We’re up against it . . .
too much glory too much history
And we resent it too much to live up to too much to be in this life

in this life

We’re up against it . . .
too much glory too much history
Already spent it
every note, every word, every sight, every sound we could make
in this life

We tried our best, buried in this mess
in the shadow of those who enjoy success
forced to confess that it’s no contest
we nest with failures we really never learned to digest
no living up to the blessed we detest
when they suppress every desire to be impressed
we were told to shut up so we hold our breath
and we tread water in the wake of all the competition we’re pit against

We’re up against it
the fraying yarns of all the victories
Will we resent it
we’ve already lost if we choose to compete with this lie

Apologies motivated by self preservation
won’t catch me closing my eyes
better believe I see you and you’ll get no accommodations
not impressed that you’ve been fooling the blind

another generation breeds another degradation
more watered down every time
redundant iteration useless intellect castration
standing tall without the help of a spine

offer apology as currency
yeah your money’s no good here
go ahead re-neg that guilty plea
I never held my breath for honesty
you really never did have cred with me
yeah your face is no good here

Your insincerity cements my every reservation
saw you a mile away
is it exhausting living life with such precision calculation
to play the relevant fake
your insecurity exposed by overcompensation
is breaking down the facade
keep your sisters in their place and downplay every accusation
sell the fiction of a whitewashed adaptation

tried to tightened your laces when the other shoe dropped
but that tongue broke loose and now your down to socks
this rant deteriorates
I’m happy eating the rot
cos every word was penned for flying over heads full of rocks
and so the worse it’s received
I say the better song
’til I respect your opinion no I can never be wrong
I guess I’ll never be wrong
I guess I’ll never be wrong
I guess I’ll never be wrong

stare at the t.v.
enjoy the places you will never be
the success of all the rest
the lifestyles that you will never see
and all the pleasures of
the luxuries that remain out of reach
but you thought that you had a chance
you really believed it didn’t you

well don’t let them fool you into buying into their ideas of happiness those fantasies they’re selling to you
oh all of that happiness forged out of plastic out of gold these toys are just the burden of the fortunate few
and if you’re lucky
you won’t buy into them too

my television said to me:
here’s a vision of relief, of all the great things you could be
it showed the things that i should dream
but i woke up to a dying world with no houses or cars or girls
I turned back to my family
they weren’t there at all, they didn’t make the fantasy
they never tried to sell me love
but they made me fall in love with all the loveless things they sold to me

for all the roads we wish to take
they take to the day we feel ashamed
we live our lives this way

I tried to flee society
it wouldn’t set me free
adapted to my tendencies
softened the rules of how to be
too confused to refuse the ruse
I sought comfort in luxury
they sold rebellion back to me
they almost got it right- right out, right out from under me
they never meant to see this through
so they let me finish all my cake
with clean plates chased by more to chew

Wouldn’t it be nice
to step outside this structure of our own design
3 chords, 4 walls- false walls we’d never
ever dare to leave behind
every time we threaten to evolve
you find that crisis so easy to solve

just plug your ears and walk away
there’s always plenty more of the same
and there’s always plenty more on the way

we all know
the long way’s
the only way ahead

Wouldn’t it be nice
to unlock all those doors to which we hold the keys
and recognize the boredom crime of crowd pleasing is a
LesS deeD
this is where I am and want to be
and this is where my honesty serves my creativity
but maybe I’m the privileged gen.
for living just before it all poured in
all that access to the guides for fitting in

we ought to know
the long way’s
the only way ahead

Every note
a disposable release
every town and every load in was an endless guarantee
never once occurring to me every road comes to an end
never ever crossing my mind that the needle reaches E

The long drives
now a distance memory
give me a fist fight I can still afford the teeth
give me another escape I tried real life, it didn’t take
or take me long before 46 if I peaked at 23

I’m ready for more
if it’s still out there
and if it’s running away
I better run faster

Took it for granted
well the young ones always do
but it was the only way that our words could speak the truth
never every striving for more ignorance was sincerity
but my doleful forty hours a week ain’t my only memory

I’m ready for more
if it’s still out there
and if it’s running away
I better run faster

Give me some more
I know it’s still out there
and if it’s running away
I better run after

