Caesar's Last Hand

We had time in the sunlight
Remember it gently, will you?
The veil of reddened darkness
That followed our aspiring day
You stared me over, our fingers grazed
We spoke words as time faded
Your face embedded in my eyes
Like a stained glass painting
Adorning a cathedral I've not left
For centuries
I once believed that we were all there was
Now I know better but I wish that I did not
I would trade everything to feel another touch
Does this in Caesar seem ambitious?
Destroyed like grass in winter's bane
Withdraw and try to let you live your own way
Separation from the body and the heart
All things between are consequential at best
Played what I thought was my very last and best hand
A decent pair, a decent flop, I'm all in
Should've known you had me covered
Should've known the river would favor you in the end
This isn't even about love
But I couldn't find the message even if I tried
I guess all bets are off
My ransom will not fill the coffers
Praise me not

Six

Comatose
Another dose
Sink beneath the river of ashen waste
Violence
Silence
A broken vow is screaming out your name

Pity how the mighty avalanche
But every crack exposes evidence
Fault lines in your soul will guide you
Shifting earth will paralyze you
All our destinies are entwined - six feet down

Come alive
Love your life
For all we know we're guaranteed one
Disavow
Awaken now
And we can sleep in peace when we're done

Pity how the meek give up the ghost
If only you had known that you were so close
Fault lines in their fortress cracking
Shift the earth, the temple's crashing
All our destinies still entwined - six feet down

Such a powerful balance to the balance of power
Whether we're kings for a life or an hour
In the blink of an eye, we all come to die
And this struggle will matter no more
You will not be remembered for what you amass
You will live on in hearts left behind as you pass
In our final release we will welcome this peace
And we'll question why we ever went to war

Pity how we all clash together
Shameful to know that we will do this forever
Fault lines in the world remind me
Hate will never hypnotize me
All this conflict won't mean a thing when we're six feet down

Nameless Love

I dimmed the lights as I watched your body rise and fall
You thrust yourself upon me, lost in the meaning of it all
The charades are gone, lines in the sand long since drawn
Pain sharpens in my mind as you grind away in ecstasy
'I wanted this, I needed this,' you whispered in my ear
But 'this' isn't 'me,' this is a need, and you have made that clear
I cannot help but think, as I feel you on the brink
Pulsating on me, you will find a way to be the death of me

Overcome
Under tongues
I am just the vessel
You just might
Be the one
But I am nothing special

Thoughts pervade, escalate as your voice quivered wryly
I was game when you said 'I want you deep inside me'
I struck beyond your surface, and yet I feel so worthless
If I wanted to be yours, I know for sure that you'd deny me

Overcome
Under tongues
I am just the vessel
You just might
Be the one
But I am nothing special

And as you lay open wide, I am collapsing inside
This is our first time and I know it will be our last
You pull me closer to you, my heart is tearing in two
This is the best night, yet the worst night that I've ever had

You shared your secrets with a smile on your face
Then you sank onto me and said you liked the way I taste
Before your lips touched mine, I asked you one last time
But you kissed my mouth shut before I could get your name

Tall Order

Back in the day
There was a promise broken
A couple lies, a couple fights
A couple damning words were spoken
Two souls with no business crossing paths
Brought forth two souls lightning fast
But that love wasn't made to last
It was made to burn

As cold as clay
The color red like where I'm from
A burdened fear, such wasted years
I watched you all turn tail and run
'Cause when the going gets tough, the tough get going
Guess you're goddamned right that I'm not worth knowing
If you ever loved me, the hate I feel would not be growing
That's another lesson learned

So stay
Yes, stay the hell out of my way
Love is nothing more than a charade
Self made malady
I just wanted to belong, but there's no way
No, not with the choices I've made
The tools I've been given don't make any grade
Such a travesty
The only thing I've done right is knowing I'm wrong

Second best
Your guess is as good as mine
I've given my all just to watch it fall
Underneath the hands of time
And when I get close enough to touch my dreams
They transform into that snarling beast
That's been mocking me for centuries
In the confines of my soul

So depressed
I've found no way to escape
I could tell a bold lie about the times I've tried
But these are chains I cannot break
And when you came to my heart and called my name
I thought you would help me ease my pain
You were there for the sunshine, gone for the rain
In this darkness I'm alone

So stay
Yes, stay the hell out of my way
Love is nothing more than a charade
Self made malady
I just wanted to belong, but there's no way
No, not with the choices I've made
The tools I've been given don't make any grade
Such a travesty
The only thing I've done right is knowing I'm wrong

