1. |
Heroes & Ghosts
03:57
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I feel like a shooting star
That can do no wrong
Burning out so bright while
Dying to exonerate the world
Feel the burn of re-entry
As a glimmer of hope it
Lumbers through my dried veins
The air’s too thin to keep fueling the flames
I am but a spark
A memory held hostage in such high revere
A neurotoxin cocktail mixed with fear
And I won’t live like this
With discrepancies and sorrow
Following in the distance
While the skeletons are waiting for their call
Your heroes are our ghosts
Nothing but a film of dust
That hides the truth
As stubborn winds blow by
And it’s blocking the sunlight
And infecting the air
Just let it out
The predators are patrolling the roost
Protecting their false idols and their great ideals
Holding back their sure fire fall from grace
From a demigod down to an anti hero
The legacy’s been locked in place
A stacked deck up the sleeve just in case
And I won’t live like this
With discrepancies and sorrow
Following in the distance
While the skeletons are waiting for their call
Your heroes are our ghosts
Nothing but a film of dust
That hides the truth
As stubborn winds blow by
We all have our demons waiting in the night
Standing just beyond our sight
But time conquers all
The heroes that you speak of
Are nothing but a ghost to me
Another log on the funeral pyre
Dripping with deceit like gasoline
Time conquers all
And their time will come
The skeletons are so patient
Waiting for their call
Your heroes are our ghosts
Nothing but a film of dust
That hides the truth
As stubborn winds blow by
We all have our demons waiting in the night
Standing just beyond our sight
But time conquers all
And it’s blocking the sunlight
And infecting the air
The skeletons are so patient
Waiting for their call
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2. |
||||
Oh God help me out of this quicksand
Waist deep in apathy the struggle brings us closer to the ultimate demise
Appease the emptiness no need to fill the void cause time and space never factored in
This attachment to a childhood dream
It’s the struggle that brings us together
It’s the smile on a perfect stranger
And as the tide rolls in on the demons within reality loosens it’s hold
And it’s cold
It chills to the bone
And all I can think of is home
Try not to sit on your hands this life will pass you buy
Don’t take for granted a single breath I know it’s not the easiest concept
Were not just creatures of habit here to punch the clock
It’s the struggle that brings us together
It’s a smile on a perfect stranger
And as the tide rolls in on the demons within reality loosens it’s hold
And it’s cold it chills to the bone and all I can think of is home
Gravity
This party’s over and I’m gunna lose it
I can feel the strings pulling me down now
My cover’s open
Too late to start it over
And now I feel that I’m losing control
And it’s cold it chills to the bone and all I can think of is home
And how I want to leave this place get out on the road
Get out on the road and never come home
Let’s go!
So grab my hand save me from sinking
I’m all out of faith and hope so trust is all we’ve got
I never saw the light at the end of the tunnel
You came into view but out of focus
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3. |
The Great Regression
03:30
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How can you sleep next to me?
So pleasantly and so peacefully
Knowing what I know
Each day it seems our lives will be
Shortened by poor philosophy
Can you hear me now?
Don’t you let me down
We can only watch and wonder as moments pass us by
The atmosphere is so electric I think I know why
I’ve got nothing that you want
Nothing that you need
Waiting for the sweet disaster in between
Let’s plant the seed of doubt
Between us both
Trampling on our four leaf clovers
Instead of looking down
Let’s work it out
You’re taking aim on your sworn enemies
But you’re slightly off the trajectory
Don’t let me down
Don’t you let me down
Can’t pull the trigger now can you
On an honest plague that feels at home
The buildup is killing me
Can somebody please break this clean
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4. |
||||
This is our holiday
From ducking down or keeping quiet
Not to my dismay
Your fate hangs
Next to the gallows
It’s no big surprise
Your charms are on display
You better watch your step
‘Cause this one minds his prey
Oh no he’s lost his place
‘Aint that a shame
The congregation sure wants in
Cause they know him by name
Everybody says that you’re an asshole
Guess I can say that you’re an asshole
I can say that you’re an asshole now
Just stand quiet
No body’s listening anyhow
No honey don’t try it
No-no-no-no-no-no-noooo
Once a prodigal son
Now a tip-toeing fool
Keep your distance
Cause this one just might lose his cool
Oh no he’s lost his place
Aint that a shame
The congregation sure wants in
Cause they know him by name
Everybody says that you’re an asshole
Guess I can say that you’re an asshole
I can say that you’re an asshole now
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5. |
Constraints and Anchors
03:46
