can deter you from your own path there's no trip too remote from which you can't come back and I've got this hunch about you and me none of us are ready for a world without melody melody is the key, it's the surest way to unlock your individuality melody is the key, it will set you free! don't disrelish harmony, community will make you whole work and understanding are the chords way deep within your soul

they only need to be struck once, and the vibrations swell and spread but if we mute them they decay, our sensibilities are dead so let it out! don't just be one of the crowd hesitance and diffidence will do you in and your soul doesn't care for social medicine and I've got this hunch about you and me none of us are ready for a world without melody melody is the key, it's the surest way to unlock your individuality melody is the key, it will set you free! and I know, together we could change the world just you and me but I won't live without melody

"New America" do you know the cost of future misery? have you lost your sense of sustainability? we are just a step away from realizing what we strive to be but we've got to break out from this insulated blind and lame senility wake up the new america wo-oh! transcend the mass hysteria wo-oh! change is the thing you're wary of

wo-oh! we need a new america wo-oh! laurels, human triumph, bestowments from the past victories don't mean a thing if they don't last we are just marching toward extinction with blinders on our eyes jeopardizing everything we've learned and come to realize you call that wise? open your eyes america wo-oh! see through the lies they tell to us wo-oh! confront the fears that worry us wo-oh! we need a new america wo-oh! we don't have to be afraid to re-invent we've got to start to build, progress, and implement for when we take our fill, and never pay the price we only build ourselves a fleeting, false paradise you can live in staunch denial and mark me as your enemy but I'm just a voice among the throng who want a brighter destiny they say with me we are the new america wo-oh!

this is the new america? wo-oh

"1000 Memories" you were the one, you were my everything never apart, no one in-between then one day, when you went your own way you felt justified, and I was mortified but today... you are just a picture and a thousand memories is all I take with me cuz your smile is just too much to see you're just a thousand memories fantasies, broken dreams reveries, sordid histories following my heart, laden with reaction, without calibration or design committed to a trial, a life of understanding can't somebody show a sign to you? for me, to see if you only knew that you were the one... cuz a picture is worth one thousand memories

"A Streetkid Named Desire"

well, it was punk-fifteen in the morning and it was time to stand my ground and as the gawks and stares bombarded me you know, I didn't even hear a sound no one gave a damn if I was there or away if I died and went to hell, they'd throw a party on my grave and they'd all say, "this kid is just a fool, he'll never be cool, they might as well just ship him off to some other school" plain destitute just a little too guilty, just a little too soon that day was just like any other day no work, and no pay I knew that paradise was some other place and I'd get there another day I will find it before I expire cuz I've got the desire well, it was punk-fifteen in the evening and it was time to set the town on fire I saw my boots and my hair, as reflected in the mirror, reveal a streetkid named desire I didn't give a damn because I was just dying to be and as the hollywood street scene left its mark on me I changed from a boy into a man I said "never again!" I stuck out my chin when I should have ran shit in the fan

I was driven so hard by the sound of my heart when the walls surround in deeper shades of blue and there's no voice of reason inside you and you search for meaning on an empty shelf then you're always dreaming of somewhere else today is just like any other day no fear, no restraint I know that paradise is some other place and I will get there another day you can come with me, no conditions or fares somehow, somewhere, I will find it before I expire, cuz I've got the desire

"Whisper In Time" all those stories that my dad told me, they are just a whisper in time all those things that never came to be, they are just a whisper in time a whisper in time, a whisper in time things that I can't shake from my mind a whisper in time, a whisper in time moments that just flicker and die all those places I wanted to go, they are just a whisper in time all those friends who now I do not know, they are just a whisper in time

a whisper in time, a whisper in time moments I can't shake from my mind a whisper in time, a whisper in time memories that flicker and die maps and roads that brought me here today, they are just a whisper in time circumstances that were explained away, they are just a whisper in time a whisper in time, a whisper in time things that I can't shake from my mind a whisper in time, a whisper in time moments that just flicker and die because we are messengers of memory, just whispers in time.

"Believe It" it could happen to you, a defect from the wasted outskirts of los angeles with a crumpled-up pass for the RTD and no authority or trajectory on the brink of insanity you'd better believe it because it's written all over your face just a neighborhood reject, out of step and out of place you'd better believe it would you ever have thought persistence could prevail against the almost

unbearable weight of the system? with nothing better to do, and no one else who you can look up to you'd better believe it because it's written all over your face a political defect, out of step and out of place you'd better believe it and the future is bright when ideas run astray so turn out the light, a punk can't have a say sometimes desire is all that's there who said life was fair?

"I Love My Computer" I love my computer you make me feel alright every waking hour and every lonely night I love my computer for all you give to me predictable errors and no identity and it's never been quite so easy I've never been quite so happy all I need to do is click on you and we'll be joined in the most soul-less way and we'll never ever ruin each other's day cuz when I'm through I just click and you just go away I love my computer you're always in the mood

I get turned on when I turn on you I love my computer you never ask for more you can be a princess or you can be my whore and it's never been quite so easy I've never been quite so happy the world outside is so big but it's safe in my domain because to you I'm just a number and a clever screen name all I need to do is click on you and we'll be together for eternity and no one is ever gonna take my love from me because I've got security, her password and a key

"The Hopeless Housewife" oh me oh my get out of your 1950's fantasy, your face shines with misery transparently spew out that sobering half-assed victim rhetoric make 'em all squirm while they chew on it it's a secret handshake and a passing wink of the eye as the witches bridge club weekly meets to pen the tail on the sly but they never ask "why oh why don't we raise our voices to the sky?"

instead you're mute and fawn just waiting to die like some kind of hopeless housewife but you can change while you're alive and let 'em all know at least you tried to kill the demons inside oh me oh my damn your transcendental paralysis, we can work together and make sense of this don't be so sure you can chuck it all away you've got to proceed no matter how bad you want to stay it's a natural cause and a comfort zone there in your head and the world turns away as you tap the snooze button in bed but nobody can hear a word you said your history was never read instead you're mute and fawn just waiting to die like some kind of hopeless housewife but you can change while you're alive and let 'em all know at least you tried to kill the demons inside

"There Will Be A Way" shut your eyes, see the future's distant shore march ahead more enlightened than before and there's sure to be bumps

and distractions but I know we'll get through there will be me, there will be you there will be a way unresolved repercussions from your life fortified with the vitriol of strife and you can be gridlocked by predictions, but you're wise grab the prize then revise, realize there will be a way hey... ho and I don't know where we are going but we're here on this ride and we'll stand side by side all along the way follow me to the future's distant shore vagary needn't haunt us anymore and now it's time to set the agenda, learn the past, make it last share the wealth, hold your fire, conserve life, make it right kill the hate, negotiate there will be a way there will be a way there will be a way

"Let It Burn" let your mind wander, look beyond the shadows focus on the skyline, read the silhouettes your deepest desires are a picture of tomorrow all your darkest fears

are just a vestige of regret and it's wo-oh oh oh it seems like such a long way to go as obstacles get bigger, prevailing winds blow stronger and the fire continues to grow don't let shallow water limit your perception heed the new horizon, muster to it fast the moments of your yesterdays are in the wake behind you you can't assess the future if you're living in the past keep it stoked! if you are committed to a life of understanding then there's no agenda for vengeance in your life sharpen all your senses, face the opposition you can overcome with fortitude and mental might the fire continues to grow, in your soul so be bold, let it grow don't let it die let it burn!

"Don't Sell Me Short" we don't need any more mountains because the trail builders failed to give us passage there so we can't reach the sky we don't need any more failure

there is human tragedy that's written everywhere and we are all too young to die like a mystery that's here to stay some people never go away cuz they've got something to say don't sell me short! you've been wrong too long don't brush me off just because I don't belong like it or not I'm all you've got, dispose when I'm shot just don't sell me short, I might not be who you thought we don't need any more fables because the writers have passed and left us lessonless and we must find our own way we don't need any more privilege there is vivid desperation that is powerless that no surplus can repay like the fix of rapture in a trance oh, fates are sealed by circumstance so you've got to take a chance don't sell me short! you've been wrong too long don't brush me off just because I don't belong pass me on by, ignore my cry, forget me when I die just don't sell me short, not while I'm still alive everybody's talking about heaven on earth, I'm still trying to figure out

just what I'm worth I'm full of emotion and stuff you can't contain and you just want to flush me down the drain but you can't make me go away

"The Fast Life" The silent stray inertia No burden on my back No determinance, no ballast No chance of looking back It doesn't matter what's ahead It's time I'll hit it hard No fixing my position No sign of retard It's the fast life There's nothing I can do The fast life Suck it in and follow through The fast life Just learning as I go You might call it careless but this fast life is all I've ever known Like a wispy feather Defying gravity Or a rolling cobble in the middle of the stream Propelled by a ghost force that never shows his face Increase the ante

of this perpetual pace It's the fast life There's nothing I can do The fast life Suck it in and follow through The fast life Just learning as I go You might call it careless but this fast life is all I've ever known Ever since the day I came out of the womb my head was always bouncing off the walls in the room Always scratching gravel covering new ground No matter how hard they tried they couldn't pin me down It's just the fast life There's nothing I can do The fast life Suck it in and follow through The fast life Just learning as I go You might call it careless but this fast life is all I've ever known Yeah it's all I've ever known

"Queen Of The 21st Century"

From the time she could crawl She was all draped in macramé She was preen and redeemed In a church that tried to show the way She was taught to never ask for more They had no idea of what she had in store She's the queen of the 21st century Just a ghost of what her parents thought a little girl should be Analog heart, analog nerves, analog brain But a fixture of the digital domain Woh... From the time she could read She could see that there was urgency No debate, just a spate of ignorance in a splintering community She could never meet their expectations Then she came to symbolize the nation She's the queen of the 21st century Just a shell of what her parents thought a little girl should be Steeped in spite, coddled in fear, drenched in novelty Oh but masterful of sensual technology Oh... She's the queen She's the queen No rules in her empire She's the queen Just libido and desire She's a lean, mean fighting machine The stuff for modern media lore And she always knows the score

She's the queen of the 21st century Just a ghost of what her parents thought a little girl should be Fallen star, brack and brew (black and blue?), broken hearts, wasted youth Rusted cars, twisted roots, mental scars, the ugly truth Oh... She's the queen of the 21st century [2x] And she's a modern day romantic, a walking controversy She's the queen of the 21st century [3x] She's the queen

album: "The Process Of Belief" (2002) "Supersonic" Well, am I making haste, or could it be haste is making me? What's time but a thing to kill or keep or buy or lose or live in? I gotta go faster, keep up the pace, Just to stay in the human race.