So, stay
Yes, stay the hell out of my way
I haven't got a damn thing left to say
This symphony of sympathy
I sicken myself in song, but that's okay
Time to deal with the choices I've made
With these tools I will dig my own grave
Such a tragedy
The best time I had here was when I was gone

Painting

You created me
With your bare hands
And an austere vision
I am a piece of you
Displayed in frame
A glorious commission

You hung me in an obvious spot
You loved and hated every blot
This collection of time you forgot
That's me on the wall up there

I watch you walk by
Every single day
I fail to see the good I've done
I collect dust
I require explanation
And you're too overrun

I saw you take me down and sell me
When were you planning to ever tell me?
It's not like I'm afraid of what hell means
I just wanted a fair chance

You scoff at me
Turn your nose in apathy
Start a new painting, mine is killed
Say I no longer represent you
You don't think I was ever meant to
But I think I always have and always will

Rise

I remember the days
When the only way to stop the pain
Was to cause some to myself
Or to allow you the chance to make it worse
I've evacuated hope before
But I feel like I can break the chains now
Ratcheted down to the soil, my skin is alive
I never wanted it all
I just wanted enough
But enough wasn't enough for you
There's a stain in my soul
You can't bleach it enough
The days are like wounds and the sun
Cauterizes my heart to the pain
I see the evening rise
The thirst is quenched, the fever is gone
I watch you cut your wrists and run
To the nearest exit for sympathy
It's easy to open your arms
When the broken throw themselves at you
Begging for healing
But you plan to manipulate
Which is just what they want
My heart is harder than steel
But inside, there is unaided hope
A listlessly wandering inferno of love
Burning all that it touches to ashes
When the phoenix arises the ashen stains remain
The pain is reborn with the love
The hope is entangled with sorrow
I contain myself within
Because I don't want to hurt you
Nor will I sit and watch you hurt yourself

The Same

The heart of a killer
Beats the same blood
Through the same veins as
The heart of restraint
The eyes of a sinner
Sees the same sun
And the same moon
As the eyes of a saint

So what do we gain through nomenclature?
We divide ourselves, so quick to walk away
An obfuscated mind feeds a hellish nature
When will we realize we're all here to stay?

Breathe winter deep into your lungs
Sharp breaths assassinate your aspirations
Exhale summer until the day is done
Destroy all preconceived inclinations

The hand of a builder
Grips with different strength
Goes through different pains
Than the hand of a surgeon
When their souls collide
Do they shake their hands with pride
Or do they start up a fight
About who's more important?

If I could trade with you
I would take what I could get
Give my best without regret
And I'd hope you'd do the same
I'd like to join you
In lifting each other up
We sure could use some better luck
To add to our names

Breathe winter deep into your lungs
Sharp breaths assassinate your aspirations
Exhale summer until the day is done
Destroy all preconceived inclinations

Argument

Speaking
Always with a quivering voice
The heart is draining and the mind runs over
Barely holding onto what I have
What I have is next to nothing

And so you unlock my door
With your eyes locked upon my throat
Cutting gashes in the skin of my soul
Blood is simmering and the night sky is red
Your eyes are dark like the corner of this room
But I knew that those monsters were there

Just fleeting you say
Your tears fall and your words fall with them
All I can do is brace for impact
Decide
Retreat to high ground
You nailed the script but your performance is dry

I am no coward
You are no master
Exposition brings no closure
Dislocated
I hope you feel better after your rage
You never even touched me

Silage

There was an image in my mind
Walking through the rain
Perspective of grey as the sky begins shifting
Malevolent winds screaming through the street
Went too far away
Footsteps trace a pattern
Unfamiliar, unmolested ground
Gazing up to a world
Too busy to notice this
Young, drenched man who lives in these fortresses
Languishing every hour
Uncertain of the paths that lay before him
Accepting their futility anyway
Watch how the light plays a trick on you
The pledge is the radiance piercing the cold
The turn is warmth and an everlasting glow
The truth is it's gone when you need it the most
And this is all my eyes can find
The light bears no clarion call of comfort
Cold, dark struggles are my lifeblood
Light is nothing but blinding
So bring me back to the darkness
That I may smile once more

Castaway

Your love was the same as poison
You had me under your microscope
You didn't love without conditions
You kept the foot of your perfect life upon my throat
Death and doom were my choices
We shattered every time silence broke
You thought yourself a religion
I wrapped my hands around your dogma and choked, choked, choked

 A year had passed since we wrote our notes
But we should've known it right from the start
Hope could never keep us together
Love can mend life, but you used it to break my heart

So take the message from the bottle
And cast it back to the sea
A hundred million castaways could not
Possibly appeal to me
Your love for me may have existed
But jealousy burned it into ash
The charred remains are so twisted
I could care less to send the S.O.S.