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I wrote this song because I need a little therapy for free
Face the facts that have come to pass
Clean the slate and drop the dead weight
Cause I don’t think I’ve never had the time
I’ve learned to just react
Every time I’m on the edge of a breakthrough
The bulb just popped inside my head
I see the light in total darkness
The gray matter sprayed against the wall
And I will do my best to reconnect receptors neural filament
Add color to the cold and lifeless eyes
And bear witness as I pull the plug on
Constraints and anchors
It won’t take long
To pick up the pieces and say
I will be the best memory that you fuck up
It’s just my luck
You’ve ripped me from the inside
Save me from your history
‘Cause I don’t want to hear it anymore
Look into your broken past
Like the thought of me would mend those cracks
Falling through a few years back the truth
Did you really think you’d keep your secret
And all this time I thought I knew you
So I was wrong about you
Does that mean I have to suffer
I guess this is goodbye to what we had
I guess this is goodbye
And bear witness as I pull the plug on
Constraints and anchors it won’t take long
to pick up the pieces and say
New beginnings start from an ending
What doesn’t kill us will only make us stronger
I made a promise to myself to never forget….never forget
I will be the best memory that you Fuck up
It’s just my luck
You’ve ripped me from the inside
Save me from your history
‘Cause I don’t want to hear it anymore
It’s the same old story
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6. |
When the Curtains Close
03:57
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We go through our lives
Never knowing what is real
As time passes by
We neglect what we think we feel
With the curtains closed
They carry out their sick sick dance ’cause
With the curtains closed they’ve buried my eyes
Come closer
We’ll stack the bodies for warmth
Our security blanket’s integrity’s compromised
It’s been picked clean of its skin
As we follow the invisible diligent worker bee
Making his way back
Down into the landslide
The conditions are perfect
Rest assured the anxiety’s high
Just lie still in the darkness
They can’t hear your cries
With your finger on the trigger
It’s no matter that you’re feeling all alone
Pulled by the strings of another
Have you forgotten how to play with buried eyes
Don’t pay attention
To the beacon burning a pale red
Dimming, as aspirations will wear thin and dissapear
Like hopes born from grandeur
Our heavy hearts sink deeper
To the bottom of the bay
How dare you tug back now
Have you decided that you’ve lost your will to live
The scars on your back now
Will turn into broken neck
If you don’t turn back
Stay close now
They’ve taken away all the slack
An egregious act drawn out
While fickle desperate men maintain control
Is there anybody listening anymore?
Is there anybody left to find a cure at all?
Does anyone still care for it?
With your finger on the trigger
It’s no matter that you’re feeling all alone
Pulled by the strings of another
It’s no matter that your heart feels just like stone
With your finger on the trigger
It’s no matter that you’re feeling all alone
The pauper and the puppeteer
Their twisted dance plays ever on
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7. |
We Believe
03:09
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You come crawling
Like a wounded child
No need to stop you now
You’re tail’s tucked straight between your
Legs that are failing you now
You’ve broken down
Right before our eyes and it’s no surprise
We believe
We believe in this
The unseen
Feeding on apathy
We can’t fall asleep while stuck behind the wheel
While others struggle to maintain content to suffer
As we move on
From the past our grave concessions will weigh heavy on our hearts
But we’ll push on until we reach beyond
We seek the truth
Will the hardened
Kindly place their scowls
A justified recourse
Convenient half-truths
Can you swallow
Being left behind
A twisted photograph doctored and leaked I’m fine
We believe
We believe in this
The unseen
Feeding on apathy
You’re falling down and wasting time
Behind the ruins
The choice is yours I won’t persuade
Behind the ruins
You try to drag our dreams through the mud
While they’re still treading down our backs
We believe in this
Life we won’t fall in line
Or be left behind
Here with nothing to hide
We won’t be denied
You’re falling down and wasting time
You’re falling down
I know you aren’t speaking true
Old enough to finally see through
The bullshit of better days
With open eyes
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8. |
March of the Paper Tiger
03:59
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Hold on!
Stay strong!
White knuckled and bruised
We’re going down
Knocked around so long
It’s hard to tell what’s up from down
Derailed!
Entrails!
Dropping drastically further unto the floor
The air has been let out
Now we’re dropping like a rock
Tuned in utter disbelief
All we’re left with is what we’ve been told
Brought to you by the highest bidder
I can’t believe it still surprises you to learn
We’ve been sold out!