We’re unimportant
we just pretend this is a war
We’re entertainment
in an hour you’ll be bored
no one’s the better, dismantle image
we take the path we set the pace
don’t call it struggle, if it’s a privilege
if it’s the dream we choose to chase

self promoting egos won’t seem all that impressive no more
once you’ve reached a higher stage
and they’ve tumbled back onto the floor

you might invite ’em to all your cities
so they can play their pirate games
they’ll fuck you over and ask for pity
they’re selling every word but shame
feeding off worship and drunk on power
standing up grace on every date
and if a platform puts them above you
then they don’t deserve a stage
tear them right down off that stage

all those heroes are just the lucky fortunate fools
the brightest spot light will never make them better than you

do you have morals? do you have values?
or are they obstacles to fame?
those slimy antics they represent you
your choice to join them on the stage
are you a victim? cos we don’t like you?
cowards demur deserved disdain
you’re not a victim and I don’t like you
and your delusion smears your name
you can fuck off all the same

don’t let me be them don’t let me be them
don’t turn me up don’t give me praise
don’t ever say I’m worth more of your time
if I shake your hand- without asking your name

all those heroes are just the lucky fortunate fools
the brightest spot light will never make them better than you
if they chase the blinding light how can they lead you to the truth
don’t ever follow those who’d never dream of following you

I got confused cos it’s not the end of the week
so what the hell are you doing here
oh wait, you’re never really here at all
obnoxious proxy made the scene through a computer screen
too late! Your rise was slower than your fall
on the platform basic trapping that enslaved us all
so discover the past full of rich artifacts
you can horde and collect knowing you’ll leave behind nothing at all
but the respect of anyone who ever really knew you at all

I saw that writing on the wall
warts, pimples, swastikas, and all
one day the laughter had to end
and once again you are no friend

The king sold his clothes and gave his mistress a crown
that couldn’t quite fit on her inflated head
didn’t know how to rule so their kingdom came down
When the the people stopped kneeling they declared it dead
they learned a hard lesson trying to rule from afar
paper thrones incinerated into shapeless mounds
friendly hands might recoil when that grip is too hard
friendly faces might dwindle if they realize that never around
those days of rest when you appear can make a soft battle ground

protect your image
protect your ogre notoriety
but don’t protect women
cos collateral damage is all that you could ever let them mean

protect your assets
the goons that you use as commodity
and keep protecting yourself
cos you made the world you live in and that world is your enemy

some day we’re gonna deal with our problems
some day we’re gonna settle the score
some day we’re gonna find resolution
without declaration of war

some day we’ll fight our way through the madness
some day we’re gonna prove that we care
some day we’re gonna beat all our sadness
some day we’re gonna make it I swear

we’ve got the rest of time to get right with the world
past and future always meet where we stand
we had the best of times basking in our wealth
tomorrow never brought us the end

some day we’re gonna look for solutions
beyond the opportunist bandaids
some day we’re gonna find revolution
is as simple as just changing our ways

some day we’ll realize what we’ve created
in world where we took more than we gave
to the generations coming to take more
climbing peaks above our mountains of waste

We’ve got the rest of time to make it
we’ve got the rest of time to watch it fall
we’ve got the rest of time to help destroy it all

These days aren’t quite the faded memories I wish that they could be
spit hate at the world a bit too late
with these fruitless words of war
and it’s not as rewarding as I thought
to lay claim to this spot for the nothing that it’s got
but I still hear these songs, I still witness all the wrongs
so the war must carry on, we must carry on

Yesterdays aren’t quite the faded memories I wish that they could be
just a wake of the funerals and graves of the friends we had to bury and the dreams we’ll never see
But it’s pointless to dwell on what we’ve got
cos the grass is always greener and to dwell is just to rot
and I still hear these songs, I still witness all the wrongs
so the war must carry on, we must carry on

Give me one last breath and I’ll be remembered
give me one final word in one last song
give me one last chance- one last note to go out on
give me one final word, it won’t last long

Today is the day I have to live with all the choices I have made
My mistakes insignificant or great are the burdens that I carry, the scars that mark my face
but tomorrow is just a day away
a new day to run and hide or a day to make a change
So I keep holding on, I still wanna right the wrongs
so the war must carry on, we must carry on

This is the gateway for the wounded
an escape route for the hurt
the pathway to a better life
a passage to rebirth
and if this leg of the journey
is the one that is most boring
at best it was at least
a brief moment of peace

the calm before the scars could fully heal

and even if they’re only passing thru
before the green lights go yellow to red then blue
I want to thank you
cos at least I wasn’t empty for a few…