A year had passed since we wrote our notes
But we should've known it right from the start
Hope could never keep us together
Love can mend life, but you used it to break my heart

When I woke up this morning
I couldn't believe what I saw
A hundred million more bottles
And you're damn right I destroyed them all
In peaceful silence I'm smiling
Yes John Donne was wrong
So stay the hell off my island
And to yourself sing this song, yes sing along

A year had passed since we wrote our notes
But we should've known it right from the start
Hope could never keep us together
Love can mend life, but you used it to break my heart

Snuffing out the S.O.S.

- featured lyrics from the song "Message In A Bottle," written by Gordon Sumner for the album Reggatta dé Blanc by The Police, copyright 1979; featured lyrics from the song "Basura," written by Grant Morgan, copyright 2011

I Know

I always get this feeling
That you're holding something back
I don't know what, I don't know why
But, I know
You can hide it, you can fight it
And you can try to deny it
But the blood is on your hands
And it shows
You wear your heart upon your sleeve
Yet you are upset when you bleed
You should understand by now
Just what it does
Now the trick here you will see
Is that I'm talking about me
Damn, I'm as confused today
As I ever was

But at least I know
At least I know

Spent so long talking to myself
It's so hard to hear someone else
We've got so many conversations
Going on
You can try to come and join us
But you may find us an annoyance
I would offer explanations
But they'd be wrong
My head is upset with my heart
And it's been tearing me apart
I tried to tell my heart some things
But I didn't listen
My heart is on vacation now
If you could leave a note somehow
I'll check it once I get back
But for now, I'm gone fishin'

Then at least I'll know
At least I'll know

I left a rice trail out for you
And made a spot out here for two
Just promise me you won't come back here
With my head
I'm tired of making bad decisions
All because he 'has a vision'
Tell him I said he needs to get
His prescription checked

Then he will know
At least he'll know

Some years have passed, you stood me up
I thought I was out of luck
Then from the rice trail came my head
We talked for once
We were both wrong, we were both right
Both of us didn't want to fight
So we laughed until the setting
Of the sun
We made a promise to each other
He's the thinker, I'm the lover
But we've got to work together
Not alone
It's much easier said than done
And sometimes not a lot of fun
But if you catch me smiling randomly
You'll know

Verboten

The serpent is speaking
But I deny its molest
Slithered and recoiling
The tree rots at the root
In the land of knowledge
Even a fool can be king
It never is what you know
It's how you put it to use
Strike swiftly and bite down
While you have the advantage
Carry yourself like a weapon
The ammunition is truth
Medicine will numb you
But the cure will save you
Rain the cure upon the masses
Let them feel the proof
Let the truth have its stay
Take a bite of the apple
Nothing tastes sweeter
Than forbidden fruit

(This Is Not) The Age Of Aquarius

written 8/8/12

This is not the age of Aquarius
This is the age of acquiescence
Because everything is the same as it was
And there is nothing we can do
So release your patience
Just give up and learn to take it
Because if there is a change for the better
You know damn well it won't involve you

State your name please for the record
Be prepared, for this tie is severed
I know nothing lasts forever
But can't I just get one fair shot?
I'm not asking you for fortune
I just wanna get in before the door shuts
Don't you know what it's like to wait outside alone?
Well, me is all I've got

This is not the age of Aquarius
This is the age of hysteria
Because we are so afraid to live
As though we had so much to lose
Fear is the president, chaos is the Congress
We would sell our souls for someone to be honest
But we can't bear the pain of truth
So we just sit and never move

State your name please for the record
Be prepared, for this tie is severed
I know nothing lasts forever
But can't I just get one fair shot?
I'm not asking you for fortune
I just wanna get in before the door shuts
Don't you know what it's like to wait outside alone?
Well, me is all I've got

This is not the age of Aquarius
This is just the age of barriers
The walls inside our hearts are high
And I have yet to see open sky
But I think I have found a way
So I will flee the keep today
I hope to see you standing by
On the other side

Stream Of Consciousness III

written 7/23/12

I don't have chips on my shoulders
They instead became boulders
The world is cold and I have grown colder
I have no clue where I'm supposed to turn
I fight this war like a soldier
A death knell beholder
The world is old but I feel like I'm older
I'm running out of lessons to learn

Can you teach me something I don't know?
Take me somewhere I can't go?
My whole life in chains, I've dreamed of escape
Never before have I come this close
All the promises we made
In the ocean they all fade
Will you help me finish the work that we'd begun
Or turn your back and run?