I could go supersonic; the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion. I won't lie (pace setters, go-getters); It's exciting (rat racers, forgetters) When I try (researchers, berserkers) To decide things (strategies to help the workers). I just want to live (new time-saving devices) Decently (quick vices, note crisis), Meaningfully (brevity, dependency). I'm in misery (digital efficiency). I could go supersonic; the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion. Into oblivion.

I could go supersonic; the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion.

"Prove It"

Into oblivion.

My heart is not a cold cauldron of proof. I don't ever need to prove myself to you. No.

Now, here I go again; everything is alien. How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change? My deeds are senseless and rendered meaningless When measured in the vein.

Hit the road in wander mode; inquire along the way. Savoir faire in full despair while living day to day.

Looking back, I'm off the tracks more times than I recognize. Mistakes are another opportunity to refine.

My heart is not a cold cauldron of proof. I don't ever need to prove myself to you.

Let's set this straight (let's set this straight). I never wait.

There's no such thing as hell, But you can make it if you try. There might come a day When emotion can be quantified.

And I can't stop (can't stop), can't stop it. (Can't stop) Can't stop (can't stop). Can't stop; it's shocking, but I just can't stop it. That's right.

But as of now, there's no proof necessary. No proof necessary. No proof necessary. There's no proof necessary.

"Broken"

It's only in your mind, mind, mind, your mind.

"Can't Stop It" I'm incurable but durable; it's easy to see. Lack of restraint is a complaint of those around me. I know that others postpone Gratification while I lack that affectation. Let's get it right (let's get it right). There's no end in sight. And I can't stop (can't stop), can't stop it. (Can't stop) Can't stop (can't stop). Can't stop; it's shocking, but I just can't stop it. That's right. Uncontrollable, I'm inconsolable. My pleasure centre is the shelter for a reptile. I hate when I gotta tolerate Frustration; see, I lack the motivation.

She said, thanks but I'm broken. I guess you must've misspoken. What a laugh; I've never been chosen by anyone. She was barely a teen, hanging out in between, Just a part of the scene. With mercurial smile and incurable style, She was only a dream. How's that? He didn't know a thing about Making love to the kind of girl you read about. He said, I'm bound to be broken. My daddy bet that I'd amount to nothing. He won't let anybody show him anything. He was a troubled child, had been down for a while, Always kept to himself. No, she couldn't defend; he only wanted a friend. Now he's made something else. It's so sad; no one saw it coming. The paper said that he hit the ground running. Oh yeah; I know I'm not broken.

A little cracked, but still I'm not broken. I wanna laugh, but I think that I'm choking on reality.

Are they waiting for you in the by and by? Do you even have to try?

When the world is turning for you, don’t turn on me. Who are you here to repair? Well, I don't know what you mean. You could never resist glorifying despair. And now it's coming to you and I don't really care.

Headed for eternity and destined for nothing. The future isn't difficult to see. (It's easy) To confuse grand design with life's repercussions. Lament not your vanquished fantasy.

Well, I'm not the kind to insist; you couldn't have missed. We must coexist. So please listen to me; there is no such thing As human debris.

It's only destiny.

Oh yeah; I know I'm not broken. A little cracked, but Dad, I'm not so nothing. I wanna laugh; I'm not joking. I'm unbroken (oh yeah; I said I'm unbroken). I said I'm unbroken (a little cracked; it's just a token). I'm really not broken (what a gas; I'm unbroken).

"Destined For Nothing" Ya hey! Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa. Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Who do you believe can put some meaning in your life? Meaning in your life, meaning in your life. Who do you conceive to provide you guidance and light? Guidance and light, guidance and light.

Why do you consent to live in ignorance and fear? Ignorance and fear, ignorance and fear. Ancient people succumbed to it; can it happen here? Can it happen here? Can it happen here? Does it make you suffer 'cause you have to die? Is it best to live a lie? Headed for eternity and destined for nothing. The future isn't difficult to see. (It's easy) To confuse grand design with life's repercussions. Lament not your vanquished fantasy. It's only destiny. Why can't you see? There ain't no destiny For you and me. There ain't no destiny. (Why can't you see?) Why can't you see? (There ain't no destiny) There ain't no destiny (Why can't you see?) For you and me. (There ain't no destiny) There ain't no destiny, no.

Headed for eternity and destined for nothing. The future isn't difficult to see. (It's easy) To confuse grand design with life's repercussions. Lament not your vanquished fantasy.

mend a life That's shattered into shards.

It's only destiny.

The process of belief is an elixir when you're weak. I must confess, at times, I indulge it on the sneak, But generally, my outlook's not so bleak (and I'm not meek).

Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa. Whoa. Whoa, whoa.

"Materialist" You're obsessed and distressed 'cause you can't make any sense Of the ludicrous nonsense and incipient senescence That will deem your common sense useless. This ain't no recess. I wanna believe in you, but my plan keeps falling through. I know I have to face the harshness, grin and bear the truth. And I have to walk this mile in my own shoes (but I'm no fool). I'm materialist, a full-blown realist. I guess I'm full of doubt, so I'm prone to have it out With you.

Was it in the cards?

I'm materialist; call me a humanist. I guess I'm full of doubt, so I'll gladly have it out With you. I'm materialist; I ain't no deist. It's there for all to see, so don't talk of hidden mystery With me. Like Rome under Nero, our future's one big zero, Recycling the past to meet immediate needs. And through it all, we amble forth with persevere and climb Our mountains of regret to sow our seeds. I'm materialist; I'm materialist. I'm materialist; I'm materialist.

"Kyoto Now!"

I'm materialist; there ain't no fear in this. It's here for all to see, so don't talk of hidden mystery With me.

It's a matter of prescience; no, not the science fiction kind. It's all about ignorance and greed and miracles for the blind. The media parading disjointed politics, Founded on petrochemical plunder, and we're its hostages.

Mind over matter; it really don't matter If the street's idle chatter turns your heartstrings to tatters. Flatter hopes don't flatter and soul batter won't congeal to

If you stand to reason, you're in the game. The rules may be elusive, but our pieces are the same. And you know, if one goes down, we all go down as well.

The balance is precarious, as anyone can tell. This world's going to hell.

This mythologic hopeful monster isn't worth the risk. Kyoto now. We can't have vision for the future if it can't be fixed.

Don't allow This mythologic hopeful monster to exact its price. Kyoto now. We can't do nothing and think someone else will make it right.

Alien. We need a fresh and new religion to run our lives. Hand in hand. The arid torpor of inaction will be our demise.

You might not think it matters now, but what if you are wrong? You might not think there's any wisdom in a fucked-up punk rock song. But the way it is cannot persist for long. A brutal sun is rising on a sick horizon.

Oh. Kyoto now.

It's in the way we live our lives, Exactly like the double edge of a cold familiar knife. And supremacy weighs heavy on the day. It's never really what you owned but what you threw away. And how much did you pay? Don't allow This mythologic hopeful monster to exact its price. Kyoto now. We can't do nothing and think someone else will make it right. In your dreams, You saw a steady state of bounty for eternity. Silent scream, But now the wisdom that sustains us is in full retreat. Watch-o! Don't allow.

"Sorrow" Father, can you hear me? How have I let you down? I curse the day that I was born And all the sorrow in this world. Let me take you to the hurting ground, Where all good men are trampled down Just to settle a bet that could not be won Between a prideful father and his son. Will you guide me now? For I can't see A reason for the suffering and this long misery. What if every living soul could be upright and strong? Well then I do imagine... There will be (sorrow). Yeah, there will be (sorrow). And there will be sorrow no more. When all soldiers lay their weapons down, Or when all kings and all queens relinquish their crowns,

Or when the only true Messiah rescues us from ourselves, It's easy to imagine... There will be (sorrow). Yeah, there will be (sorrow). And there will be sorrow no more. There will be (sorrow). Yeah, there will be (sorrow). And there will be sorrow no more. Yeah, there will be (sorrow). Yeah, there will be (sorrow). And there will be sorrow no more.

"Epiphany" A new age of reason, Brain treason to trick the mind. What good is searching If nothing's there to find? We arrive at this place Of no return, my brothers, Only to discover that our minds have led us away, So far from the painful truth of who we are. What's right is wrong; what's come has gone. What's clear and pure is not so sure. It came to me. All promises become a lie. All that's benign corrupts in time. The fallacy...

Of epiphany. Come forth, bear witness. See the profit from your loss. Beg for forgiveness, Only after you tally the cost. We arrive at this place Of no return, my sisters, Only to discover that our values ran us aground, On the shoal, in the sea of what we could be. What's right is wrong; what's come has gone. What's clear and pure is not so sure. It came to me. All promises become a lie. All that's benign corrupts in time. The fallacy... Of epiphany. If it's real for me, do I have to prove it to you? Why do revelations fade to cold blue untruths? It's oh so relative, Subservient in total to one's perspective, yeah. What's right is wrong; what's come has gone. What's clear and pure is not so sure. It came to me. All promises become a lie. All that's benign corrupts in time. The fallacy...

Of epiphany.

"Evangeline" She came from heaven; well, there's no point belabouring that. I've seen some trouble and I must admit that I'm in demand. I confront rejection with magnetic good intentions, and yet, Hey Jack! Get back! In fact, don't do that.

Evangeline, conspirator so fine, Lend me your faith, 'cause mine is broken. Compared to mine, what is your crime, Evangeline?

"The Defense"

I act sharp but feel uncertain, 'Cause next time (it could be curtains).

Nothing comes easier than madness in the world today. Mass paranoia is a mode, not a malady. Yeah, I'd like to watch all thousand cable channels, but there's nothing on. And my high-speed connection's monitored daily by the pentagon.

Evangeline (Evangeline), conspirator so fine, Lend me your faith, 'cause mine is broken. Compared to mine, what is your crime, Evangeline?

These things are seldom what they seem. I'm not inclined to enjoy my dreams. Won't go away.

Now, just to be certain, let's be sure to set the record straight. I could use an angel, but I don't intend to split up the take. Never go for treason, but I got reasons that don't warrant debate. My act's intact and, in fact, you're not all that.

(No peace) No peace, (and no friends) no friends. (We trace) We trace the mortal edge (with no defence). To state the obvious, This world is perilous for us.

You act sure but you're uncertain, 'Cause next time (it could be curtains). Evangeline (Evangeline), conspirator so fine, Lend me your faith, 'cause mine is broken. Compared to mine, what is your crime, Evangeline? Well, there's no use turning back. (No use turning back.) It's already much too late When the house is burning.

