Empty Causes Lyrics – Bad Religion

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

Nobody Listens Lyrics – Bad Religion

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

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

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
I can't help you now

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

So nobody listens!
Nobody listens to you!!

Pity The Dead Lyrics – Bad Religion

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

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 Shine Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 troubled mind (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 call it just a lark or live your life that way
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 radience - when you take it on the chin

The Streets Of America Lyrics – Bad Religion

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

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

parched, cracked mouths, empty swollen guts
sun-baked pavement encroaches on us
haves and have-nots together at last
brutally engaged in mortal combat
10 in 2010

what kind of God orchestrates such a thing?
10 in 2010
ten billion people all suffering
10 in 2010
truth is not an issue just hungry mouths to feed
10 in 2010
forget what you want, scrounge the things you need

happy and content it can't happen to you
10 in 2010
fifteen years we'll think of a solution
10 in 2010
it won't just appear in one day
10 in 2010
for ten in twenty-ten we're well on our way

like piercing ear darts, I heard the news today
10 in 2010
10 billion people...coming your way

Victory Lyrics – Bad Religion

The velveteen and oaken fixture 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

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

Drunk Sincerity Lyrics – Bad Religion

the smell of virgin pages wafted through the swinging doors
and the croaking speech he'd heard from countries counselors before
they said "we all care for you, we know how you suffer
but I know you can succed, 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 dont 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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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, 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 it, 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
What pretension! Everlasting peace
Everything must cease

"Stranger Than Fiction" (1994)

Incomplete Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

a febrile shocking violent smack
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 oxenfrees,
who pickaside and hide

the world is scratching at my door,
my morning papers got the scores,
the human interest stories, and the obituary

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 around 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 desperados scornful of living

the worlds is scratching at my door....

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 characters an amateur would never dream up

Tiny Voices Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 we 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
which we carry deep inside

The Handshake Lyrics – Bad Religion

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",
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 has 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 has 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 then it's better to
fend for yourself, and shun the handshake,
someone's gotta give

Better Off Dead Lyrics – Bad Religion

I'm sorry about the sun,
how could I know that you'd burn?,
and I'm sorry about the moon,
how could I know that you'd disapproved,
I'll never make the same mistake,
the next time I create the universe
I'll make sure we communicate at length
but until then . . . better off dead,
a smile on the lips and a hole in the head,
better off dead, yeah better than this,
better off dead, yeah better than this,
take it away cuz there's nothing to miss
I'm sorry about the world,
how could I know you'd take it so bad?,
and I'll never make the same mistake,
the next time I create the universe
I'll make sure you participate
But until then . . .
Better off dead, yeah better off dead,
why don't you try pushing daisies instead
and I'll never make the same mistake,
the next time I create the universe
I'll make sure we communicate, just in case.

Infected Lyrics – Bad Religion

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,
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

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

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,
You and me, you and me,
I want to tie you, crucify you,
Kneel before you, revile your body,
You and me, we're made in heaven,
I want to take you, I want to break you,
Supplicate you, with thorny roses,
I want to bathe you in holy water I want to kill you,
Upon the alter, you and me, you and me

Television Lyrics – Bad Religion

television, television, television, television

oh yeah! I want to bask in your golden light,
submerge in electric waves,
I need my connection to the world outside

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

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, you're my heroine,
my conscience and my voice,
and I know that I have learned to let you in I
will lever have to be alone

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

Individual Lyrics – Bad Religion

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... Lyrics – Bad Religion

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,
he, 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

when I slept with stony faces on the riverbank,
my angeldevil reveller 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 'cuz you want to?
well, that's just what I do so hooray for me

yeah, I was dreaming through the "howzlife", yawning,
car black, 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

oh, yeah, I'm not respectable, and never sensible,
I've been incredible so damned irascible
and I like the things I do so hooray for me

Slumber Lyrics – Bad Religion

So, you're feeling unimportant,
'Cuz you've got nothing to say.
And your live is just a ramble
No one understand you anyway

Well, I got a piece of news son,
That might make you change your mind
Your life is historically meaningfull
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 togeter
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

I'm not too good at giving morals
And I don't fear the consequence
If life makes you scred and bitter
At least it's not for very long

Slumber will come soon.

