LYRICS Riot: The dark and stormy clouds of rage came rumbling in And the city burn a blaze so bright the night resembled morning There was vengeance in their eyes as their voices pierced the silence The city smelled of chaos and the news reported Riot (Riot Riot Riot!) Drop the routine and go The common consensus down every single road One a looting next a shooting... it left you wondering what's next? The city burned a blaze because of mans ignorance [Chorus:] We took a stand (but were we as one) We made demands (based on opinions) So here we stand (in our waste land) Back where we began Too much power made the human greed The milk is sour and we're still in need Eleventh hour let the blind man see That we're back where we began I said were back where we began! Riot, Riot, Riot (4x) From the cold concrete ruins came the echoed cry As the morning broke so did the sky To reveal the seal that had been broke The past the present the future..a joke I saw the market place I saw my house I saw the school yard, park, windows broken out Under a brand new day, a brand new sun I stood amongst the chaos...god what have we done? [Chorus:] Oh my god what have we done We waged a war that cant be won (2x) And now we're back where we began Riot, Riot, Riot (4x) Alert Aware Involved The summer sun, sunsets the cityscape rise up All the kids in the hall come together put your fists up I'll bring the mic if you bring the sound system We've got all night to get lost in the rhythm The stage is set the dives a wreck 5 dollars at the door and it feels so perfect Said all I know is that I don't know nothing We've got all night so there aint no sense in rushing [Chorus:] It's time (HEY!) our time (HEY!) Our voice, our stage, our vision, our community Alright (HEY!) tonight (HEY!) The youth are waging war Don't you know we're gonna win this fight It's time (HEY!) our time (HEY!) Our voice, our stage, our vision, our community Alright (HEY!) tonight (HEY!) Turn it up, turn it out, lets go! This conscious flame burns so bright in our vision in our sight It illuminates, it radiates to rage against this dying light It's in our veins pumping passion deep into our soul The missing link that finally made this puzzle whole Oh now I know our visions clear We are the voice of revolution infecting all who hear See all we wanted was a place to call our own And a chance to speak our minds so we don't have to feel alone [Chorus:] You've gotta stay alert, gotta stay aware, gotta stay involved, Alert, Aware, Involved (6x) [Chorus:] 40 Hour Week: Do you ever get the feeling that you'll never get ahead Working for a slave wage and your social life is dead Does it ever cross your mind, does your life feel incomplete When you're running like a dog in the 40 hour week [Chorus:] And you try so hard to, try so hard, but you can't keep up the pace When the paycheck comes and the bills are due You're gonna fall right on your face And you scream (and you scream) and you shout (and you shout) But you're stuck and you'll never get out Take me away anywhere but here Take me away I need to get away Do you ever wonder why, why your life has passed you by You're a slave to the code, working 9 to 5 The 40 hour fight for freedom has put you one foot in the grave You're no american dream, you're the american slave [Chorus:] From day in to day out, from one weekend to the next You put that uniform on for the sake of a paycheck, and you Pack your lunch, head straight for the routine, just to find yourself Caught up, in a job that demeans you, to them you're nothing, But a money making cog, built to fuel the corporate greed Of the corporate f**king slobs, whose pocket books Are lined with me and you, just a working class song About the red, white, black, and blue [Chorus:] How Could They: How could they do this, how could they say We've done the wrong thing The whole time, they told us, we would be there today The smiles, they face us, in all the wrong ways [Chorus:] I offered what I could, the smiles they adored Time broke through to the end, and stroked the loudest chord I've seen things, I’ve felt things, most others cannot feel I've smelled the stale smell, the taste of what's not real I've gone through my whole life, expecting to be the best Now Im living in a dream, along with all the rest How could they?....How could they say? How can they tell us that it's not real, How can they judge the way we feel How could they really mean that it's not how it seems How could they really mean that it's just a dream [Chorus:] Story Of My Life: Why do I feel so outside, looking in bruised and broken Battle scars I get knocked down Lick my wounds get up and stand in the line [Chorus:] We're all standing in a line, and it's never enough time When your two steps behind, you're always two steps behind Cynical world with no commercials Breading disguise of flamboyant lies Factory built with no guarentee Don’t wanna buy this don'nt wanna stand in their line [Chorus:] Don't want to, stand