Rotten
Ineptitude's no longer an excuse
Complacency and comfort are a poison
Achievement is a lie based on the sordid paradigm of misplaced gratitude for that already deserved
Awaken from this turgid slumber
Dispense with flaccid notions of well-meaning
The thought that counts is worthless if the spine that backs it falters, incapable of bolstering the line
Rotten, so very rotten
the core decays, and the facade crumbles
Rotten, a taint to tar the tongue
as perfumed smiles, mask the foetid reek
The only truth
resides
in actions done
no empty words
Aspire toward the betterment of others
Prepare to plunge hands into the dirt
To sift beneath the filth, the anathema of guilt, upon which vanity and inequity will thrive
On the surface, so fine, a contentment bold and blithe
Behind the veil, inside, a cancer multiplies
So pernicious, so rotten, an insatiable, venal glutton
Devouring, consuming, until the whole is gone
Undeterred by Reason
So stubborn, so ignorant
an incorrigible brute of blunt intent
To know failure as the only option
yet continue, undeterred by reason
And as for reason, the rewards
justify the means: the imbalanced yield
On occasion, the scales will tip too far
and reveal a biased nature
To know failure as the only option
yet continue, undeterred by reason
When the result misaligns with opinion
ask again until the question loses meaning
Distort the answers to derive the right conclusion
Discard all proofs that don't comply
Spit in the eye of mother science
Spit in the eye of mother science
To know failure as the only option
yet continue, undeterred by reason
Spit in the eye of mother science
Spit in the eye of mother
Moths & Acolytes
Gather round in worship
for the vacant promise of benediction
An eclipsing faith surpasses
these cloistered adherents, drawn toward the light
A litany of praise in silence
guided by the swarm
that flickers in and out of the parochial doctrine
A-fucking-men
Allow the zeal of heaven's malice
to dress the empty altar of repentance
then turn toward such radiance
A-fucking-men
A halo shines and burns,
leaving charred the canon of holy reverence
A susurration as the shadows descend
in winged spiral upon that font of absolution
A-fucking-men
Oh blessed disciple
devoted and devout
Let not the veil before the flame deter
for the shade will ever seek to thwart the light
Continue, then, your journey
toward the embrace of salvation
secure in the knowledge that faith
must be tested to be proven
And hardened in the forge of adversity
like a sword tempered by the hammer
It can bow but not break
It can tremble but not shatter
On your knees in genuflection
press that brow to cold, cold stone
The whispering of silken cloth as you rise
The fluttering of silken wings as you fly
More and more
always one to follow the other
A horde to flock in adulation
singing a thousand, thousand plaudits
Because answers are not the promise
there can be no ultimatum
It will be for you what it is
It will be for you your freedom
Oh blessed disciple
devoted and devout
Let not the veil before the flame deter
for the shade will ever seek to thwart the light
A-fucking-men
Because answers are not the promise
there can be no ultimatum
It will be for you what it is
It will be for you your freedom
Of Thirst
There is a scourge, ambition
a prerequisite of life
To exist is to compete
to live is to vie
The fundamental urge to thrive
dominates all
Yet for some to prosper
the rest must fall
for some to prosper
the rest must fall
In this yearning for success
in this waking of lust
there is no concept of restraint
It's a matter of must
To exist is to compete
To live is to vie
The hunger roars anew
Yet it cannot be satisfied
Civility's trappings be damned
It's all a question of thirst
It's all a question of thirst
In this yearning for success
in this waking of lust
there is no concept of restraint
It's a matter of must
for some to prosper
the rest must fall
It's all a question of
Used to Wonder
The belief in the notion of good
is the dream of a fool
There is no inherent manner of being
only that which is ingrained
A cog with blunted teeth is worthless
so too one that is too sharp
Slot into place within this factory of life
and stare, stare outward in despair
Is there truly no alternative?
Is there really only one design?
A callous system for the many
reaping more than it can sow
where the few control the harvest
and maintain this torrid status quo
Is there truly no alternative?
Is there really only one design?
Is there just no better way to live?
These simple things one used to wonder
These simple things one used to wonder
long forgotten in the wake of surrender
No more striving for another solution
just surviving in this bleak institution
A daily struggle, an eternal competition
An apathetic acceptance of defeat
A cog well rounded, that works within its function
devoid of dreams and foolish wonder
Rote
Hark the herald angels sing, cast eyes to the ground and allude to nothing
Pay due respects as learned by rote, to those of higher virtue with bloated self-worth
Again, again, always again the same
No matter the outcome, it's never permitted to change
Back to the grind, break backs on the grinding stone
This is the lot.
Why give glory to a newborn king, who demands obeisance yet reciprocates with not a thing
Typical privilege bestowed by birth, a divine blessing upon this earth, ha!
Pay due respects as learned by rote, to those of higher virtue with bloated self-worth
Again, again, always again the same
No matter the outcome, it's never permitted to change
Back to the grind, back to the grind, break backs on the grinding stone
This is the lot.
Hark the herald angels sing, cast eyes to the ground and allude to nothing
Why give glory to a newborn king, who demands obeisance yet reciprocates with not a thing
Such as It Always Is
Fuck it
This world's a mess
An abhorrent pantomime society
only as civil as a knife to the throat
But fuck it
No one cares anymore
Those days of giving a shit
are long, long gone
The sadness in these words, abounds
yet is as nothing compared to the veracity
The denuded truth is ever worse than hoped
Such as it always is
Don't wait
for something else to happen
The result will only ever be
the sum of its parts
And its parts are paltry
insufficient, a fucking joke
Take solace in the knowledge
that it could never be anything but
a fucking mess
The sadness in these words, abounds
yet is as nothing compared to the veracity
The denuded truth is ever worse than hoped
Such as it always is
A series of failures
led to this state
yet there'll be no redress
no chance to get it right
So stop with the protest
and stop with the hope
this world cannot be fixed
such as it is
A series of disasters
continue to devastate
unchecked and unabated
appalling in their ambit
A virulent test for humanity
that was failed long, long ago
this world cannot be fixed
Such as it always is