Marked Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 you see leaves a mark on your soul,
everything you feel leaves a mark on your soul,
everything you touch leaves a mark on your soul,
everything you 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 you see leaves a mark on your soul,
everyone you bare leaves a mark on your soul,
everyone you touch leaves a mark on your soul,
everyone you 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

Inner Logic Lyrics – Bad Religion

automatons with business suits clinging 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 over truth
of the evil and deception

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

graduated mentors stroll in marbled brick porticos
in sagacious dialog they despise their average ways
displaying 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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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,
but I don't know what it is

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

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

21st Century (Digital Boy) Lyrics – Bad Religion

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

[Chorus:]
See 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?

I can't explain it, the things you're saying to me
It's going yayayayayayaya, oh yeah

[Chorus]

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?

[Chorus]

[outro]
Cat's foot, iron claw
Neurosurgeon, scream for more
Innocence raped with napalm fire
Everything I want, I really need.

[fade out]
21st century schizoid boy
21st century video boy
21st century digital boy...

"Recipe For Hate" (1993)

Recipe For Hate Lyrics – Bad Religion

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
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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

everywhere I look I see exclusive huddled uninviting
shelter is a privilege of the same 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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

i don't need to be a global citizen
because 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
thats 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 the prosperity
it makes us walk
with renewed confidence
we've got a place to go when we die
and the architect resides right here
we've got the american Jesus
overwhelming millions every day
(exercising his authority)
he's the farmers barren fields
the force the army wields
the expession in the faces
of the starving children
the power of the man
he's the fuel that drives the clan
he's the motive and conscience
of the murderer
he's the preacher on t.v.
the false sincerity
the form letter that's written
by the big computers
he's the nuclear bombs
and the kids with no moms
and i'm fearful that
he's inside me

Portait Of Authority Lyrics – Bad Religion

nothing more nothing less
an icon on the wall decoration and duress
that which many strive to be
its the merble statue standing over me
and nobody has the will to tear it down
it determines wrong and right
but to me its just a stereotype
and it makes us lose our sight
the portait of authority
you tell me
that's what im supposed to be
(it embodies what he cannot be)
another time another man
and 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 can't muster the support
and to him it's just a stereotype
of his life-long fight

Man With A Mission Lyrics – Bad Religion

rescue me when I get too deep,
talk to me there's nothing to tell,
Everyone, is a hydocrite,
look to me,
I'll save your soul
Now somebody out there must be
reading my mail
Cuz' everybody knows
I'm a man with a mission,
coming to your town today,
I can damm you to fiery perdition,
Cuz' I'm a man with a mission
Follow me, when you give up,
Work for me, it'll serve you well
Everyone is a hydocrite, come to me,
I'll save your soul
Now somebody out there must be
tapping my phone,
Cuz everybody knows
I'm a man with a mission,
I'm gonna fly you away,
high above the noise and competition,
yeah I'm a man with a mission,
Passing through your town today
I condemn you
to fiery perdition,
yeah I'm a man with a mission

All Good Soldiers Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

There's an old man on a city bus
Holding a candy cane
And it isn't even christmas
He see's 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
And 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 to 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 theres a purpose for us all
It remains a secret to me
Don't ask me to justify my life

My Poor Friend Me Lyrics – Bad Religion

I know a man
Who doesn't have many friends
I know a place he lives
Where trouble never ends
I know its hard for him
To read 'tween the lines
And his days are getting so much shorter
He simply turns away
And dons a bitter frown
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
Its my poor friend me
A portrayal of the great dichotomy
(a reminder of a tragic history)
Its my poor friend me
And I'm running out of steam
I know there are people
Who are cynical and vain
They point their finger
'cuz 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

Of people running scared
We live, breathe and die
Off to a world, our time is slipping on by
We have solutions, but don't even try
And I feel I know just who to blame

Lookin' In Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 ["for a story told" is the live version]
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 [x2]

"Generator" (1992)

Generator Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 book and magazines
like a twitch before dying
like a pornographic sea
there's a flower behind the window
there's an ugly laughing man
like a hummingbird in silence
like the blood on the door
it's the generator
oh yeah, oh yeah, like the blood on my door
wash 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

Too Much To Ask Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

As I walk beneath the valley
I shall fear no evil
for 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
it sounds like heaven is falling
you promises me a new day a'dawning
I've seen 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
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 Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 leats he's got a garden with a fertile plot
And a party that will never stop
Come out to play
Come out to play
And we'll pretend it's Christmas Day
In my atomic...
I hope there's nothing wrong out there
I'm watching from my room inside my room
Come out to play
Come out to play
Come out to play
And we'll pretend its christmas day in my atomic garden

The Answer Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 compelled 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 soon
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 for eternity

Fertile Crescent Lyrics – Bad Religion

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 belive 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 tigether 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 need it don't you know
'cause we've got nowhere else to go

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