Stream Of Consciousness II

written 7/13/12

I'm hurting sort of like a growth spurt
Not meant to release in controlled bursts
Like soldiers I was always meant to go first
I spread like a slow burn while you lose composure
I decimated competition before it knew I was there
I reign in blood upon the throne, you could say I'm a slayer
Go hard is my only option, you may not have a prayer
Got you corralled and cornered out like Tiananmen Square
I didn't say it was fair, but you shouldn't try to oppose me
You don't know my strength, hell you barely even know me
I'm not from Missouri but you're still gonna have to show me
You're not just a phony striking a pose
We can't stop the system if the system is us
We can't stop the war if we're supplying the guns
We can't stop the bailouts if we're using the funds
Hey isn't this fun? Ah, screw it, I'm done

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

written 7/12/12

You said you wanted a son
And I have always wanted be one
You said you needed my help
I came running without hesitation
You hid something from all of us
And you never once tried to let us in
You've been dying the slowest death
And you still have yet to make amends

We sacrificed and uprooted all our lives
What a shame to know it was just to watch you die

So let the good times

Roll you to your shallow grave
I can't take back the time I gave away
So here's a toast to your decay - let the good times
Roll you to the afterlife
How shall I console the lives you flushed away
I can't believe it ends this way - let the good times roll

You should've told us you hated life
We wouldn't have bothered selling ours
You should've warned us you wanted out
Instead of wasting years, it could've been hours
You should've told us you never cared
I wouldn't want your sweet to turn to sour
I wish we'd left you on your own
Just like you're doing to us, you fucking coward

We sacrificed and uprooted all our lives
What a shame to know it was just to watch you die

So let the good times

Roll you to your shallow grave
I can't take back the time I gave away
So here's a toast to your decay - let the good times
Roll you to the afterlife
How shall I console the lives you flushed away
I can't believe it ends this way - let the good times roll

Votre vie égoïste
Mon cœur brisé
Qu'est-ce que je donnerais
Pour un nouveau départ
Non pardonne - laissez les bons temps rouler
Non pardonne - laissez les bons temps rouler
Non pardonne - laissez les bons temps rouler
Non pardonne

So let the good times

Roll you to your shallow grave
I can't take back the time I gave away
So here's a toast to your decay - let the good times
Roll you to the afterlife
How shall I console the lives you flushed away
I can't believe it ends this way - let the good times roll

Stream Of Consciousness I

written 7/8/12


There is a time at which the journey begins
I've broken ground upon my heart and now it's time to dig in
With picks and spades under no shade I feel the heat and the wind
I've played the part of my charade out and I'm empty within
Everybody get your knives out, it's time to take a stab
At what I'm gonna be next and how much I'm gonna have
To take from all of the directions you can find on the map
You get grins thinking I'm lost but I'mma have the last laugh
So come at me if you'd like because I've got nothing but time
I've climbed the steps to find myself and hide within these lines
You've been breathing me into existence giving life to rhymes
Cause every single song you sing makes you all the more mine
I am the oxygen that fills your lungs and makes your breath clean
I am the valve that pumps inside you, yeah I move your bloodstream
You can find myself inside you every time you're lonely
I am you and you are me, and we're one hell of a team
High five

Proverbs 32

written 6/20/12


We are, each and every one of us, plagiarists
Parasitic pantheons of pathetically pacified pastiche
Paradoxical parodies of pain
Lovely for certain, but not very original
Or are we the most original?
Or is there no origin?
You can assume to know the reasons
I can't help but think all of us are playing
An eternal guessing game
A neverending gamble
So if you live your life with a heart of joy and the wrong answer
Or a heart of sorrow and the unyielding truth
What is the difference when you are six feet below?
You can search for answers all you want
I just want inspiration
You can have your idols and your traditions and your prayers
I just want to be original
But that is the paradox isn't it?
You even wrote it in your book
'There is nothing new under the sun'
But that didn't stop you from having a harem, did it?
The wisdom of Solomon: to sleep around and have a big palace
So many aspire by your words
Yet you were ensnared by vagina and smoke
I laugh and think of how many have been just like you
Me included
Maybe you are right about there being nothing new
But, screw you anyway for your pretense
Just as fallible as the rest of us
Follow your own Proverbs before making me believe I should
The tangent is through
Is that original enough?