No sense (no sense) and no guide (no guide). Ain't it beautiful to be alive? (Yeah, right.) I won't resign before the struggle ends, So I'll construct this sound defence. We are the prey and culture is the predator. I'm running out of time where conditions are positional. Shadows of a doubt cast reluctance and depravity. There's gotta be a way to overcome this grim reality. Is there an option left for me? I'm not immune to despondency. There's no way.

(No peace) No peace, (and no friends) no friends. (We trace) We trace the mortal edge (with no defence). To state the obvious, This world is perilous for us. No sense (no sense) and no guide (no guide). Ain't it beautiful to be alive? (Yeah, right.) I won't resign before the struggle ends, So I'll construct this sound defence. There's a signpost on the corner And it keeps everybody safe. We were all made in the shade. And your mother's in the kitchen, Where she's patching all the cracks in the wall. We never had a care in the world. Oh. (No shade) Too much to sacrifice, (no light) it's hard to recognize. (Just black) Traps to compromise (and white), obscuring deadly alibis. (My plans) It's combinational (designs), the pressure's so intense, So I'll construct this sound defence. (No way) Nothing's plainer than the madness in the world today. (No sign) I must conceal myself and steal myself and break away. (No grace) I seek initiative in matters that are black and white, (No sense) So I'll construct this sound defence.

"The Lie" How do you know what you can be If you can't see where you are going? What breaks the silence, misery Can make you see where you belong. It's a dangerous stage, but the show must go on. Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Would you betray your soul? Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Don't let your weakness show. You just might be the last to know. Freedom is such a loaded word, So full of hurt and such aplomb. Loneliness saunters in its breeze. Like a disease, it drags along. The time of your life can't be had for a song. Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Would you betray your soul? Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Don't let your weakness show. You just might be the last to know. Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Would you betray your soul? Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Don't let your weakness show.

Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Only the meek follow. Why do you lie? Why do you lie? Trample the fear below.

Wendy went to school while her daddy shot smack. Eugene kept a list; Mugger was security. Mary, she kept her purity. We were all in it together.

You just might be the last to know.

"You Don't Belong" Hey you, Is there something worth aspiring to? And can it be found in a record store? Well, it's not there anymore. Just think of all the things we did. We were different, just like all the other kids. Missy was a teen blue video star. Tom took his life in his mother's car. Milo went to college, but you knew about that. Rodney played our record; GG started riots. Laurie was always quiet. She was battling depression. Hey you, Is there something worth belonging to? And can I pick it up for a song Or a diploma or a worthy cause? Well, let me tell you that there's nothing wrong. It's just that ones like us will never belong. Jack wore a skirt but he knew how to scrap. Billy went to county on a class-one possession.

Yellowed postcards on the wall Serve to cover up a blankness after all. So I will carry them along, Like a song, when I'm gone, yeah. Hey you, Is there something worth belonging to? You know, we've been here all along, Like a confederacy of the wrong. And I confess, it could be prejudice, But to you I dedicate this song. Yeah, you.

"Bored And Extremely Dangerous" With nothing better to do, No one to come home to, I woefully conclude To take it out on you. I'm bored to the extreme. This world of foolish dreams. Disillusion... I am not who I seem to be. Yeah, sure, I might do harm And bear my right to arm. Retribution...

If only someone would listen to me. Whoa. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me. A room, an empty shelf. A book on mental health. I look for inner wealth By punishing myself. I'm bored to the extreme. This world of foolish dreams. Disillusion... I am not who I seem to be. Yeah, sure, I might do harm And bare my right to arm. Retribution... If only someone would listen to me. Whoa. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to me.

"Shattered Faith" The scientist purported that there ain't no purpose and the theologian told me that it's all been designed

and I'm trying to maintain objectivity The world won't illuminate what really matters and I'm an imperfect moral meaning extractor processing the complexity Born of the Earth (Are we blind?) We weren't given a choice (There's no way) What about free will? (What we have) Do we have a voice? (Is shattered faith) See them run in place (Here and now) in the human rat race (No reward) So much dead weight (No debate) to our disgrace (Is shattered faith) Life begins when you accept your fate Paralysis from forces raging out of control until my confidence and will are at an all-time low Wow! Just directionless wandering Eternal life, eternal truth, eternal secrets Isolated hopes and hypotheses just Leave me feeling so hungry Born of the Earth (Are we blind?) We weren't given a choice (There's no way) What about free will? (What we have) Do we have a voice? (Is shattered faith) See them run in place (Here and now) in the human rat race (No reward) So much dead weight (No debate) to our disgrace (Is shattered faith) Life begins when you accept your fate Right or wrong, the main criterion

is what you do and not what you say The roads you take, the friends you make and those you throw away

All connections to the permanent are burning The pedestal gets in the way And cannot withstand our honest scrutiny

The method is a simple synthesis of the past and present state You never lose if the path you choose is one you can easily navigate

Better than who we are with mania or standing for or dead against Better than holiness and candy aisles of loneliness and sweet revenge

I had a dream, light and carefree But now there's doubt and gravity

Do you feel the chill of December In the rioting of Spring? And are we made of something better than clay? A leap, a fight, a secret rite, The lonely quest for meaning and the universe is dreaming

But I won't run in place (Are we blind?) in the human rat race (There's no way) I can set the pace (What we have) and accept my fate (Is shattered faith) Shattered faith (Here and now) Shattered faith (No reward) the part of me (No debate) I can't erase (Is shattered faith!)

"Who We Are" It's cold again it looks like rain A procession of humanity, strikingly simian Saunters by, I can't explain Why it's troubling to see them so Better than who we are with mania and yearning for and learning from Better than holiness and candy aisles of loneliness and sweet revenge A cigarette, a memory

Better than who we are with mania and yearning for and learning from Better than holiness and candy aisles of loneliness and sweet revenge

album: "The Empire Strikes First" (2004)

"Sinister Rouge" Innocents burned, alive at the stake, Tortured and dumped in nameless graves. Centuries waned, authority died, Scattering seeds of ancient lies. Sinister rouge, coming back for more, To even the score. Sinister rouge, coming back for more,

To even the score. Child molesters and Jesuits, Holding secret conference Underneath the pontiff's nose And only God will ever know. Sinister rouge, coming back for more, To even the score. Sinister rouge, coming back for more, To even the score. Give us this day our daily bread. Your legacy we'll not forget. Lick the wounds, cleanse the land, The modern world rejects Your hand. Sinister rouge, coming back for more, To even the score. Sinister rouge, coming back for more, To even the score. Sinister rouge, Sinister rouge, Sinister rouge, The nightmare

sinister rouge. sinister rouge. sinister rouge. comes in sinister rouge.

"Social Suicide" Right now, well it's finally time to face my fears. Gonna get the hell out of here And create a fresher atmosphere, But the consequence is clear. There's a furnace set on high

And a yearning undefined. But it's time to turn the tide, It's social suicide. Like you, perseverance is a useless tool, Just a patron on a ship of fools, Feigning interest in the cast and crew, Why you've broken every single rule. There's a furnace set on high And a yearning undefined. But it's time to turn the tide, It's social suicide. Shadows entertain the unwashed masses, Scholars explain their numb reactions. I don't even know if I can ever find truth But I'm sure it won't come from following you. There's a furnace set on high And a yearning undefined. But it's time to turn the tide, It's social suicide.

"Atheist Peace" Maybe it's too late for intellectual debate But a residue of confusion remains. Oh, changing with the times and developmentally tortured minds Are the average citizen's sources of pain. Yeah (tell me what we're fighting for), I don't remember anymore, Only temporary reprieve.

And the world might cease If we fail to tame the beast. From the faith that you release Comes an atheist peace. Whoa, atheist peace. Political forces rent bitter cold winds of discontent And the modern age emerged triumphantly. But now it seems we've stalled and it's time to de-evolve And relive the dark chapters of history. Yeah (tell me what we're fighting for), No progress ever came from war; Only a false sense of increase. And the world won't wait For the truth upon a plate, But we’re ready now to feast On an atheist peace.

once again, like a bullet as a friend, tell me: can that be all there is? In my rectory of doubt, I kneel to pray like one devout, As time the great gray dreamless sleep of a useless modern god erodes away each storied day as wretched Adams with hell to pay Content upon a rail of pain for just a little rain. And everything is dearly missed, blood relations and bricks my expression, my confession, add it up, extract a lesson, more than this, once again, like a bullet as a friend, tell me: can that be all there is? There’s an endless disposition, and it doesn’t mean a goddamn thing— there’s space for a paper-airplane race in the eye of a hurricane.

Oh, atheist peace.

"All There Is" This song goes out to all the hopeless sinners, with grave allegiances, so meaningless and vain, The walking wounded in a pagent of contenders Who balance on a rail of pain for just a pail of rain And everything is barely mist, blood relations and bricks my expression, my confession, add it up, extract a lesson, more than this,

And if pigs could fly, then surely so could I, but this pedestrian knows better than to even try, and my divinity is caught between the colors of a butterfly. And everything is dearly missed, blood relations and bricks my expression, my confession, add it up, extract duress and more than this, once again, like a bullet as a friend, tell me: can that be all there is? All there is?

"Los Angeles Is Burning"

Somewhere high in the desert near a curtain of a blue St. Anne's skirts are billowing but down here in the city of the lime lights the fans of Santa Ana are withering and you can’t deny that living is easy if you never look behind the scenery it's showtime for dry climes and bedlam is dreaming of rain When the hills of Los Angeles are burning palm trees are candles in the murder wind so many lives are on the breeze even the stars are ill at ease and Los Angeles is burning This is not a test of the emergency broadcast system where Malibu fires and radio towers conspire to dance again and I cannot believe the media Mecca they're only trying to peddle reality, catch it on prime time, story at nine the whole world is going insane When the hills of Los Angeles are burning palm trees are candles in the murder wind so many lives are on the breeze even the stars are ill at ease and Los Angeles is burning A placard reads "the end of days" Jacaranda boughs are bending in the haze More a question than a curse

how could hell be any worse? The flames are stunning the cameras running so take warning When the hills of Los Angeles are burning palm trees are candles in the murder wind so many lives are on the breeze even the stars are ill at ease and Los Angeles is burning

"Let Them Eat War" there's a prophet on a mountain and he's making up dinner with long division and a riding crop anybody can feel like a winner when it's served up piping hot but the people aren't looking for a handout they're America's working corps can this be what they voted for? let them eat war [x2] that's how to ration the poor let them eat war [x2] there's an urgent need to feed declining pride from the force to the union shops the war economy is making new jobs but the people who benefit most are breaking bread with their benevolent hosts

who never stole from the rich to give to the poor all they ever gave to them was a war and a foreign enemy to deplore let them eat war [x2] that's how to ration the poor let them eat war [x2] there's an urgent need to feed declining pride we've got to kill 'em and eat 'em before they reach for their checks squeeze some blue collars let them bleed from their necks seize a few dollars from the people who sweat cause it's freedom or debt and they won't question it at a job site the boss is god like conditioned workhorses park at a stoplight seasoned vets with their feet in nets a stones throw away from a rock fight but not tonight, feed ‘em death here comes another ration (feed them death) cause they're the finest in the nation (feed them death) when there's nothing left to feed them when it's freedom or it's death let them eat war [x2] that's how to ration the poor let them eat war [x2]

