Endgame Lyrics
07.04.2011
Help Is On The Way
i have my mother’s dreams
i have my father’s eyes
you can’t take that from me
just go ahead and try
the crescent city sleeps
while giants in the sky
preparing to unleash
let loose a mighty cry
can nobody save us?
will anyone try?
the bayou is burning
the cypress has died
and all along they’re saying
“help is on the way”, they said
they said, “help is on the way”, they said
they said one by land two by sea
right there in front of me
help is on the way
five thousand feet below
as black smoke engulfs the sky
the ocean floor explodes
eleven mothers cry
my bones all resonate
a burning lullaby
you can’t take that from me
just go ahead and try
she stands at the shoreline
with hands in the air
her words pierce the dark night,
“does anyone care”?
and all along they’re saying
“help is on the way”, they said
they said, “help is on the way”, they said
they said one by land two by sea
right there in front of me
help is on the way
“right here, right here”
choking on the black gold
upon which we rely
we keep axes in the attics
to see cameras in the sky
help is on the way
they said help is on the way
we were told just to sit tight because somebody will soon arrive
help is on the way
but it never came.
Satellite
you can’t feel the heat until you hold your hand over the flames
you have to cross the line just to remember where it lays
you won’t know your worth now son until you take a hit
you won’t find the beat until you lose yourself in it
we won’t back down we won’t run and hide
because these are the things that we can’t deny
i’m passing over you like a satellite
so catch me if i fall
we stick to you game plans and party lines
but at night we’re conspiring by candlelight
we are the orphans of the Amerikan dream
so shine your light on me
you can’t fill your cup until you empty all it has
you can’t understand what lays ahead if you don’t understand the past
you’ll never learn to fly now until you’re standing at the cliff
and you can’t truly love until you’ve given up on it
we won’t back down we won’t run and hide
because these are the things that we can’t deny
i’m passing over you like a satellite
so catch me if i fall
we stick to you game plans and party lines
but at night we’re conspiring by candlelight
we are the orphans of the Amerikan dream
so shine your light on me
she told me that she never
could face the world again
so i offered up a plan:
we’ll sneak out
while they sleep
and sail off in the night
we’ll come clean
and start over
the rest of our lives
when we’re gone
we’ll stay gone
out of sight
out of mind
it’s not too late
we have the rest of our lives
we won’t back down we won’t run and hide
because these are the things that we can’t deny
i’m passing over you like a satellite
so catch me if i fall
we stick to you game plans and party lines
but at night we’re conspiring by candlelight
we are the orphans of the Amerikan dream
so shine your light on me
Because these are the things that we cant deny now
This is a life that you can’t deny us now
Wait For Me
do you see the world in different colors?
do you see the world in black and gray?
alone in your thoughts
how many others
have stood where you stand,
where you stand today?
can you wait for me now
to take off this crown
to break all these vows
don’t you know ?
wait for me now
the airs running out
wait for me now
a promise of safe return I delivered
but the oceans were wider than I first guessed
when roads disappeared I followed the rivers
but somehow got in over my head
so a deep breath I’m taking
wait for me now
to take off this crown
to break all these vows
don’t you know ?
wait for me now
the airs running out
wait for me now
a lost dream of what could have been
a house on fire a tangled web
the key turns
to find the locks have changed
in time to hear the back door slam
a sound that to this day I can’t forget
the colors drain to black and gray
wait for me now
to take off this crown
to break all these vows
don’t you know ?
wait for me now
the airs running out
wait for me now
A Gentlemen’s Coup
the pain
disorder
a cataclysmic dawn
we trusted
but something has gone wrong
we bought in
but woke to find it gone
impact in 5–4−3–2….
brace
for fallout
the radiation creeps
on cats feet
we scatter in the streets
she asked me
“do you think its safe to breathe?”
it doesn’t look that way to me
we stormed the gates
and raised new flags
but it’s just the same old story
we seized the throne
subjugate
we should have burned it to the ground
some might say we’ve lost our way
but I believe we’ve not gone far enough
afraid
we cower
to interests not our own
the power
to free or to control
we let it slip through
our fingers to the floor
watch as the bodies wash ashore
nobody lives here anymore
we stormed the gates
and raised new flags
but it’s just the same old story
we seized the throne
subjugate
we should have burned it to the ground
some might say we’ve lost our way
but I believe we’ve not gone far enough
how long will we fall for this ?