Recoil

written 6/10/12

I know you wanna have the last word
I know that nothing matters more
My voice will be forever unheard
And you will have the winning score
So go ahead and sling your arrows
What's one more injury to make?
My chances of survival narrow
But my spirit you will not break
You've been kicking me for so long now
I've analyzed all your attacks
I may be breathless on this cold ground
But just you wait till I strike back
I will reclaim myself again soon
Yes I will fight and I will win
You cannot keep me under your boot
I always find the strength within

Snare

written 6/8/12

The tension is thick
You could cut it with a knife
Emotion stirs action
Action stirs words
Words stir feelings
Feelings writhe to be conquered
Yet to conquer as well
Not a moment is spared as hands grasp skin
Clutching, teasing, prodding, rubbing
Nothing is sacred, everything is worshipped
Mouths cup around each other
Delving towards midsections
Engulfing like sacrament
Barely stopping to breathe
Till the levee breaks
Saddling one another, firmly grasped
Bent like reeds in the wind
Entangled in complex postures
Wrought to the imminent fate
Of breaking the levees once more
When our skin is flooded with each other
When we can no longer feel or breathe
Then we may rest
Nestled into one another
Until our time comes again

Puzzle

written 6/12/12


If life is a jigsaw puzzle
Then time must be the hands assembling it
The puzzles are always massive
Even when two pieces can snap together
It doesn't mean they were meant to
Every time the puzzle is assembled
It looks different than before
Sometimes the puzzle stays in a work zone
Neatly kept and constantly chipped away at
The hands of time change identity, though
New sets of hands tackle the puzzle against the original hands' wishes
Sometimes in secret
Sometimes the new hands with new perspectives look promising
They help the puzzle become complete
But in the end, like the original hands, they turn away and let life be
Life gets put away in bags, or back in its original box
Some lives get thrown away
Some lives have their tiny, completed portions glued together
Forever awaiting completion
Forever incomplete
Guess it turns out that, even if it is wrong
Even if all the pieces don't match
Even if the pattern looks wrong and the colors and 'scapes aren't where they were supposed to be according to our picture reference
The only life that ever gets completed
Is the life we never give up on until the pieces are all in place

Fear The Reaper

written 6/5/12

I've got a dual wield mentality
The best defense is a good offense
I don't believe in security
Strike you down without pretense
I don't wanna know your name
You're at the wrong place at the wrong time
I swear we are not the same
And when you bleed, I will not cry

Save your tears for someone else's shoulder
My heart is harder than steel and so am I
Sentimentality escapes me as I grow older
So get that look of shock off of your eyes

I've made enough death to haunt me
And oh I've laid so many to rest
The ghosts who wander taunt me
But they don't know who they're messing with
I don't know any of their names
Just a bad situation at a bad time
And I still feel the exact same
As the day my blades kissed them goodbye

Save your tears for someone else's shoulder
My heart is harder than steel and so am I
Sentimentality escapes me as I grow older
So get that look of shock off of your eyes

Grim is my first name
Reaper is my last
You come to me to plead for life
But life doesn't last
So beg for something better
Beg for something sweet
Doesn't matter, 'cause in the end
I will see you bleed, so

Save your tears for someone else's shoulder
My heart is harder than steel and so am I
Sentimentality escapes me as I grow older
So get that look of shock off of your eyes

Frozen Veins

Neverending winter inside my body
Chills catch the soul even in summer sun rays
Used to think I was supposed to be somebody
I can't seem to remove the ice in my veins
My heart ached and longed to be part of something
When time came I arose and took the reins
Not long before it all was taken from me
I am left alone with the ice in my veins
I don't have it in me to pursue anything
The glow that once filled my eyes is gone away
I surrender, I'm done, I will live and die alone
My heart will be supplied by the ice in my veins

For The Rest Of My Life

You wanna talk to me like I'm trash
Remember who you're screwing with
You wanna put knives in my back
Remember to give a gentle twist
I gave the love of a thousand suns
Mistakes, yes indeed I've made some
Count the ones to me that cannot be forgiven
And I will carry them for the rest of my life

You wanna kill everything you've made
Remember why you're doing it
You wanna take pot shots at my face
Remember that I feel every hit
I'd give the light of a thousand moons
My heart was broken but I made room
You ever so quickly vacated the premises
And I will carry regret for the rest of my life