Striking at mental apparitions Like a drunk on a vacant street Silently beset by the hands of time Indelicate in its fury An aberrant crack as skeletons yield To unrelenting gravity While viruses prowl for helpless victims Who succumb rapidly (Tell me!) Tell me; where is the love? In a careless creation When there’s no “above” There’s no justice Just a cause and a cure And a bounty of suffering It seems we all endure And what I’m frightened of Is that they call it “God’s love” Twisted torment, make-believe There’s a truth and we all submit “Believe my eyes,” my brain complies To all that they interpret [Chorus] I know there’s no reason for alarm But who needs perspective when it comes to pain and harm We can change our minds; there’s a better prize But first you’ve got to… [Chorus]

there's an urgent need to feed

"God's Love"

They call it God’s love My pain is God’s love

"To Another Abyss" Not long ago, and yet the image is so vague I hesitate to label it a memory There was a show of local color and I felt astray Cause I had nothing to offer but insufficiency

All gets pointed in the same direction While the human masses and their vain conceptions Obliterate each other with impunity And release the weight of history [Chorus]

And you know that it’s such a bitch When you learn to scratch that itch Of blatant fallibility Sooner to some, but eventually All gets pointed in the same direction While the human masses and their vague conceptions Obliterate each other with impunity And you wonder, “what’s in this for me?”

So long ago, so long ago…oh, I set sail And I’m struggling on the way And I’m waiting for the day (to another abyss) And I’m looking for the way back home (to another abyss) So far away (to another abyss) So far away (to another abyss) (to another abyss) So far away (to another abyss)

To another abyss To no avail The search is bound to fail To another abyss To no avail So long ago I set sail And it chills me to the bone That I’m so far away from home To another abyss

"The Quickening"

So what should I do now? What should I celebrate? Given finite means and a penchant to depreciate How can I still avow and depend upon a state That cares nothing for my happiness, welfare, or fate?

To come alive To come alive To come alive (To come alive) To come alive To come alive To come alive

And I know I can’t explain The commotion in my brain Like a terrifying reality Deconstructed but inadequately

The quickening is an ephemeral thing That only happens in the dark Like catching lightning in a jar And the pain that it brings Is just the promise of spring It’s madness on the way Oh, what does it mean…

The entering is soulful conjecturing Oh, lost and by the wind grieved ghost

Come back to me again Because the way that she bleeds Is in the law that he reads Confusing words and deeds So what does it mean…

(Can't live) Don't wanna live (can't give). Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E.

[Chorus]

Yeah, you deserve two minutes hate.

To pierce the vein of the sacred and profane Poor science, in service of a faith But who will bear the mark of Cain?

Well we spit and we cursed And our bleeding hearts burst. But even ten million souls marching in February couldn't stop the worst. C-C-C-Couldn't reverse.

[Chorus]

"The Empire Strikes First" We strike first And we're unrehearsed. Here we go again, to stage the greatest show on heaven and earth. Come on, get your money's worth. Don't wanna live (can't live), don't wanna give (can't give), Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E. (Can't live) Don't wanna live (can't give). Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E. We're coming on fast And we're built to last. We stumbled once in Nam, now we're glad to finally say those days have passed. Tell me, how long can it last? Don't wanna live (can't live), don't wanna give (can't give), Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E.

We just started out. You don't need to be afraid.

Don't wanna live (can't live), don't wanna give (can't give), Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E. (Can't live) Don't wanna live (can't give). Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E. (Can't live, can't give.) (Won't be.) Don't wanna live (can't live), don't wanna live (can't give), Don't wanna be (won't be) E-M-P-I-R-E. I can't live If it isn't without you.

"Beyond Electric Dreams" Here we go now No one here can show you where it is but I can point to a sign On the roof of the world without apparent design The frozen definition of a lunatic ambition to rise

The air is thin, the future dim, dimension hard to find Up on a mountain encased in solar rays Beyond electric dreams of inarticulate passion plays Coming down a mountain, eons have a human ring The conversation of impassive planets Intercepted by a human being Ratiocination is a practicable way to derive An attitude of altitude and probity by which to abide Or maybe of the a theophany of flaming creosote in disguise The air is thin, the future dim, dimension undefined Up on a mountain encased in solar rays Beyond electric dreams of inarticulate passion plays Coming down a mountain, eons have a human ring The conversation of impassive planets Intercepted by a human being Here glaring cold in the crystalline geometry of night, Obscuring form and tracing faceless fears Of a suprahuman immensity in a patch of sand Or a raptors guileless shivering intensity, I'm only a visitor, An atom of atoms on a jutting red splattered synagogue of granite As it crouches literally in space, A frozen amoral giant gazing heavenward forever... Let's go where the raptor goes To the mountain in a cosmic glow We'll have a genuine terrestrial show On a mountain On a mountain

Let's scan the horizon clean For any trace of human schemes And try to touch upon immortal themes On a mountain On a mountain Let's go where the raptor goes (Coming down a mountain) To the mountain in a cosmic glow (Eons have a human ring) We'll have a genuine terrestrial show (The conversation of impassive planets) On a mountain (Intercepted by a human being) On a mountain Let's scan the horizon clean (Up on a mountain) For any trace of human schemes (Encased in solar rays) And try to touch upon immortal themes (Beyond Electric Dreams) On a mountain On a mountain Let's go where the raptor goes (Coming down a mountain) To the mountain in a cosmic glow (Eons have a human ring) We'll have a genuine terrestrial show (The conversation of impassive planets) On a mountain On a mountain Let's scan the horizon clean (Up on a mountain) For any trace of human schemes (Encased in solar rays) And try to touch upon immortal themes (Beyond Electric Dreams) On a mountain On a mountain

Let's go where the raptor goes (Coming down a mountain) To the mountain in a cosmic glow (Eons have a human ring) We'll have a genuine terrestrial show (The conversation of impassive planets) On a mountain

"Boot Stamping On A Human Face Forever" “Drop dead, it doesn’t matter,” she said “It only hurts when I laugh,” she said “Sometimes it’s never a crime “To spend the day in bed” She made certain that the curtains were red To dream better by the light they would shed She leaned back, tilted her head And this is what she said… “You can’t win; think it over again “I can’t win; look at the trouble I’m in “We can’t win and we’re stuck here together “Yeah, I hope it will last forever.” “Don’t ever dare to hope,” he said “So I’m never let down too bad “I know there’s nowhere to go “So I’ll just stay here, instead” He knew better than to pull at a thread They unravel like the thoughts in his head He looked out; it filled him with dread And this is what he said…

They sang songs and went along for the ride And the other side complied They said, "Hey, man, where do you reside?" "And could it be mother’s superior lied?" "And is it possible too many have died?" It’s only natural to reply [Chorus]

"Live Again - The Fall Of Man" The road is narrow, the horizon wide And to say what’s waiting on the other side Is so rewarding and the ultimate prize But what good is something if you can’t have it until you die? Desperate, tenacious, clinging like a grain of sand Watching its foundation wash away (wash away) Drunk with the assertions they know they can’t defend Confident that they might…live again Live again, live again Would you give it all up to live again? Live again, live again Would you give it all up to live again? Temptation? Revelation? You decide Torture shows its colors often in disguise Progress and purpose help us realize We pass along a brighter faith even though it must be blind [Chorus]

[Chorus] (Let’s go!) With good books and looks on their side And hearts bursting with national pride

[Chorus]

"The Surface Of Me" Oh yeah! A study of history reveals an unflagging appeal to mystery You talk about abstraction at the top of the list But you might as well get pissed, cause in me the essence does not exist, no-oh-oh Yeah yeah! You’re so shallow How can your romance hope to be the veil of an ersatz human nature That can pacify but never slept well when there’s the pretension of living a lie Take me as I am, judge me for my crimes I can say I’ll behave freely all the time You can predict what I’ll say, it’s in my DNA But soon I’ll be a catalogue number anyway So say a little prayer Convince yourself that someone cares All I am is what you see There is nothing more than the surface of me [x2], you know Oh yeah! Apologies to Skinner, but I do believe that I feel like I’m a winner Having just discovered a long solved modal secret, of how I always feel So goddamn downtrodden and desperate Take me as I am, judge me for my crimes

I can say I’ll behave freely all the time You can predict what I’ll say, it’s in my DNA But soon I’ll be a catalogue number anyway So say a little prayer Convince yourself that someone cares All I am is what you see There is nothing more than the surface of me [x6] What you see is the surface of me

album: "New Maps Of Hell" (2007) "52 Seconds" I know I'm part of something greater than myself. Don't know the meaning but I hope that matters less. I don't know anything when I'm factored out of scale. I know I'm part of something greater than myself. We're all engaging in a game of attrition. Maybe God is just a chemical fiction. Chemical fiction. I'm a monkey with a madding affliction, Fact checking for a mental condition. A mental condition. I know I'm part of something greater than myself. Don't know the meaning but I hope that matters less. I don't know anything when I'm factored out of scale. I know I'm part of something greater than myself.

Separate, evaluate, and cultivate and propagate. The master's dream, master's dream.

"Heroes And Martyrs" Amid the heat and the wrack, hot boots invested and cracked, Poor candidates jacked into grey light. An ultraviolet call summoning both poet and thrall, Sweet catalyst for the acolytes. Our heroes and martyrs (our heroes and martyrs) Present two points of view. (Tell me, what's the sense of heroes and martyrs?) Which deity you're praying to? Into a welter of night, flack rounds and roiling blight, Cracked vertebrates stacked by the wayside. An ultraviolet call summoning both poet and thrall, The inveterate blind seeking daylight. Our heroes and martyrs (our heroes and martyrs) Present two points of view. (Tell me, what's the sense of heroes and martyrs?) Which deity you're praying to?

"Germs Of Perfection"

Sing the fears of history with renewed inflection. View the lost agenda with a skeptic's intention. Machine of life, oh, can we make it run? We have the tools but only just begun. Machine of life, oh, can we make it run? The calculations of a greater sum. Clip the wings of progress, turn the direction. Enrich the fallow soil with germs of perfection. Perfection.

"New Dark Ages" Yeah, can you hear the call in our rambling land? Susurrations that can expand Beyond all hope of light And plunge us into unrelenting night. A pall on truth and reason. It feels like hunting season. So avoid those lines of sight, And we'll set this right.