in your, don't want to stand in your line (2x) This is the story of my life (4x) Seal Of Approval: It seems like our whole life, gets wasted watching others lives As we sit, watch, and obey, our aspirations fade to gray Why are we so afraid, to make up our own minds Each and everyday, KNOW, that this choice is yours The is choice is yours to make, choose your path Its in the marketplace on the magazines Its on your living room on your TV screen Its the car you drive its the clothes you wear How much money you have or how you cut your hair Born into bought, caught up in games Brainwashed and taught to think the same It's not what's inside, don't you know It's the human need for approval [Chorus:] It's just a fix to face another day Such a stupid game we humans play, wake up and live your life!! Why does it matter what they say, why does it matter what they think They're only doing what they're told, in the end we're all the same, We don't have to play this game We're taught to color in the lines, express our thoughts But never question this our decline... Just consume what they prescribe to you, to face another day Alone....searching for approval, playing the whore...open your eyes Realize that this game doesn't count for shit [Chorus:] Realization And Reconciliation: Sometimes I say things that I don't mean Sometimes the words come out wrong Sometimes I take things too far I haven't said Im sorry in so long How does one reconcile what they regret? After all is said and done the parties done the dust sets In time I know things work out I'm sorry so sorry I know I let you down I let you down... [Chorus:] And I never wanna make that mistake again... True friendship is a bond you never wanna break But I can t take it back I can only... Make it up to you! Oh how many times have I sat here and sworn I'll stop tearing you down while our friendship I've scorn With my harsh words of judgment, condescending ways I'm sorry so sorry how could I make this mistake So humble so caring yet so demeaning and crass Friendship with out trust is just a ship sinking fast I’ve learned in my life what goes around comes around I'm sorry I've realized I just never want to let you down Like I’ve let you down [Chorus: 2x] If I had a button I could push (make it up to you) To take it all away I would (make it up to you) And I swear I wouldn't make that same mistake... Our Safety: United we stand, divided we're all (HEY HEY) Too proud to see that this land we call free is not free There are laws to control us... Our rights, designed cut-to-fit A system breeding apathy for profit Profiting our trust [Chorus:] As we follow the sheppard to the slaughter They rape us of our rights They take, they fake, prefabricate A false hope to cope while they devastate Then they tell us our safety, justifies their iron fist They speak with good intentions, but it is all just politics Contradictions and lies, pulling wool over our eyes Money, power, profit, hidden well with great disguise They mislead us and deceive us, because they don't want us to know For the people, by the people, I don't think so (2x) Corn fed on apathy By Uncle Sams Johnny Appleseed The media and popular demand United we're all divided we stand in line As they profit (HEY HEY) Make no mistake They'll go as far as it takes to conquer then cover their ass Ignorance and the key to knowledge The two greatest allies that money can buy When you've got tax dollars to back it [Chorus:] Oh say, say you can see Your inalienable rights don't exist It's just a nice catch phrase to satisfy and give substance While they, try to justify their iron fist Let's take it back! [Chorus:] Never Forget: I've watched the good times come and go so fast I remember the first time we met How it felt ... to share a laugh and not feel alone Thinking back on those days brings a smile to my face A warmth in my heart, a pleasant escape Memories like a puzzle, helping us reconnect This life's long learned lesson I will never regret [Chorus:] Oh These Days... These days I will never forget Never forget... (Ohhh) These days I will never forget... These days I will never forget Scattered torn tattered photographs litter on my bedroom floor I've read and re-read the letters We wrote... Ten billion times each one memorized As the days fade and pass as the months turn to years As we grow our own ways... as we laugh and shed tears As we struggle, rejoice, make mistakes, come correct Each life's long learned lesson we should never regret [Chorus:] Take your time...Never forget Where you come from...never regret (2x) These days, these days I will never forget [Chorus:] John Doe: There was this wise man I once knew Who lived down my street a block or 2 In a back alley where the autumn leaves blew A simple man with a heart so true John Doe was a quiet man, who kept to himself and lived off the land He panned his living with a rusty tin can Been living off the streets since Vietnam When Johnny came marching home From the Vietnam