I wanted to be your happiness
I remember every good thing you did
I wanted to be a source of bliss
I remember how much of you I miss
I'd give every hour of every day
If I knew I could keep you in some way
But you packed up and swept away the remnants
I'll be that much more empty for the rest of my life

Say to the world what you will
But please remember these words
Feel what you want to feel
I'll try not to remember this hurt
I'd give my whole life just to see your face
Just to feel your touch as you walk away
Instead of this false electronic sense
I will guard myself close for the rest of my life

4th Of July (Revolution)

Welcome to century twenty one
Good handguns make good neighbors
The price of life is oil
And we slave to earn green paper
The pioneer is dead and gone
Love is a passing phase
So plant yourself firm in that chair
And count your final days

The messiahs are elected
The prophets are all shunned
The sacrificial altar runs
With the blood of fallen sons
The sport of those in power
Is the burden of the weak
And life is going great
So long as we're kept beneath their feet

Cynical doesn't cover my point of view
Truth is the only language I'll speak to you
Pry your fingers off your swollen calloused eyes
The revolution will be televised

They say the meek will inherit earth
But I'd like to see them try
They squabble over petty things
Beneath the broken sky
The beggars choose, the winners lose
Our heroes are put down
The country sleeps while their mothers weep
In all their tears we drown

Cynical doesn't cover my point of view
Truth is the only language I'll speak to you
Pry your fingers off your swollen calloused eyes
The revolution will be televised

Push your agenda as far as you want
You'll never break it, never make it, never take it from us
Freedom's a right, not a choice, for this truth I will die
We'll send a message back to you when we light up the skies

You think control is everything and you might be right
But we will throw the haymakers that will end this fight
Freedom's our right, not your choice, for this truth we will die
We'll send you all into the skies like the fourth of July

Target Practice

I'm not under your guns
I'm not under your thumb
You cannot control me
This is a battle that can't be won
You can press all you like
I won't stay for this fight
So realign your crosshairs
I'm not gonna die tonight

You treated me like I was simple cannon fodder
Your misery was deeper than I ever knew
You fired on me when things kept getting hotter
But was I truly the one to blame? I refuse

I refuse

You can do what you want
You can mock and taunt
You can sling all your pain on me
I will stand up and throw it off
You can load your weapons
Shoot below and above
Just remember you're firing upon
Everyone you claim to love

You treated me like I was simple cannon fodder
Your misery was deeper than I ever knew
You fired on me when things kept getting hotter
But was I truly the one to blame? I refuse

I refuse

I deny your attempts to belittle me
I defy your persistence, you won't kill me
I'm so much more than target practice
Though I know I'm so good at it
Your bullets are just bullets
I will survive

I'll take the fault that's mine and walk away
I'll wear this heart like a scar every day
I'm so much more than just target practice
Though I know I'm so good at this
Your bullets are just bullets
I will survive

Down Every Day

One thing leads to another
Were we made to suffer?
I feel despair, I feel disdain
I'm lost - lost this time
I don't - don't know why
We swim these endless shallow shores of pain

It's easy to sleep through life and fake the days away
It's easy to live a lie and lead ourselves astray
It's easy to cast stones and become the thing we hate
It's easy to kick someone when they're down -and I'm down every day

Broken, bastard son
But I'm not the only one
We are a light to match the sun
Struggle - unified
As one - galvanized
We're not alone, we'll overcome

It's easy to sleep through life and fake the days away
It's easy to live a lie and lead ourselves astray
It's easy to cast stones and become the thing we hate
You kicked me while I was down - and I'm down every day

I've been trying
I've been failing
I'm still standing
I will save myself

This misery has loved this company for far too long
I must break free
I've been down every day, but I have never felt so strong
Here on my knees
I used to fear the distance, now I realize that it's
Just one more step
Not alone - overcome - not far away
I will save my...

I will save myself

I am not alone
I will overcome
I'm not far away
I will rise today

I will rise today

Alive Enough

There's not a single breath I'll waste for the rest of my days
Every moment that we have we're given
I've already crossed over twice and found my way back
I know that I was meant for somethin'

You ask me why I try
And then I tell you

Focus your eyes to the sky
'Cause the light is free
Yet we take it for granted enough
Don't you be afraid to die
If you haven't ever really lived
Tell me - are you alive enough?