Lacerate, eviscerate and perforate and mutilate. We all fall down, all fall down. Deprecate, repudiate, ameliorate, adjudicate. The wisdom found, wisdom found.

Welcome to the new dark ages. Yeah, I hope you're living right. These are the new dark ages, And the world might end tonight.

Clip the wings of progress, turn the direction. Enrich the fallow soil with germs of perfection.

Now come ye children, one and all, Let's heed Ezekiel's call And bide until the word is good and ripe, Then get plucked clean out of sight.

Delegate, facilitate, investigate and obviate. The black turns green, black turns green.

The world will be erased. Our kin will be immaculate, ejaculate in space, Before the king of kings' love; he'll snatch us from above. Brothers, help me sing it. Welcome to the new dark ages. Yeah, I hope you're living right. These are the new dark ages, And the world might end tonight.

(Requiem) Raise the rebel from its grave. (Requiem) Sound the revolution's thunder, A monumental blunder, averted and betrayed. Dig around the cemetery, a record of the day. Friends and neighbours in stages of decay. But the saddest thing of all eludes discovery, The stimulus of this sombre ceremony.

So how do you sleep? There's nothing to keep. This is deep.

(Requiem) Bring the dissident from slumber. (Requiem) Raise the rebel from its grave. (Requiem) Sound the revolution's thunder, A monumental blunder, averted and betrayed.

Because we're animals With golden rules who, Who can't be moved By rational views, yeah.

The sanctimonious minions, how they grovel at the feet. Authority (fuck authority) is populist deceit. Pity yet another casualty's demoralized decline, Just a victim of irrational design.

Welcome to the new dark ages. I hope you're living right. (Welcome to the new dark ages.) Say it again, yeah.

Requiem. Requiem. Requiem.

These are the new dark ages. I hope you're living right. (Welcome to the new dark ages.) And the world might end tonight.

"Requiem For Dissent" Oratory of hope and glory, a whisper and a rhyme. An effigy, a soldier out of time. Citizen and patriot, you can't be far behind. The funeral, weighing heavy on your mind. (Requiem) Bring the dissident from slumber.

Bring the dissident from slumber. (Requiem) Raise the rebel from its grave. (Requiem) Sound the revolution's thunder, A monumental blunder, averted and betrayed.

"Before You Die" Porcelain and alabaster, Decaying ever faster. Unaware of imminent disaster, Open up your eyes. As you ruminate the hopeless sands of time, Did you wander out your days lost and resigned?

Or recreate the universals in your mind? Everybody is a bastard. My world is like plaster, Crumbling apart from pressure of the blaster, Waiting for a sign. And the momentary pleasures take their turn As a wistful boy runs out of things to learn. The episodes of yore are never to return. Scare up some hope. You're gonna need it just to cope. You are the decision, numbers don't lie. When you bite the dust, Was it for purpose or for trust? You'll never relive it, think before you die. Yeah, think, think before you die. Deficit and deprivation In the wake of desperation. Rewrite the morals, rectify the nation; Now may be your time. As you ruminate the hopeless sands of time, Do you wonder how your life has been defined? You know eternity can't ever change your mind. You know eternity can't ever change your mind.

Now get up and give in. I'll crack your knuckles again. Supplicate and survive This transubstantiation. And get so mean. I want to know what it means. (Did (Did (Did (Did

you you you you

laugh?) You know I did. cry?) Couldn't get it right. live?) Always on the edge, lie?) Causing such a fright.

(Did you love?) Oh, to be forgiven, (Did you try?) But it wouldn’t be right. God, it feels like an honest goodbye. That sick brass boy daydreaming. Crybaby, convict demon. Hands so clean. A sympathetic, cold-blooded killing machine. How did you get so mean? I want to know what it means. (Did (Did (Did (Did

you you you you

laugh?) You know I did. cry?) Couldn't get it right. live?) Always on the edge, lie?) Causing such a fright.

So think, think before you die. Whoa, think, think before you die.

(Did you love?) Oh, to be forgiven, (Did you try?) But it wouldn’t be right. God, it feels like an honest goodbye.

"Honest Goodbye"

"Dearly Beloved"

Here's a story of an honest man losing religion, Climbing the pulpit steps before an eager congregation. The while praying came a wicked inspiration. "Brothers, sisters." This is what he said... Dearly beloved (make no mistake), dearly beloved (despite our traits), Dearly beloved (I've seldom seen). I can't relate to you (I can't relate to you). I can't relate to you. He was the kind of guy who'd always go right out of his way, But more before that crazy notion leapt right into his head And stubbornly crept into every mad perception. I can't deny a funny feeling when he said... Dearly beloved (make no mistake), dearly beloved (despite our traits), Dearly beloved (I've seldom seen). I can't relate to you (I can't relate to you). I can't relate to you. Dearest, in memoriam. Set phasers to stun, And grab yourself a neighbour's skeleton to lean upon. Did you know him in life? One filled with regret. So soon we all forget We ever met. Do you know my name? Sing a light refrain For a man estranged. I won't deny that I'm inclined to isolate.

Dearly beloved, dearly beloved, Dearly beloved (I can't believe)... I I I I

can't can't can't can't

relate relate relate relate

to to to to

you (I can't relate to you). you (I can't relate to you). you (I can't relate to you). you.

"Grains Of Wrath" Back in '83 a man came to me, And he told me, son, Our way of life is done. But I was only young. With an eye to the fields, speculators and yields, Rotten to the core. Monoculture whores Entered the bidding wars from distant shores. I don't wanna be In the land known as destitute and free With the grains of wrath blazing a path From sea to shining sea. Oh, the sinuous trails of concrete and rails And exhausted roars, Population wars Setting our future course. Yeah, is profit and greed the only conceit On a scale between Mere prosperity And inhumanity? It may well be, but... I don't wanna be In the land known as destitute and free

With the grains of wrath blazing a path From sea to shining sea.

Say the name. Say the name.

I don't wanna be In the land known as destitute and free With the grains of wrath blazing a path From sea to shining sea.

"Scrutiny"

"Murder" If you're discontent to know you world's a pile of shit, Listen to a riddle that'll tickle every bit of it. Ha ha ha. Ape shall not murder. Ape wasn't so sure. Bad ape, you made a mistake, Annihilation in a cannibal war. Well cultivation might have served you, Might have raised you up unscathed, If you had called that fucker by its name.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Days go marching by. There and back, I never wait For a confident reply. Yeah, truth is stark and leaves its mark As limited constraints. And the most difficult part is accepting what the future may bring. It seems like a lifetime of scrutiny. Wither the path, whether worth the fee. A lifetime of scrutiny. And it seems as though I can't be sure of anything Anymore.

Did you listen to the arbiter's beck and call? Did you find what you were looking for or not at all? Not at all.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Years go flying by. No one seems to hesitate Or cast an earnest eye.

Ape shall not murder, Ape take the cure. Bad ape, you made a mistake, Annihilation in a cannibal war.

Yeah, judgment comes in many forms But never scarce or shy. And the litany is long as the confidence is strong in their delight.

Well culture would have cured you And raised you up unscathed, If you had called that fucker by its name.

It seems like a lifetime of scrutiny. Prejudicial waters wash over me. A lifetime of scrutiny.

Say the name.

And the words just don't equate with sense or sanity

Anymore.

No prodigal son.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Faces and the names. Shattered hopes and stolen dreams And no one left to blame.

Don't look at me; no, I ain't one. No prodigal son.

Yeah, is it possible to win This pointless mortal game? 'Cause when death comes it's swift and, my friends, we end up all the same. Oh, it feels like a lifetime of scrutiny. Wither the path, whether worth the fee. A lifetime of scrutiny. And it seems as though I can't remember anything Anymore.

"Prodigal Son" Oh, can't you feel the nostalgia? I wonder about ya, Modernistocrat Horatio Alger. Clever, never hesitating in the baiting, Ever waiting for the canticle of manacles abating. Did you ever forget, you had a regret? And what you only guessed at Might still be waiting? When the prodigal son, with a caroming shadow of hate, Comes to land at home, Well he's a mourning star with a champagne heart At his curtain call. And Father never understood the way the work gets done. Don't look at me; no, I ain't one.

When everybody about is ready to bout y'all about controversial values, Don't you think you'd better readdress the level Of the cowardice rising to drown you? Did you ever connect or come to reject, Or even inspect The dreams that hound you? When the prodigal son, with a caroming shadow of hate, Comes to land at home, Well he's a mourning star with a champagne heart At his curtain call. And Father never understood the way the work gets done. Don't look at me; no, I ain't one. No prodigal son. Don't look at me; no, I ain't one. No prodigal son. When you least expect it he's going to run, Like the blood-red path of the western sun, oh yeah. The prodigal son is waiting, Waiting for his moment to come. Well hell no, don't look at me. Can't you see? I ain't one. No prodigal son. It ain't me; no, I ain't one. No prodigal son.

"The Grand Delusion" If I could only get the tools, the stimuli and the molecules, Frozen moments in time, I could be the archetype, a credit to the genotype, Reprogram your mind. But the storybook sages Fill their pages, Hiding from the warming sun. Limitless distractions Give no pause To distort a precious delusion. Delusion. Precious delusion. Yeah, did you see the moralist retort and raise his fist? "You can't make man a machine!" I can see the edifice crumbling in foggy mist, Razed by discovery. But the storybook sages Fill their pages, Hiding from the warming sun.

Pilgrim, those are dry and bitter tears, And lonely eyes look way beyond your years. Pilgrim, did you drink the mercury? Your lips turned blue and you're struggling just to see. You were too far gone to carry on. Now your life has stalled, As you march ahead yet go no place at all. Pilgrim, when you left them all behind, The loneliness destroyed your able mind. Pilgrim, see the writing on the door? It's taking you back to a place you were before. And the next in line paces your stride, Waiting for your fall, With a hope that lies in a hidden master's call. Pious eyes, Ignoring passersby. Headlong to their grave. Don't despair This world of toil and care. This pilgrim lost his way.

Limitless distractions Give no pause To distort a precious delusion.

Pilgrim, will you ever find your call? Is truth so pure that you're willing to risk it all?

Delusion. Precious delusion.

Pious eyes, Ignoring passersby. Headlong to their grave.

Delusion.

"Lost Pilgrim"

Don't despair This world of toil and care. This pilgrim lost his way.

