The Shroud
Nuclear fears reign as real as the blood and the bones
of the innocent victims of Bu$h, Blair and Sharon.
2003: A new shepherd tends to the flock.
If they control our nightmares, they control our thoughts.
If your consent can't be programmed, your consent will be bought.
So, is this the punchline or is this the plot?
Born to rule an empire.
Born to push us unto war.
We have gathered by the millions.
Now it is time to settle the score.
They've lied, cheated, stolen, murdered. . . in our name.
There is a line we will draw in the street.
Where the will of the people and the tyrant will meet.
We need to shepherd for we are not sheep.
You're not our shepherd. We're not your godamn sheep.
Chorus.
This time is different and yet it's the same.
We trade bread for guns and we're still not safe.
And back home; still paid less and working more.
Remember 9/11. Remember 1984.
Stuck In Line
When everything has been tried
what hope is there for us in our time?
I had lowered my head when someone said,
"Nothing ever burns down by itself.
Every fire needs a little help"
They say simple minds are easy to assemble.
What happens when a mind does not even resemble
anything more than a corporate outlet?
The new branding burns deeper than the outfit.
If you dare to say what has not been said yet
by the heads on your TV set,
you're not fit to serve your master
so expect no mercy from the corporate bastards.
Chorus
We hear what they say so we think we're not blind.
We run in place, but our hands are tied.
Rebellion is selling and everything has been tried
packaged, repackaged and commodified.
So why struggle for fashion, how about a living wage?
Anything to tear down this corporate cage.
Bars casting shadows across the USA.
We worked too hard to let this chance slip away.
Chorus
They say there's no hope for us.
They fight just to be on the winning side.
They want to keep us in line.
We will break free and help each other find a better way.
A lving wage.
A better world.
A better way.
The black flag unfurled.
Do you fight to win
or do you fight because you're a fighter.
If you're stuck in line,
it's time to break free
BREAK FREE!
All Flags
Young lives taking direction
Friends torn from American hometown
There is no work for you here
Just one building with an open door. . .
Red stripes turning black
White stars on blue field turn ash
Breath deep nylon
Man-made melt hits hand scalding
Fields of tan
Olive drab sent to die by pinstriped pimps
Winds shift
Spirits fade
Death greets we on dessert winds
All we want is to be free from a trap we can't see
Caught at gunpoint on a cliff
Work for nothing or just enlist
By their terms and not on mine
Try to bring meaning to my life
Chorus
Think of your future
Think of your family
Think of the options
Consider careers
Think of your prospects
Think about respect
Think about honor
Think of the fear
Think of the meaning. . .
thinking of leaving
Think about the forces that brought you here
Why are the walls closing around me?
Why is it freedom doesn't feel so free?
Why do they want me to protect a system
that didn't have options even for me?
Think of the bloodshed on your hands
New wars waged with no end
Victory speeches while bullets still fly
A flag-covered coffin when you die