So many count down the days waiting for endings
I will not suffocate on sorrow
I've been dragged down to the depths of hell and returned
I'll always walk toward tomorrow

You ask me softly why
And then I tell you

Focus your eyes to the sky
'Cause the light is free
Yet we take it for granted enough
Don't you be afraid to die
If you haven't ever really lived
Tell me - are you alive enough?

I see the good in you
The scars are beautiful
Long gone pain becomes quintessence
I feel your emptiness
So much room inside to live
I will try to help you remember to

Focus your eyes all around
To the ground beneath your feet
We take for granted enough
Everything around us is alive
Why are we so eager to die
When none of us are alive enough?

Capricorn

Turn of the century
When you were brought to me
Change was in constant motion
Torn apart family
Faith lost and life deceived
Failure a constant notion

You were the joy in the eyes of many
You brought us hope when we had not any

I love you far beyond the words I'm speaking
I miss you far beyond the hurt I'm feeling
I wish that I could see your face - I need it
In this cruel world of lies and harm
You never did me no wrong

Decade of turbulence
Destroyed my innocence
You stood beside me always
Sadness and loss of life
Sorrow, bitterness, lies
You gave me hope anyway

You lifted me like the clouds lift rain
And though I'll never see your smile again

I love you far beyond the words I'm speaking
I miss you far beyond the hurt I'm feeling
I wish that I could see your face - I need it
In this cruel world of lies and harm
You never did me no wrong

When you were taken I was shattered
I could not feel anything at all
Nothing more in my life mattered
Until your love I at last recalled

So I love you far beyond the words I'm speaking
And I miss you far beyond the hurt I'm feeling
And I wish that I could see your face - I need it
'Cause this world will always cause us harm
But you never did no wrong

Celestial Birthright

We will not be chained to the pains of the past
We will not continue to shatter like glass
We will not be owned by our skeletons
We will persevere - we will overcome
We will stake our claim, striking into the soil
We will work hard and never take for granted the spoils
We will not be a slave to the days gone by
We are one with the sun and the moon and the sky

Take your soul - embrace what you know to be true
Dig a hole - cast aside the chains binding you
People try but you know they cannot hold us down
We are rightfully heirs and we will claim our crown
The misery that was inflicted once will die tonight
We are stronger than this pain - we live to fight
We will lift our fists and display our might
We will raise our voice - reclaim our birthright

We are kings
We are queens
Our lives are ours and we will not back down

Hands

Time flies when you have none
Hope dies when you need some
I will not beat around the bush
I plan to scream and fight and push - through
Stand tall - shake the skies
Closed fist - open minds
I will not wait around for anything
I will forge my own destiny

I have the answers I need inside me
My own eyes see clearly what my heart has tried to deny me
Broken lives, shattered hearts can be fixed
All I've got to do is extend my hands

Do you understand?
Extend your hands

Distance makes the pain fade
Existence - unafraid
I will recover all the shards
Of all these broken fragile hearts - love
Sew them back together
Keep beating forever
I will not keep another score
I will not fight this anymore

I have the answers that I need inside me
My own eyes see clearly what my heart has tried to deny me
Broken lives, shattered hearts can be fixed
All I've got to do is extend my hands

Do you understand?
Extend your hands

I can't plan for anything anymore
Life makes sure to alter my schedule
You can stand your own ground
Just don't forget about the x-factors
Broken pieces can be whole again
Broken friendships can restore within
Broken love can find its way back in
Broken things are fixed with broken hands

Just extend your hands
I dare you

Just extend your hands

Para Bellum

What if I told you
I'm always at war with myself?
What if I said
I won't give up, I'll never lose
What if I tried and tried
But failed almost every time?
Do you even know
Which one of me you're talking to?

Stand beside me
Don't deny me
It's impossible to settle this score
Fighting myself
By myself
If you want peace, prepare for war

What did you tell me
The day you left me for dead?
What did you leave me?
Tortured memories in my head
I cannot believe my eyes
What a wasted sacrifice
What did you expect?
When you cut me open, I bled

Stand beside me
Don't deny me
It's impossible to settle this score
Fighting myself
By myself
If you want peace, prepare for war

I cannot erase you
I cannot replace you
I'm doing the best I can
Down on the frontline
Toes curl on the landmines
But I dare not give in to you

Stand beside me
Don't deny me
It's impossible to settle this score
Fighting myself
By myself
If you want peace, prepare for war

Walk With Me

I could get caught up in your life
It's not that difficult
I could get sidelined by your smile
That's so typical
The major chords strum gracefully
But the minor chords, to me, are just so memorable