Midnight Hands
like a new day rising like a calm before the storm
like fog lifting from valleys on a sleeping forest floor
eyes open slowly as the dust is shaken off
to gaze upon the wreckage
that the midnight hands have wrought
and now I feel my temperature rising
my body explode
i feel like somebody is watching
like i’m not alone
i stopped and I vowed right then
I said that
“whatever path you take,
wherever you might go,
whenever you decide to leave,
I will follow.”
we face a crossroad never knowing what’s in store
there’s an angel on my shoulder
there’s a devil at my door
she proclaimed, " tonight will be the greatest of our lives."
but i said, " don’t' be so sure, let’s just wait until the morning light."
i feel my temperature rising
my body explode
i feel like somebody’s watching
like i’m not alone
i stopped i vowed right then and said
that
“whatever path you take,
wherever you might go,
whenever you decide to leave,
I will follow.”
there in the clearing,
we gathered close,
under the moon’s pale light we laid out the tools
“you don’t have to do this
and i’d forgive you if you don’t”
she just looked away and said, " i know."
gripped by
the midnight hands
we cradle future
they would prevent
gripped by
the midnight hands
the line’s crossed over
the dawn grows closet
let’s bite off too much
let’s jump with a blind trust
in water over our heads
I won’t bet on the falls you take
I won’t let go if you started to stray
I’ll be there until you don’t wake up
I will follow
GRIPPED BY THE MIDNIGHT HANDS
WE CRADLE FUTURES THEY WOULD PREVENT
GRIPPED BY THE MIDNIGHT HANDS
THE LINES CROSSED OVER
THE DAWN GROWS CLOSER
LET’S BITE OFF TOO MUCH
LET’S JUMP WITH A BLIND TRUST
IN WATER OVER OUR HEADS
I WON’T BET ON THE FALLS YOU TAKE
I WON’T LET GO IF YOU STARTED TO STRAY
I’LL BE THERE UNTIL YOU DON’T WAKE UP
I WILL FOLLOW, I WILL FOLLOW.
Broken Mirrors
hey man, now did you hear?
you’re final days are near
in a free fall of fire and ice
and explosions in the sky
a fate that we deserve
there’s no escape, no
now it’s your turn
it’s been years since our luck ran out and left us here
like broken mirrors
ten million shards of glass and tears
but now we are awake enough to shatter what we hate
like broken mirrors
reflections of an unfamiliar face
hey man you got the time
and can I trouble you for a light?
who me ? no i’m not the ole town crier
i’m the one who sets it all on fire
a fate that we deserve
there’s no escape
now it’s your turn
it’s been years since our luck ran out and left us here
like broken mirrors
ten million shards of glass and tears
but now we are awake enough to shatter what we hate
like broken mirrors
reflections of an unfamiliar face
we hide from the mirrors
they might show our scars
there is the person that we want to be
and the people we are
confront your reflection
smash what you see and let’s restart
because mirrors can’t see our hearts
Make It Stop (September’s Children)
bang bang go the coffin nails
like a breath exhaled
then gone forever
it seems like just yesterday
how did i miss the red flags raise?
think back to the days we laughed
we braved these bitter storms together
brought to his knees he cried
but on his feet he died
what god would damn a heart ?
what god drove us apart ?