And I’m holding on to a photograph
Of the American dream gone wrong
Shattered by intolerance and greed
Turning a blind eye and shadow casting
While you’re in your time of need
Tyrant!
Despot!
The rats you’ve hatched are home to roost
Why can’t you understand?
They’ve already barged through
The reckoning will be so swift and bittersweet
So sorry to have ruined your day
A paper tiger will never catch its prey
Post the video for all to see
Inflated high and proud
How can we still find the balls to pound our chests
While the foundation’s crumbling from under our feet
From under our feet
Did you notice?
We’ve been sold out!
Come see your favorite pundit finally coming clean
We’ve made our bed but we’re scared
We won’t go to sleep
A recipe so ripe for hate
The sugar buzz is wearing off it’s getting late
This bed of roses smells like rotting piles of shit
And the lullaby is sounding more like empty rhetoric
Meanwhile the tiger marches to its drunken beat
Fucked up on Valium and huffing cans of kerosene
You better take my hand
You better hold on tight
I think we’re going down
My God we’re going down
I’m holding on
To a photograph stripped
Down to black and white
Hanging crooked in the frame
At least we know where to place the blame
I’m holding on to these photographs
Of the American dream gone wrong
Shattered by intolerance and greed
Turning a blind eye and shadow casting
While you’re in your
And I’m holding on to these photographs
Of the American dream goes wrong
Shattered by intolerance and greed
Turning a blind eye and shadow casting
While you’re in your time need
Tyrant!
Despot!
It’s done!
The rats we hatch come home to roost
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9. |
Strings of Destiny
03:27
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The architect, iconoclast, martyr and the money changer
Modern knights of the round table
With their finger on the trigger
A puppet show the world’s to blind to see
Attach the strings of destiny
Watch the rich eat the poor blind and dumb
It’s been like this for years and our actions
Crave more poverty more neglect more reason to disconnect
This loss of focus is their master plan
Now they have the upper hand
Don’t expect to be cut free
From the strings of destiny
Don’t expect to be cut free
From the strings
Taste the revolution on your lips
As the world economy watches you slip through the cracks of time
The truth holds bittersweet responsibilities
The writing’s on the wall but not cast in stone
Our culture has been whitewashed
It’s time to take it back
It starts with education based on fact
Not graphic novels scribed by the victors
Oral tradition and hope based scriptures
Don’t expect to be cut free
From the strings of destiny
Don’t expect to be cut free
From the strings of destiny
With one foot on the hill this knight stands proud
Shoulders back as they gaze on the horizon
At this proud moment we get our chance
To charge the cracks, chew the flesh
Push them back until they see
We’ve cut the strings of destiny
Until we’re truly free
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10. |
Sweet and Sour
03:51
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When it seems like life has got you on the ropes and on the run
Slow down you don’t want to miss a thing
Once again you’ll have your back up against the wall
Don’t turn around this might be your curtain call
With the same old song and dance
We leave the blind leading dumb
The deaf will lead the mute
To an ideal point of view
While marching on
Drawing closer to the tolling knell
Here’s to pushing right back at their call
Before it’s too late to tell if we’ll disconnect
I’m on borrowed time
And I’m in over my head
I’ll swallow my pride
This time I’m fine
Forget the pomp and circumstance
We’re bleeding out while moving on
A tiny price to pay for a second chance
To bring them to their knees
We’re not breaking rank not just yet
Because they might still suspect
So we’ll stay their course
And we’ll take our chances
Before it’s too late to tell if we’ll disconnect
I’m on borrowed time
And I’m in over my head
I’ll swallow my pride
This time I’m fine
After all we’ve done
This kettle is finally boiling over
I just hope that it goes a little more sweet than sour
With your head in your hands and your heart in the ground
This isn’t close to over now that I’m scaring sober
When you think that you can’t keep falling down
Wipe the teardrops from your eyes and heed the call
When you can’t cotterize the wounds
Even while your back is breaking, don’t let your hands keep shaking
With a head full of steam and your heart filled with guilt
This isn’t close to over thank God I’m scaring sober
I’m on borrowed time
The ghosts I’ve left behind are slowly catching up to me this time
But I’ll be fine
I’m in over my head
The currents take me deeper
Slowly disappearing
Desperately choking down the air
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11. |
A Raven's Curse
03:38
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So we stare at the sun
While we flap our clipped wings
Never understanding the burn we received
From what we believed was right
Add to this if they had known
Who knew?