"Submission Complete" Dedication's the price you pay. The initiated are coddled and caged. Before you walk, as soon as you crawl. Hope is pointless when you're stuck in the trawl. Fuck the freshman lectures and brandishments. They just betray impoverished accomplishments. The puppet masters fear originality. They tighten up the tethers and they shackle your feet. Submission complete. Young recruits never have a chance. Enticed to the drill, admonished to dance. Early to rise and early to shine. Life is long, but the end is nigh. Break the guilty trammels from yesteryear. Remember how rejuvenation conquers all fears. Lowly opportunists take commanding roles And hawk ultimatums so their weakness won't show. The sad reflection Of dead ambition. You live for nothing, submission complete. Yeah, break the guilty trammels from yesteryear. Remember how the taste of failure makes it all clear. Lowly opportunists take commanding roles And hawk ultimatums so their weakness won't show. The sad reflection Of dead ambition. You live for nothing.

Expectation. Indoctrination. Life's damnation, submission complete. Dying on your feet. Submission complete. A total defeat.

"Fields Of Mars" In the garden, where he was cast out by the Lord, Flames an omnidirectional sword, For he as ever failed to gather up the fruit And thus was banished with his loot. He cantered aimlessly through endless permutations of night, Seeking a purpose and the meaning of kin. And when it finally came to him, You could've mistook it for the meaning of sin. The women wished him well (women wished him well) Every time he cast off marching to hell. Now, if you've never seen a terrible sight, Stroll the garden of earthly delight. Maybe we can make it right. Someday, I'll see you high above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. He knelt down before the unholy mob And cried, "War is God!" Gleaming outwardly with great pride And prepared to die. The women wished him well (women wished him well) Every time he cast off marching to hell.

Now, if you've never seen a terrible sight, Stroll the garden of earthly delight. Maybe we can make it right. Someday, I'll see you high above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. Who cannot fight anymore Will never love any less. That kid inside of murder Must be committed... To live a life of hostility, Never asking what it means... When mother nation, Blood and religion Sanction killing Upon the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars. High above the Fields of Mars.

"Won't Somebody" Acoustic Version Won't somebody please come up with something 'Cause Jesus just don't seem to be impartially working And all of the rest are really down in the ratings While everyone is right here waiting Out in the cold

Like a bundle of coal Little packets of darkness Wanting to glow Well there's nobody home And there's a wreck in the yard And maybe they're coming back If we wish really hard If we wish real hard, now Won't somebody please come up with something 'Cause Jesus just don't seem to be impartially working And all of the rest are really down in the ratings But everyone is gonna keep on waiting Waiting for peace At the end of our streets Back behind our apartments In our passenger seats Just a moment of prayers Of all of the ways The despair and oblivion Of our precarious race It's ours to face now Won't somebody please come up with something 'Cause Jesus just don't seem to be impartially workin' And all of the rest are really down in the ratings But everyone is still right here waiting Now I know nothing lasts forever So we might as well wish for a goddamn fix Of this toxic change in weather Won't somebody please come up with something 'Cause Jesus just don't seem to be impartially workin' And all of the others can barely stay in the runnin' But everyone is gonna keep on waiting

Won't Won't Won't Won't

somebody somebody somebody somebody

please please please please

come come come come

up up up up

with with with with

something something something something

"Adam's Atoms" Some live, some die Everybody wonders why we're here Should we even try? Philosophers lost in the night A beacon in the distance You gotta turn around It's vestige dimly flickers In elocution sound The modernest chronometer uptight and underwound Pretensions of a higher ground Higher ground introspective paradise found Adam's Atoms resound Economy of nature the dead and shallow graves the particles of happiness elude us of their names A psychosymbiotical reflection on the waves Eternal is the night and day Night and day Omnipresence is losing faith Adam's Atoms remain The righteous opposition has led us all astray One side against the other, one loses one reclaimed And if reconciliation eludes us every day Then will we ever find a way

Find a way Not with a religionious gaze Adam's Atoms remain Adam's Atoms betray Adam's Atoms remain.

"Chronophobia" These rational delusions have got to cease The second hand has finally got the best of me I'm too aware about the singularity That brought me to the edge of time And it's always on my mind now They say what has passed is coming back some day The world is turning faster but it's just one way And I'm desperate to try most anything to breed A A A A

simple simple simple simple

Chronophobia Chronophobia now Chronophobia Chronophobia now

Maybe there's a science or technology To help me come to terms with my maker Since natural selection never banked on me I must be an exception to the plan Someone help me understand now Cryogenic methods are intractable And collagen polymers aren't so terrible But they still can't prevent the inevitable farewell A simple Chronophobia A simple Chronophobia now

A simple Chronophobia A simple Chronophobia now

album: "The Dissent Of Man" (2010) "The Day That The Earth Stalled" Do you remember when We were young, adventure had no end? Those were the days, my friend. But I'm not talking about that at all. Do you remember when You marred my future with a sickly parasitic pall? That was the day that the earth stalled. That was the day the earth stalled. On the day that the earth stalled. Friction, bonds and gravity, All harmonic motion ceased. Life itself could not maintain From that singularity. Try to withstand a magnetic storm With no one to keep you warm. Waiting for the rest to fall, Since the day that the earth stalled. That was the day the earth stalled. Since the day that the earth stalled. That day that the earth stalled. On the day that the earth stalled.

"Only Rain" Hey scientist, please save us from our rainy days, Because your counterpart in the magic art is manufacturing judgment day. There's a fell wind blowing out of the east, bringing famine, drought and plague. Well now, at least that's what they say. Rain fell like judgment across my windowpane. Said it fell like judgment, but it was only rain. Well I know what's wrong and I know what's right. And I know that evil exists, sure as the day turns into night. When a man gets down on his knees to pray, you know he'll find what he is able, But chances are he'll find it either way. Rain fell like judgment across my windowpane. Said it fell like judgment, but it was only rain. It fell like judgment across my windowpane. Said it fell like judgment, but it was only rain. Oh Lord, have mercy on a humble man, Lost in the wilderness without a guiding hand. Rain fell like judgment across my windowpane. Said it fell like judgment, but it was only rain. It fell like judgment across my windowpane. Said it fell like judgment, but it was only rain.

"The Resist Stance" Seeds of rebellion lay outside your front door. If you nourish them and water them they'll grow into a healthy what for? And if revolution isn't what's in store,

How can you care anymore? It's a dangerous slip, a conscientious shift. In the spirit of resistance, you gotta hold your grip, Lest the state of your resolve makes you quickly devolve To a fundamentalist, yeah. You're an archetype they can pin to the wall. When you cling to your convictions like a farm animal in its stall, Never thinking of the bigger world outside, As they take you for a ride. It's a dangerous slip, a conscientious shift. In the spirit of resistance, you gotta hold your grip. Because passion unabated can be readily conflated As belligerence; go. It's a dangerous slip, a conscientious shift. In the spirit of resistance, you gotta hold your grip. And the verdict won't be kind 'cause they're desperate for a viable alternative. Take Take Take Take

a a a a

stance stance stance stance

(take (take (take (take

a a a a

stance), stance), stance), stance),

the the the the

resist resist resist resist

stance. stance. stance. stance.

"Won't Somebody" Out in the cold like a bundle of coal little packets of darkness wanting to glow well there's nobody home and there's a wreck in the yard well maybe they're coming back if we wish really hard If we wish real hard now

Won't somebody please come up with something ‘cuz jesus just don't seem to be impartially working And all of the rest are really down in the ratings so everyone is gonna keep on waiting Waiting for peace at the end of the street back behind our apartment and in passenger seats just a moment of bliss amid all of the waste the despair and oblivion of our precarious race it's ours to face now Won't somebody please come up with something cuz jesus just don't seem to be impartially working and all of the rest are really down in the ratings so everyone is gonna keep on waiting Now I know nothing lasts forever so we might as well wish for a goddam fix of this toxic changing weather Won't somebody come up with something cuz Jesus just don't seem to be impartially working and all of the others can barely stay in the running but everyone is still right here waiting Won’t somebody please come up with something Won’t somebody please come up with something Won’t somebody please

"The Devil In Stitches" Angels fall down without warning, Cherry lipstick on their teeth and all dangerous curves. She had a bulletproof mind and big pawn-shop eyes

And nothing you could say would get to her.

That's where they made a division.

So don't look homeward angel from that rumble seat. I can strum twice and make it all go away. We'll tap every last drop until that beating stops And let the Devil come join us dancing...

Declaring war on the weather, A reckless pact with forever. So come on and sing, Sing hallelujah right now.

Across that yellow sun, We'll run, Because the Devil in stitches only has his fun Performing for the chosen one.

"Pride And The Pallor"

We can run. She was living on the edge of a knife. His head was filled with restless ghosts. It's so easy to love a bringer of destruction. She said, "Darling, I love you madly." Black tear-stained cheeks behind her shattered window, Praying for a song to save her life. I had a paperback crime running straight down my spine, So let the Devil come join us dancing... Across that yellow sun, We'll run, While the Devil in stitches goes and has his fun Performing for the chosen one. We can run wild in the street, Like a formal procession of love and deceit. I will carry you home like a body from the wreckage. Here's your punch-drunk cupid, knocked clean out of his senses. I know he drove her out to the brink. That's where they stood and looked down. But then he made a decision,

Papa had a wife and kids he kept them on a leash and he bid them all to do his every deed. When he was a kid he was treated just the same so he hid his feelings from the family. Lost as an island out at sea, resistant to the gentle waves of empathy. Papa and his family always on parade. Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekender’s charade. But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell. What they created was a family story no one will tell. It’s a photo album too terrible. But the pride and the pallor continue to swell. And the matron silently prays. Junior resented the tradition they upheld and it ate him up inside most every day. Silence was golden and they kept him to his word. So bewildered when he finally ran away. Oh, obligations never cease. Oblivious of the ways to give his soul some peace. Yeah, Papa and his family always on parade. Passing through the turnstiles, a weekender’s charade. But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell. What they created was a family story no one will tell. It’s a photo album too terrible. But the

pride and the pallor continue to swell. And the matron silently prays.

Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh And they call them the wrong way kids

“Get me out of here, someone’s got to save the day.” The children are reminded to do it for the daddy’s sake. And happiness is ever so far, far away.

The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust With no one to look up to because they're looking up to us Just misfit melancholy dregs gone lost in the mall Wanderers to nowhere at all

Yeah, lost as an island out at sea. Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy. Papa and his family always on parade. Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekender’s charade. It’s just a sick calamity that fatherhood made, but time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell. What they created was a family story no one will tell. It’s a photo album too terrible. Still, the pride and the pallor continue to swell as the matron silently prays.