what god could
make it stop
let this end
eighteen years pushed to the ledge
its come to this
a weightless step
on the way down singing
bang bang from the closet walls
the schoolhouse halls
the shotguns loaded
push me and I’ll push back
I’m done asking I demand
from a nation under god
I feel it’s love like a cattle prod
born free but still they hate
born me no i can’t change
it’s always darkest just before the dawn
so stay awake with me let’s prove them wrong
make it stop
let this end
eighteen years pushed to the ledge
its come to this
a weightless step
on the way down singing
the cold river washed him away
but how could we forget
the gatherings hold candles
but not their tongues
too much blood has flown from the wrists
of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss
who will rise to stop the blood ?
we’re calling for
insisting on
a different beat
a brand new song
make this stop
make this end
this life chose me, I’m not lost in sin
but proud I stand of who I am
i plan to go on living
Architect
are there no fighters left here anymore?
are we the generation we’ve been waiting for?
or are we patiently burning
waiting to be be saved ?
our heroes our idols have mellowed with age
following rules that they once disobeyed
they’re now being led when they used to lead the way
do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
are you out there on the front lines
or at home keeping score?
do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
or would you rather be the architect of what we might create ?
they laid out the blueprints, they poured down a base
concrete solutions to slow our decay
and when they are gone
who the fucks going to take their place ?
will it be the cynics, the critics galore?
the cliche apathetic passed out on the floor
the trusting complicit who collectively ignore
do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
are you out there on the front lines
or at home keeping score?
do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
or would you rather be the architect of what we might create ?
don’t you remember when you were young
and you wanted to set the world on fire?
somewhere deep down I know you do
don’t you remember when we were young
and we wanted to set the world on fire
because I still am and I still do
make no mistake
we are not afraid
to bear the burden of repeating
what they’re thinking anyway
let’s raise the stakes
on the bet we made
let’s decide to be the architects
the master of our fate
we still believe in all the things that we stood by before
and after everything we’ve seen here maybe even more
i know we’re not the only ones, and we were not the first
and unapologetically we’ll stand behind each word
This Is Letting Go
Once upon a time I could take anything
I always stepped in time, regardless of the beat
I moved my feet, I carried weight
what I could not do I faked
I dug seeking treasure
just to wake up in an early grave
I stopped right then and said
go on alone
because I won’t follow
but this isn’t giving up
no, this is letting go
Out with the old
Dreams I’ve borrowed
the path I carve from here on out will be my own
this path will be my own
this is the part where the needle skips and the chorus plays like a sink that drips
a syllable repeating
like a warning we aren’t heeding until all of a sudden we notice it
when the wheels brace and the tires grip
a map we’ve been misreading
a defeat we’re not conceding until now
there must be some other way out
go on alone
because I won’t follow
but this isn’t giving up
no, this is letting go
I made the most
of all this sorrow
the path I carve from here on out will be my own
this path will be my own
the wind died
the whole world ceased to move
now so quiet
her beating heart became a boom
we locked eyes
for just a moment or two
she asked why
I said, " I don’t know why
I just know."
go on alone
because I won’t follow
but this isn’t giving up
no, this is letting go
I made the most
of all this sorrow
I tried to brave this discontent but now I’m through
I’m letting go of you
Endgame
on that day, they’ll tell you
that life hummed on with no clue
the warning signs were all dismissed or shouted down
so it goes
the kings all failed to tell us
the madmen failed to sell us
on what would then become the only life we know
were they burning signal fires
to guide us to the fields?
or building funeral pyres?
the outcome of a final appeal
the city lines are down
the kerosene’s run out
the fracturing of all we relied upon
lets shed this unclean skin
and start to feel again
because all the shoulders on which to cry are gone
the paranoia gripped us
the rain turned engines to rust
the panic set in like a cancer to our hearts
spreading through
we bet on finite genius
or prayed for gods to save us
but there was no antidote
disease tore us apart
we left bodies in the fields
so numb that we forgot how to feel
the city lines are down
the kerosene’s run out
the fracturing of all we relied upon
lets shed this unclean skin
and start to feel again
because all the shoulders on which to cry are gone
he looked at the fields
and then his hands,
“All i need is what i have.”
then shed a tear of happiness
she watched the world crumble away
“is this the end of yesterday?”