It’d be taken away
The truth lies just beneath this
A piston popping with no release valve now
The outward-bound cast to dwell in this downward spiral
Our backs are broken from the weight of the fall
Star-ward gazing while we stand up and we stand tall
‘Cause we both know that we might get our shot tonight
To be something more than this
Our blessed curse sealed with a deadly kiss
Full speed ahead on these half drawn sails
Our breath won’t fail us now
You can save the world a million times but get credit for the fall
Even though you had nothing to with it
Nothing to do at all
We kept this dream alive straight-laced with suicide
Don’t slouch down boy
You’ll only orchestrate your fall
Fifty miles above this all
You can hear the complacent complying
And the ignorant few multiplying
All while trying to wake up the already dead
This is not what we believe
A candy-coated lie filled with broken dreams
That’s tearing apart at the seams
But this time
I will never turn my back on you
No matter what’s been said or everything I had to do
And when it’s time I hope I’m not the only one
With guns out blazing
But will you be awestruck staring?
Without raising a fist or raising your voice
Scoffed at the thought of a choice
We wait for the eye of the storm to pass by
Punch-drunk in pursuit of an abstract ideal
When I’m just trying to feel out something real
We kept this dream alive straight-laced with suicide
Devoid of foolish pride
All we have’s forsaken
The heartless have just taken it for themselves
Just walk away
Don’t shoulder the weight of the world
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12. |
||||
Parasites
Digging deeper with every bite
To pick apart your soul
Hold on or you’re gunna lose control
Can’t you see
Everyone else is listening
But you’ve tuned them out
The drones chime in
Singing all along
As they scream
C’mon join the crowd
Forget about the proving ground
And fall into the easy way out
Stop making choices
Stop thinking for yourself
It’s time to just roll over and accept what’s been laid out for you
Why can’t you
Lead by example
Why can’t you
Be who you are
I’ve got one burning question
Can you picture someone else inside yourself?
Quit grazing in their pasture
Sipping from the same trough
They’ll make it smell so sweet
It’s cotton candy for the masses
So plain but it’s so hard to resist
Join in!
The water’s warm and everyone is waiting for you there
Stop wasting time
Just fall in line
Hey mom and dad
Are you thankful that they’ve listened thus far
To all your broken records
Blood stained red
Burn it all down
Call in the wrecking crew
The bandwagon’s way off course
The driver is dead at the wheel
Resist! It’s so hard to resist!
It’s time to make a scene
Cause this one’s been stripped clean of it’s life
Won’t redeem
So broken
No hearted queen of denial
Stop running from the past
Cause we all feel the same
So broken
No Hearted
Discarded we can deny ‘em
Quit grazing in their pasture
Temptation! Suffocation!
It’s cotton candy for the masses
They’ll make it smell so sweet
Scenester kids at the punk rock show
Staring at me now
Staying put but primed for reaction
Hey there kids
Where do you tuck your balls?
Are they back up in your pants
Tighter than my favorite spandex
What are you searching for?
Do you think that you’ll find it here?
Is it acceptance you want?
Smugly hidden in your stare
Hey there kids
At the punk rock show
Do think that you’ve seen it all?
Does something big lie on the horizon?
For you and all you friends
Headed for the door
Well I won’t say goodbye
Because you never said hello
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13. |
So Long
04:41
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I'm down at the end
The end of my rope
Hanging by a thread
And I can't recall
How I got here at all
Things were so grand
Dreams were so big
The hurdles in between
Seemed small to me
Now they're everything I see eclipsing me
But there's no turning back as I patiently wait
For the overburdened sole to drop it's weight
It's dreams like this that kill a man
It's dreams like this that make me say
So long goodbye my friend
You're never gunna make it
Never gunna make it on our own
Please don't speak and make this harder than it has to be
On either one of us
Don't think I haven't thought about it
So much time I've spent here wondering just where you're at
Are you here with me?
Can you hear me now or never
The wasted years and sleepless nights
Has led me here to a dream that just might kill a man
It's dreams like this that make me say
Goodbye to second chances
The scales haven't tipped your way
I've heard it all before
It's a tired story
The road least traveled might not be your way
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Counterpunch Chicago, Illinois
Skate/90's melodic punk rock band from Chicago, IL. Half Blackhawks fans, half Red Wings fans. We like beer, kebabs & good tunes. Featuring ex-members of We Are the Union (Paper + Plastick Records), Voice of Addiction, & She Likes Todd. Check out our pages & follow us on twitter! Merch available online at BigCartel. Cheers! ... more
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