"Wrong Way Kids" Stop them from shimmering away On blank sidewalk glittering asphalt somewhere summer days The wrong way kids were something more than friends Navigating a sprawl without end Did you ever want to take bad advice Did you ever want to go and take it twice Do you remember when the world began to put up its thorny fence Right you are my friend So what’s wrong with them There go the wrong way kids Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh

Did you ever want to take bad advice Did you ever want to go and take it twice Do you remember when the world began to put up its thorny fence Right you are my friend So what’s wrong with them There go the wrong way kids Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh Singing whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh ohhhh And they call them the wrong way kids

"Meeting Of The Minds" In 325, the Council devised a set of sacred testaments, transparent and wise. The truth is only ever relied on that which we agree and abide. At the meeting of the minds. Reading of the times. Open the blinds. To our complicated lives. We all need some kind of creed to lead us to light. In old Tennessee, the last century. All scopes were fixed on legal tricks and whether or not we should teach kids natural philosophy, despite uncomfortable verity. At the meeting of the minds. Reading of the times.

Open the blinds. To our complicated lives. We all need some kind of creed to lead us to light. There’s a beacon that shines in the night, a dark pitch though it may be. And the halcyon fields of opportunity turn out to be consensual and arbitrary. Today on my ride I witnessed a guy complaining about how a so-and-so had lied. No longer will the market decide what the government should provide. At the meeting of the minds. Sign of the times. Open the blinds. To our complicated lives. We all need some kind of creed to lead us to light.

"Someone To Believe" Dark, frozen, hibernation held at bay As your mind, left behind, lost another day. But finally there’s someone to believe. Anti-social boredom is all the rage But the time comes when you gotta turn the page And then finally there’s someone to believe. And now you walk with confidence and ease. And there’s no call to sell your soul or confess or drop down to your knees. Who, what, or where made you change your mind? Doesn’t matter anymore ‘cuz you’ve seen a sign. And now finally there’s someone to believe. Searching for the answer’s a lonely quest But the act is liable to bring out your best. And then finally there’s someone to believe. And now you have a purpose to proceed. And you find out the baggage that you discarded, you didn’t even need.

No one can deny a return to form Irrespective of the morass, shame, and scorn. But then finally there’s someone to believe. Ready to emerge and direct your fate As the self-determination radiates Because finally there’s someone to believe. And now you walk with confidence and ease. And it feels like the spring equinox after a long winter’s sleep. Finally, there’s someone to believe.

"Avalon" As the sun comes creeping up the mountain and the wind blows over from the sea. Hey, we’re brought into this land like tiny particles of sand, unsure of who we’re smarter than, or what we’re meant to be. Oh the grains sift coarsely through the hour glass and collect like their victims in the bowl. The ungodly force of change erodes all sense of earthly gains. While tending to the mundane will terrorize your soul. And it’s no! It’s no use thinking that you’re wrong. The past is old and gone. It’s best to move along and find your Avalon. Well, I wish that I could tell you it was easy, just take the paved road right to paradise. But the truth is my friend, the pain and suffering never ends. Make amends with medicine, amnesia, and lies. The grains sift coarsely through the hour glass and they pound like boulders on the brain. All those things you did for fun, never hurting anyone, careless shadows in the sun, just empty and lame. And it’s no... it’s no use thinking that you’re wrong. The past is old and gone. It’s best to move along and find your Avalon.

So now the day races from the twilight. How the fields are enveloped by the shade. And the story that you’ll tell, inventory of your well, crack the shell and find the mortar silted and decayed. And it’s no! It’s no use thinking that you’re wrong. The past is dead and gone. It’s best to move along and find your Avalon. It’s best to hurry on and find your Avalon.

"Cyanide" well let me bend your ear because I'm never really there when shadows turns to light and hope into despair there was an only one but the broody skies above brought down a shameful stain and not a single drop of cleaning rain let me say oh oh well there's no place left to hide oh oh from the loneliness inside the road to you is paved right through with bloody good intentions and missin' you is like kissin' Cyanide Well in this world of things one of them is lost I've been it in my dreams but not without a cost

down a lonely street it was our destiny to meet nobody asked you twice we found purchase then with no requite - nothing nice oh oh well there's no place left to hide oh oh from the loneliness inside the road to you is paved right through with bloody good intentions and missin' you is like kissin' Cyanide Would you believe in something good that's so wrong and have you worshiped our invention I've paid my debt in coin and sweat with trifling hesitation because the road to you is paved with good intentions oh oh well there's no place left to hide oh oh from the loneliness inside the road to you is paved right through with bloody good intentions and missin' you is like kissin' Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide Cyanide

"Turn Your Back On Me" I've been searching for so long now the search party is gone won't somebody tell me what the hell went wrong

we started out so strong I never wanted to hurt you I didn't plan to desert you I couldn't possibly express how much I care So turn your back on me Come on turn your back on me To survive turn your back on me we're the same as far as I can see so come on turn your back on me If I could I would stand outside myself And pretend that I was looking back at somebody else If I could do it again would I merely defend it all to the end? or do the ends justify themselves? I never wanted to hurt you I didn't plan to desert you I couldn't possibly express how much I care So turn your back on me Come on turn your back on me To survive turn your back on me we're the same as far as I can see so come on turn your back on me

"Ad Hominem" See all people in Afghanistan praying to the gods and living in the sand. Somebody’s gonna have to set them free, nobody hears the call or command. But it’s a long way to Harlem, and a long stretch to the king of Siam. And if you don’t have a penny, why should I give a damn?

Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am? Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am. See all the suckers in the handout line living on scraps and they don’t have a dime. Waiting for endless charity devoid of any sense of posterity. Well there’s no Great Depression and there’s no Great Society. And only few go to heaven, all the rest are damned and free. Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am? Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am. I’m just a soft-cover version of a much harder tale. A walking resemblance of ruts in the trail. Is it possible to divide your ideas and beliefs. Ideas and beliefs. Ideas and beliefs from the people that you don’t like? Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am? Ad Hominem. You think you’re better than I am.

"Where The Fun Is" smacked back tarmac stars are scars of fame in the place where no one knows me by my name where tar pit drips its drilled out vein and fashion trips on tangled skein If you need to slake that aching in your brain This is where the fun is this is where the fun is In the shadow of the valley where the nights are warm we will fear no evil when we get things done

that's when he said tap in - into the vain we'll road trip & raise Cain down on the nickel with a flame in the rain This This This This

is is is is

where where where where

the the the the

fun fun fun fun

is is is is

so jump in - into the frame we're laughin' to hide the pain it's not a riddle we're all a little, a little amazed This This This This

is is is is

where where where where

the the the the

fun fun fun fun

is is is is

"I Won't Say Anything" He looked just like a zookeeper in a human zoo so I said hey man how the hell did they get to you don't you know us animals need something to do then I flew that's when he said

hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won’t say anything unless you ask it right riding to the cemetery in a righteous limousine I plied the grim proprietor with milk and tangerines and I said so you're short but are you brutish and mean then he screamed that's when he said hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won’t say anything unless you ask it right

"Finite" In a quantity of light You can search for all of your life But it's finite From a sudden burst of sound The recoil may never be found It is finite

hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won't say anything hey, I can't deny it, but I won’t say anything unless you ask it right

On and on, on and on But impervious to calculation On and on It's impervious to calculation

I took my mean machine to the sacramental post some kid had spilled his wine on the holiest host and I said ain’t it funny that machines need a ghost he made a toast

Woah, just how far it goes Nobody knows In the peaceful warm embrace

The intention shows on your face But it's finite

Woah, no one knows No one knows

From the hate that spurs us on To the meek and gullible pawn It is finite

album: "True North" (2013)

On and on, on and on It's impervious to calculation On and on But impervious to calculation

"True North"

Woah, just how far it goes

Unrepentant vagabond. Plot the new coordinates and cast the map aside. Now I gotta ramble on, Navigate the pitfalls and cross the great divide.

Where the lightning sparked a flash When precisely did it pass All delusions went away As with all the shades of gray Now i'm left with faulty tools And a hazy set of rules And brand new day

The mapmaker's legend has direction and a key. He set the declination, but what good is it to me?

In the turbulent conscious stream The unbearable lightness of being It is finite

When I find true north. With or without a friend. Keep searching till the end.

From the universal mass Constant matters coming to pass It is finite

Testing fate and cheating death. No one ever told me it was gonna be like this. Contemplate the randomness. When the mind is willing, it gets downright perilous.

On and on, on and on But impervious to calculation On and on It's impervious to calculation Woah, just how far it goes Nobody knows No one knows

I can't see the rationality. The world's not my responsibility. And happiness isn't there for me, But maybe I'll inch closer to the source

Overburdened, underwhelmed, their ethical decrees. That's your moral compass, but what good is it to me? I can't see the rationality. The world's not my responsibility. And happiness isn't there for me, But maybe I'll inch closer to the source

When I find true north. With or without a friend. Keep searching till the end. When I find true north.

"Past Is Dead" Solemn regret. Transgressions fill my head. A measure of success Is how well to forget. And the past is dead. Strewn about the battlefield of life are the remainders of history. When convenient, we exalt them and pay them such respect, As if we're all in an equivalent trajectory. And trash piles high in the rubble we forgot. The angels of our nature just sit and watch it rot. Now the past is dead. Let's focus on tomorrow instead. Oh, the tragic present said, the past is dead. Who can say what constitutes the most important sector of society When the dominant portion seek an instant gratification And are proud of intellectual poverty? I'd like to be empathetic but I can't. The jeopardy, too great to make a stand.

Now the past is dead. Good deeds won't help you get ahead. Yeah, the modern signpost read, the past is dead. My next great decision is just lying in wait. The action might turn out to be the world's most grievous mistake. Yeah, the past is dead. More veritable words have never been read. Oh, the tragic present said, the past is dead

"Robin Hood In Reverse" Here's the church; there's the steeple. Open up the door; corporations are people. Wait, what did he say? What the fuck did he say? It couldn't last; they had to crash. Some parties are just made that way. But when the bell rings, the boys will sing, Swing low sweet precariat. Let's say we try to get this right, Said the plutocrat to Jesus Christ. And when the old fox, fearing the worst, Made his entrance in a hearse, Then the nine in black robes all went berserk. Oh yeah. This is a tale of Robin Hood in reverse. Citizens united. I was excited. (When the kids are united, they can never be divided.) But that was yesterday.

There's a brand new sham today. Let's say we try to get this right, Said the plutocrat to Jesus Christ. And when the old fox, fearing the worst, Made his entrance in a hearse, Then the nine in black robes all went berserk. Oh yeah. This is a tale of Robin Hood in reverse.

The big rigs and the miners come and shake the ground. On the field of plenty, the grazers gather round To watch the game of supply and demand go down. But out here in the lap of luxury, Unlimited guarantee for your insatiable need, In the land of endless greed. I don't really care what other people may say. I've gotta go on living my life anyway. The poor don't have to struggle in dismal poverty. Anyone can be the way they wanna be.