“Lord, I hope so,” is all he said
gone are the old guards
gone are the cold, cold wars
weightless we go forth
on wings of amnesty
the city lines are down
the kerosene’s run out
the fracturing of all we relied upon
lets shed this unclean skin
and start to feel again
there are no shoulders
shoulders to cry on now
no more
no more
Lanterns
(iTunes Bonus-Track)
this night will fall
like many others
daylight subsides and shadows crawl
out from under
black corners hiding
something stirs
so restless
cracked windows open wide
deadbolt turns
doors creak open
whispers and moonlight there to guide
come raise your lantern to the sky
let’s illuminate this night
come dance like heathens 'round the flame
while the world sleeps we are awake
the blackbird calls
it sings a chorus
while the gathering swells the flames grow tall
right before us
as drums keep pounding
the masses now are fusing
bodies press entangled
as we revel in confusion
our inhibitions thrown into the fire
come raise your lantern to the sky
let’s illuminate this night
come dance like heathens 'round the flame
while the world sleeps we are awake
here in the dark
we are safe from the judgement
now arm in arm
locked tight so no one gets in
the heaven sent say, “child, you are hell-bent.”
but hell is not where we’re going
hell’s where we’ve been
come raise your lantern to the sky
let’s illuminate this night
come dance like heathens 'round the flame
while the world sleeps we are awake
Disparity By Design
all the way at the bottom
of these barrels we cried out
so ashamed of our tears that
we blame only ourselves
and that’s when they win
they keep us convinced
to lift up our chins
these playing fields are level
we all have a chance
with that they dismiss
the fast lanes they rode
in which access depends
on who you know
or where you came from
whose daughter are you?
whose fortunate son?
we’re told to stick out our thumbs
they feast from the linens while we settle for crumbs
is this an over-reaching arm ?or is this compassion?
is this a handout undeserved? or a just reparation?
“like a single domino that falls while the rest stay vertical
we’re fed these empty fairy tails will you believe them?”
all the way from the towers
high above glass ceilinged tombs
tell themselves that they’ve earned this
by working hard and playing by the rules
but this is only part true
a dangerous trick played on me and you
and so, like a practical joke
we pulled on these bootstraps so hard that they broke
is this an over-reaching arm ?or is this compassion?
is this a handout undeserved? or a just reparation?
If there’s a God, you better pray
that this sleeping giant never wakes
if we just took a step back
a bigger picture we might view
perhaps the man in the gutter
is not so different from you
come in out of the cold
forget all that you know
because there’s always been room
by the fire for you
come in out of the cold
Will you believe them?
is this an over-reaching arm ?or is this compassion?
is this a handout undeserved? or a just reparation?
Like a single domino
that falls while the rest stay vertical
we’re fed these empty fairy tales
and I’m through believing.
Survivor Guilt
block the entrances
close the doors
seal the exits
because this is war
all gave some
some gave all
but for what
I want to know
carry on
don’t mind me
all I gave was everything
and yet you ask me for more
fought your fight
bought your lie
and in return I lost my life
what purpose does this serve ?
a folded flag
a purple heart
a family all but torn apart
i fought with courage to preserve
not my way of life, but yours
carry on
don’t mind me
all I gave was everything
and yet you ask me for more
fought your fight
bought your lie
and in return I lost my life
what purpose does this serve ?
the cowards preach from pedestals
with words like courage and resolve
but what they meant was fuck them all
because freedom isn’t free
they send our daughters and our sons
to deserts under burning suns
a sacrificial slaughtering to fill the pockets of the weak
an artificial enemy
are we so easily deceived ?
carry on
just walk away
how many more sent to their graves
in this lesson ignored ?
i fought your fight
bought your lie
and in return I lost my life
what purpose does this serve?
what purpose did I serve ?
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