I could remember all the times
I fell in love again
I could just relish simple life
And try to settle in
I could spend every waking moment
Making tea and vicariously adventuring

But why should I conform to what you think is best for me?
"I'll never be the norm," I scream to all the deities
I'll sing this chorus at your rooftop while my voice cracks out of key
And I will wish that for this moment you would stop

And walk with me

I wish you would walk with me

I could chase money, could chase women
That's so commonplace
I could throw everything inside
To fill my empty space
But I've got my eyes on bigger prizes
There will be no compromises in my glory days

I could tell you my whole life's story
Let you deep inside
I could try to control my anger
Try to kill my pride
I could jettison myself away
And rebuild brick by brick, but I would rather die

And why should I conform to what you think is best for me?
I said I'd never be the norm, so normal I will never be
I'll shout my lungs out while you're dreaming in bed far away from me
And I will wish during that moment you'd awaken

And walk with me

I wish you would walk with me

This isn't easy, I know
I've been going so long solo
But sometimes life is hard for me to put in words
I'll take your breath away again
I will intertwine with your skin
And I will make your body shiver till it hurts
But this is one pain that you'd wish for
A feeling so innately blissful
A feeling I have had inside me every day
And I will bear inside your mind
The same way that you bear in mine
And I believe that we will one day find our way

So I will never conform to what you think is meant to be
'Cause if I did that, you and I both would think so much less of me
I'll keep on shouting out for you until you shout right back to me
And then I'll smile and hold your hand and watch the stars

As you walk with me

Reproba Gaudium

When it rains, it pours
When it pours, it floods
I don't expect you'd understand
When I fall, it's far
When I'm down, I reach
But I've never seen a helping hand

We all collide effortlessly into another
Magnetized by our vices, our petty compromises

My toe's on the line
At war all the time
I don't expect to ever win
When I hit, it's hard
When you fall, you die
And you will never breathe again

Don't you remember the place you would go to escape?
The place where your dreams were fulfilled and your soul was alive?
I can imagine it now in the blackness of dusk
I can see beautiful stars past the blood and the rust
Rollicking meadows of beauty inspired my heart
Broken bones healed, tears rolled down but weren't such a bad thing
Sun sets and rises and I knew wasn't alone
Peasants and criminals borne of the same blood as kings

There was a time in my innocent youth I recall
Wanting to answer the voices of missions and war
Happy the thoughts of a victory upon a hill
Never quite sure why I'm fighting or truly what for
Now looking back I want to reprimand my young self
Not too harsh, no, just avert my eyes from foolish glory
Hubris like that wrings a debt in the soul of a man
I just hope I still have time to rewrite my own story

Basura

I would give anything
To take the foot of your perfect little life
Off of my undeserving throat
I'm just so sick of all the comparisons
Somehow you're always in the right
I don't care because I'm always choked

I'm prepared to breathe fire
I'm ready to mourn the loss
I'm prepared to be severed
Pseudo martyr, get off that fucking cross

I would trade almost anything
To see your happiness once again
I don't know why that's so impossible
I'm so sick of the despair within
I'd just as soon plunge that dagger in
Before I let you climb that pedestal

I'm prepared to breathe fire
I'm ready to mourn the loss
I'm prepared to be severed
Pseudo martyr, get off that fucking cross

I made a mistake today
Just the same as yesterday
Curse me as you would have done
At least the mistake was mine
I own it and that's alright
Your way is not the only one

Your way is not the only way
I am wrong, that doesn't mean you're right
Your god is not the only god
This is war, but I don't have to fight

I'm prepared to breathe fire
I'm ready to mourn the loss
I'm prepared to be severed
Pseudo martyr, get off that fucking cross

Get off that fucking cross
Get off your pedestal
Your sacrifice was vain
Your life, so typical

Happy New Year

You can't please anyone
With anything
Happy New Year
Now run your head through the nearest wall
So eager to find a reason
So tempted to find the ending
Happy New Year
Let the guilt trips crush your soul
You have no shelter, no comfort
Forced to live up to comparisons
Happy New Year
You'll never be as good as the 2nd or 10th letters of the alphabet
Keep looking over your shoulder
While you're running off the cliff
Happy New Year
You failed me again
Take every word I say to heart
Don't dare breathe a word of your own
Happy New Year
Now feel some fresh served pain
You're not good enough to or for me
I will amplify all of your wrongs
Happy New Year
I'm sick of you
I promise I'm not keeping score
But that doesn't mean I'm not playing games
Happy New Year
You'll never win