Oh yeah. Let's say we try to get this right, Said the plutocrat to Jesus Christ.

Out here in the lap of luxury, Fortune bears no scrutiny. What you want is all you need In the land of endless greed.

And when the old fox, fearing the worst, Made his entrance in a hearse, Then the nine in black robes all went berserk. Oh yeah.

"Fuck You"

This is a tale of Robin Hood in reverse. This is a tale of Robin Hood in reverse.

"Land Of Endless Greed" I don't really care what other people may say. I've gotta go on living my life anyway. Everything is golden; everything's for sale. I'm done with unsubstantiated fairytales. But out here in the lap of luxury, Unlimited guarantee for your insatiable need, In the land of endless greed. In the emerald forest, hear a nasty sound.

Everybody needs a slogan in their pocket or two. It never hurts to have a strategy you can go to. Sometimes I have no sense at all. As most flawed men are won't to do, Just say fuck you. Pavlovian rude. A menace too. Pay homage to Your bad attitude. You can even get cerebral if you want to. Make a radical assessment that sticks like glue. Sometimes it takes no thought at all. The easiest thing to do Is say fuck you. Pavlovian rude. A menace too. Pay homage to Your bad attitude.

The reaction it brings, just one of those things. Your friends might not want you around. If the impulse is right, you might get in a fight, Even though you can't hold your ground. But all rest assured; sometimes just a word Is the most satisfying sound, yeah. Sometimes it makes no sense at all. The easiest thing to do Is say fuck you. Pavlovian rude. A menace too. Pay homage to Your bad attitude. Just say fuck you. Whatcha gonna do With that attitude? Just say fuck you.

When you're slammed up against a wall. And you're stoked to watch all creation Go over the falls. Yeah, Kali is coming and you'd better believe it. That girl's got the atom and the bhagavad ghita, oh yeah. Samsara's coming down Like dharma and the bomb. Falling down, falling down. Like dharma and the bomb. Falling down, falling down. Like dharma and the bomb.

"Hello Cruel World"

"Dharma And The Bomb"

I can't stop the way I feel, But I can penetrate your religion with a nail. You are mine and we are twine. When we radiate in waves together, everything is fine.

Wasted days and cigarettes. Cracked cement and palms. Bodhidharma has gone fission With your vedic mom.

Hello cruel world. Do you know that you're killing me? I don't mind, But I could use a little sympathy.

Yeah, the Sergeant Major is dreamin' of genie And she's armed with a borrowed polka-dot bikini, oh yeah. Tomorrow's coming down Like dharma and the bomb.

I've been blind As a fool can be. My dear cruel world, Do you ever think about me?

Falling down, falling down. Like dharma and the bomb. Falling down, falling down. Like dharma and the bomb.

I can feel so alone with you right here. And yet, I turn to you for comfort in my despair. You are dust and I am bone. And I will love your endless gaze of madness until I turn to stone.

The shallows seem evangelical

Hello cruel world. Do you know that you're killing me? I don't mind, But I could use a little sympathy. I've been blind As a fool can be. My dear cruel world, Now I know you are my everything.

Hyper-aware and impaired. Terrified by nature's mocking stare. Yearning for significance beyond our animal ken, On which we do depend. Such vanity. Isolated with our own inanity. Entangled by our callow gravity. Disgraced to face our own humanity.

Please forgive me. Hello cruel world. Do you know that you're killing me? I don't mind, But I could use a little sympathy. I've been blind As a fool can be. My dear cruel world, Now I've made a mess of everything.

"Vanity" I'll strike it if I don't like it. Gimme a club and I will have myself a riot. I'm a monkey with a brick on my shoulder And I'm getting bolder. Let's deny and defame. Let's destroy and recreate in our glorious name, And when the joke of our centrality is upon us, Grovel and decry Our vanity. Disgraced to face our own humanity, In a world that mocks our tragedy.

"In Their Hearts Is Right" There's something pathetic in the world today And I don't know how it all began. As if all the shame and punishment Will finally make me understand. A word means nothing wanting action. Intentions are valuable as deeds. And a wound can dog you for a lifetime, Unless it only makes you bleed. Everybody Everybody Everybody Everybody

(everybody, (everybody, (everybody, (everybody,

everybody) everybody) everybody) everybody)

knows, knows, knows, knows now.

Everybody, everybody, everybody knows, Everybody, everybody, everybody knows What's in their heart is right. I'm just a termite on an ant hill. I think about it every single day. A senseless being lacking inspiration, Just waiting to be blown away.

Everybody Everybody Everybody Everybody

(everybody, (everybody, (everybody, (everybody,

everybody) everybody) everybody) everybody)

knows, knows, knows, knows now.

Everybody, everybody, everybody knows, Everybody, everybody, everybody knows What's in their heart is right. Everybody Everybody Everybody Everybody

(everybody, (everybody, (everybody, (everybody,

everybody) everybody) everybody) everybody)

Everybody, everybody, everybody Everybody, everybody, everybody Everybody, everybody, everybody Everybody, everybody, everybody What's in their heart is right

knows, knows, knows, knows now.

knows, knows, knows, knows

"Crisis Time" There's a feeling about myself that I can't understand. It's a foreboding sense that I see all around the land. When the wheel of fortune turns progressively depraved, It's the manifestation of a biospheric decay. Keep yourself in line; there's no design. The new paradigm is crisis time. Luxury was privilege and I knew it all along, But to let human reason get trumped by emotion is wrong. All the bonds were broken when I said I loved you so, But rejection of a fantasy is just a way to help you grow. Keep yourself in line; there's no design. The new paradigm is crisis time.

Yeah There's a feeling about myself; I feel it oh so strong. It's a romantic notion and I've thought about it darn too long. On the crest of progress, we can't balance on the wave If the measure of success is only tallied in the lives we save. Keep yourself in line; there's no design. The new paradigm is crisis time. Keep yourself in line; there's no design. The new paradigm is crisis time.

"Dept. Of False Hope" Welcome, my son, To where the work is never done And the hungry are seldom ever fed. The department of false hope Is a proving ground for dopes. And they'll grind your tiny bones to make their bread. (Hosanna.) So hold your head up high, forgotten man. Tomorrow won't be made for you. And everybody's gotta try to lend a helping hand. For god and man, there's nothing more to do. It crackled on the radio Through bright plumes of the sun. The announcer said the age of faith was dead. Though the adolescent nation Was just looking for salvation, The beast of reason reared its ugly head. (Hosanna.)

So hold your head up high, forgotten man. Tomorrow's not for me and you. And everybody's gotta try to lend a helping hand. For god and man, there's nothing more to do. From your cradle of destruction, With the poorest of instruction And the merest sliver of a tune, Oh, you managed somehow to muddle through. So hold your head up high, forgotten man. Tomorrow's not for me and you. And everybody's gotta try to lend a helping hand. For god and man, there's nothing more to do. There is nothing more...

"Nothing To Dismay" Now there's a list of catalysts that hold the heart at bay. They grip the mind and sap the soul and feed on your dismay. And I never understood why you can't see the world this way. The lines are drawn at the break of dawn; there's nothing to dismay. It's no, no, no security. No, no, no security. No, no, no security. Nothing to dismay. It's no, no, no security. No, no, no security. No, no, no security. Nothing to dismay. The dissonance runs deep in me, resort to weak applause.

Associate and denigrate the root without a cause. And just because the overwhelming odds are stacked away, What good is should if at most I would? But nothing to dismay. It's no, no, no security. No, no, no security. No, no, no security. Nothing to dismay. It's no, no, no security. No, no, no security. No, no, no security. Nothing to dismay. Well it's just a solo journey, Bewildered and astray. But pay no mind to what you find; There's nothing to dismay. It's no, no... No, no... No, no... Nothing to dismay, yeah. No, no, no No, no, no No, no, no Nothing to

security. security. security. dismay.

It's no, no, no security. No, no, no security. No, no, no security. Nothing to dismay. It's nothing, Nothing to dismay.

"Popular Consensus" Some people are almost impossible to live with. Some people have faith in the craziest things. They follow outdated conventions that were recorded. But most of it, to me, all sounds insane. Maybe it's all you need to get you through the night. Maybe you've seen the light. But you know that popular consensus doesn't make it right. Nothing can go on while forever increasing. The universe expanding is a different thing. But to turn a nasty habit into a virtue Can't replace the need for charity. Maybe it's all you need to get you through the night. Maybe you've seen the light. But you know that popular consensus doesn't make it right. Like the seed of all creation or a doomsday scheme, The future might be bright or bleak. But you know that popular consensus doesn't mean much to me.

"My Head Is Full Of Ghosts" My head is full of ghosts, but I'm no revenant, Despite my resident's rivalry. And I'll be the faithful pilot On our blind trajectory. Do you wanna know a secret? Will you hold it close and dear? This will not be made apparent, But you and I are not alone in here.

My head is full of ghosts. No apparition. A partition from the host. A temple of cognition And forbidden to approach. Oh, to hell with superstition. There's a stranger in the house. I don't need no exorcism. I need a key and the lock is inside out. Now meta-cognition is just intuition. And dreamers, we'll bark at the moon. The weaver's unknown by the loom. My head is full of ghosts and I'm the pilot Of ultra-violent ancestry. And I'll destroy these passersby With zest and artistry. Ghost, part apparition, A partition from the host. A temple of the hidden And unbidden to approach.

"The Island" There's a world outside but I can't really make it. There's a life to lead but I can't exactly fake it. Yet the mood feels right, but my island is sinking out of sight. I made jetties so they'd catch all the sediment. Removed the rocks and every impediment. But the tide's rising high to wash away my island in the night. The sheltering sky was to be my everlasting lullaby. They said that islands were solid as bedrock, standing firm forevermore.

But over time, even basement wastes away to the unrelenting shore. There's a lonely seed waiting to be planted. I've instructions but desire is wholly absent. I'm just a petrel in the storm; my island can't protect me anymore.

"Changing Tide" Every day's the same routine of endless chores and boring details. And you know you're waiting for the perfect condition for your ship to set sail. But of course, the climate's always changing. Clinging to the past has got you straining. Comes the recognition now you're on a mission that is born to fail, Leave it! Brothers, say goodbye. Sisters, don't you cry, yeah. All embrace the times. Wade into the changing tide. Searching for philosophy of life can be a drag on the soul. Nowadays we pick and choose the pieces from other people's wisdom of old. But of course, the climate's always changing. Clinging to the past has got you straining. Realizing all your most cherished beliefs are subject to rot and mold. C'mon! Brothers, say goodbye.

Sisters, don't you cry, yeah. All embrace the times. Wade into the changing tide.