war he was alone Slapped with a label, he hid his face, the nightmare of war Was one he couldn’t erase, when Johnny came marching home (he said) I can’t let go, I can’t forget 25 years later, that smell I still remember As I watched so many young men lose their lives, on that battlefield To Vietnam they sent us barely, old enough they placed us On the front lines in a land we had no place…We had no place!!! On the day I left that battlefield, I might as well have died Because nothing in my life this far, has ever felt quite right And each and everyday I try to pick the pieces up But the pieces never seem to fit, the pain becomes too much It's hard to describe, so hard to relate, it's hard letting go When you can't escape To think that when we came home our country turned its back And labeled us all murderers, spit on us, spit on us and laughed He spoke with such convicting words, I felt like I was there A simple frail and shattered soul, the soldier never dies he sang I thought about how it must feel to watch all your friends die So far away so far from home, fighting wars we had no place! It Kills To Know: So you think you are the only one who feels like you do The only one thats been getting screwed The only one who knows how it feels To be so hurt, no one could feel like you Just take one step back and open up your eyes Theres so many of us out here with the same problems in our lives We're all searching for direction, how and which way to go The answer to lifes riddle, is what it kills to know [Chorus:] Lifes not fair, nothings fair You said you listened but did you hear The fine print reads, theres no guarantee This life is what you make, but nothing comes for free? There is a price Have you ever stopped and listened to yourself As you piss and moan from your self-pitied shell Theres a reason life has it's twists and turns Keep your head up kid, theres so much left to learn you're not alone Just for one f**king moment stop and think about this life How unfortunate it is that many never think twice When they walk past someone homeless turn their head and walk away Then go on with their lives? Oh Whoa is me! [Chorus:] Brian's Song: Struck down you died, one December night Taken in cold blood, under Texas twilight The headlines all read, it was "punks vs. the jocks" As your killer walks free, we're still left with this loss [Chorus:] We must teach tolerance, and stop this senseless violence We are at war This war we will fight But not with our fists Vengeance will shed in the name of education So sad we watch daily on the nightly news Another act of violence, another taken too soon From the streets, from the hands of man so hateful and unjust We must destroy this callus mind set and build each other up [Chorus:] No we need no more! No more (4x) Need no more, we don't need no more (4x) [Chorus:] Battle On: He hangs his flyers on the wall, religiously, his efforts so small It doesn't matter even though Punk rock is his life he has got nothing to show for it He sits stuck in a daydream, everything sucks, the music the scene The people, his friends, everything has changed He battles on remaining the same [Chorus:] Here's to you, who battle through Battle on, battle on! (2x) He watched it rise, he watched it fall Stabbed in the back by the ones he used to call his friends, the trends Must have brainwashed their minds His life has gone full circle, his struggle forged and refined Defined his crime he stood true, with his heart while the others Dropped their fist, he fought so it wouldn't fall apart Oh this battle, this struggle, most will never comprehend For he'll battle on till the very end [Chorus:] In Hope: I woke up again today To a world so broke and full of hate Tried to pretend that it's ok But it cut so deep there was no escaping This world is so fucked So cruel and so corrupt But I know you know that you can't give up No you can lose hope so... [Chorus:] We push and shove [2x] To rise above [2x] And this fight we fight For the better day A brand new day We stand together In Hope! This life can be so short And this world can cut us deep inside But what we choose to emphasize Will be our lose or help us realize That it doesn't have to be this way No it doesn't have to be this way Conscious our choice In Hope we raise our voice yeah.... [Chorus:] Hope... We long for understanding The truth... Is simply all were asking Why... Why must we live in sorrow? So... We live in defiance and hope [2x] We stand together in hope!!! [Chorus:] And we will rise, rise up! [3x] Revolution Now: Can you here the winds of change As they're blowing on the streets From the school yards where we ran To the cafes where we eat From the lips of common man Burns a passion like the sun This is the sound of revolution [Chorus:] Revolution What we need is a... Revolution To break the chains of this disillusioned System that's f**ked So put your fist up and Revolt Can you hear the winds of change As their knocking on the door Reciting words of wisdom The truth and so much more From the lips of common man Burns a passion like the sun This is the sound of revolution [Chorus:] What are we waiting for? [3x] Revolution ...what we need is a [4x] Whats It Gonna Take? As the modern world divides to war And its leaders fight to settle scores The war machine turns green in profit form In its wake new fear is born And peace is scorn by the hands of man who justify Another death for their cause will no one question why Why these solutions never work! [Chorus:] What's it gonna take... to break The idea that we're free To wage our wars On the grounds we found an enemy Break down these walls Rise up refuse... we Raise our voice raise our fists... to smash To crush the cogs of the modern war Will no one question The intention of an endless war Before you act learn the facts Don't just settle for The idea of freedom (freedom?) Purchased on a battle field (freedom?) Tell me what's it gonna take... what's it gonna take? SOMETHINGS GONNA BREAK! 3,000 dead the headlines read So shattered shocked I hung my head As I sat my heart sunk lower as I watched And the sky came falling These clouds of soot were not silver lined But lined with hate the kind of hate that's blind So blind we returned the favor quick! [Chorus:] Something's gonna break... something (something's gonna break) What's it gonna take... what's it (gonna take) To break assassinate rise up and suffocate The lies that they create to justify their endless wars The time has come to stand up straight 2002 it's not to late Rise up resist refuse to go to war What the f**k are we dying for? To rid the world of an enemy we cannot see... To die for Oil corporate interest power profit greed? What will it take... when will we learn? Know Your Enemy: Know your enemy (2x) Its inside of you Inside of me Know your enemy... The clock is ticking like a time bomb in the mind Of the people whos rebel hearts cry out to break The ties that bind desperate times to the human Spirit in us all watch it fall light the fuse let it begin! [Chorus:] We are the people We are the time bomb picket line Revolution, A revolution forged and redefined With our minds with our hearts not shackled hands Born to care not to kill To help our fellow man and so we stand Hand in hand and in solidarity To know the truth, Know yourself, and know... Know your enemy And we're like fuses like candles burning at both ends In the darkness in this madness lies another means to an end But I contend that the human spirit in us all Will stand tall... light the fuse let it begin! [Chorus:] So take these words tear them down they don't mean anything If we don't act on our ideas than they're just words we sing F**k your rhetoric of reason your banner and your plea 'Till you know the truth, know yourself, and know... Know your enemy The Pace: No I don't give a shit I'm just sick and fucking fed up Always falling on my face trying hard to keep my head up Cause this life has got me running, repetitions got me pinned I've gotta break this cycle. Where the f**k do I begin? [Chorus:] Oh no... what has gotten into me Oh yeah... could it be the monotony Of life... and all of the anxiety? Alright... I don't ever wanna be Dead to the world but sometimes I feel so lost and alone Its so hard to let go. What can I say "Well I'm okay!" I'm not so... Sometimes I Just don't know. And I don't wanna grow old and burn out And I don't wanna lose hope and find out What can you do when your dreams turn to your doubts? Sometimes I just don't Know (2x) ... how to but I won't pretend I'm not another brick in the wall Another fish in the pot. Another cog in the system Repetition and routine. I've gotta break this cycle, it's killing all my dreams! [Chorus:] Keep your head up Hey... Its never over Hey... Its just beginning to set in, to begin The clock tick tocks and the days fly by It's off to the pace and I don't ask why Why we're born to conform... to consume... just to die? Born to conform and we don't ask why. [Chorus:] Break The Silence And now I raise my voice... In defiance To break the chains that have bound these hands Arrest the fear inside and shed this callous coat I've got to know just where I stand... [Chorus:] I will... not walk silently through this life I will... never yield the passion in my soul I will not surrender what's inside, I could never! I will... not walk silently through this life this is my promise And so I'll seize the day because it's all I've got And I will question everything im taught Emancipate my life, compel my thoughts Embrace this world, I will not be bought so... [Chorus:] And I will stand, and I will break the silence I will (2x) I will not surrender I will (2x) I will not surrender No! I will not walk silent No! I will not lose hope No! I will not surrender No! I'm gonna break the silence This is my life and I will not give up 'till I die No more fear, no more lies, I've got to know just where I stand Each and every day... know just where I stand...