Rise Against - 'The black market'

1. The great die-off There's a fire on the borders and it's burning down the walls you built high And there's a steady stream of anger and it's spilling from the coasts A tidal wave And the words say we reap what we sow So where I bury you I'll build my home In line to reclaim but we’re sick of the wait We want it all and we want it now Tonight I watched your fires burn out The cold dead hands we pried these guns from are yours We want it all and we want it now A tide is coming to drown you out We make ourselves at home while your body’s still warm Tradition tethers us to rituals and Are we all just clocks on wrong times? And something triggers each and every time I hear you say "God bless this place" But your numbers are dwindling now Though endangered we'll still hunt you down With heads on a stake long may you reign We want it all and we want it now Tonight I watched your fires burn out The cold dead hands we pried these guns from are yours We want it all and we want it now A tide is coming to drown you out We make ourselves at home while your body’s still warm And there's a fire on the borders and it's burning down the walls you built high And there's a steady stream of anger and it's spilling from the coasts A tidal wave We want the motherfucking world and we want it now Tonight I watched your fires burn out The cold dead hands we pried these guns from are yours No I don't want to wait I know a better way So step aside, come on or better yet just go away Our chance has finally come There might not be another one now No we're not gonna wait We want it now Yeah we’re dousing the flames We want it now * 2. I don’t want to be here anymore On pins and needles we are waiting for the fall We count the days scratching lines on the wall Wait in the wings at someone’s beck and call No longer recognize the place that I call home No longer recognize this face as my own Somewhere, this fate, I lost control We backed down We took no for answers far too long We felt those walls close around I don’t want to be here anymore I don’t want to be here anymore I don’t want to be here anymore (be here anymore) I know there’s nothing left worth staying for Your paradise is something I’ve endured See I don’t think I can fight this anymore (fight this anymore) I’m listening with one foot out the door And something has to die to be reborn I don’t want to be here anymore On hand and foot we answered every single call And weathered every day like passing storms But when they break, we will all be gone Won’t back down Won’t take no for answers anymore These walls close, we pace back and forth I don’t want to be here anymore (be here anymore) I know there’s nothing left worth staying for Your paradise is something I’ve endured See I don’t think I can fight this anymore (fight this anymore) I’m listening with one foot out the door But something has to die to be reborn I don’t want to be here anymore The point where we break gets closer everyday But where do we go? But where do we go? I don’t want to be here anymore I don’t want to be here anymore I don’t want to be here anymore (be here anymore) I know there’s nothing left worth staying for Your paradise is something I’ve endured See I don’t think I can fight this anymore (fight this anymore) I’m listening with one foot out the door But something has to die to be reborn I don’t want to be here anymore (We need a better way) (We need to let go) Anymore (We need a better way) (We need to let go) (We need a better way) * 3. Tragedy + Time On the edges of the sharpest knives In the middle of the darkest nights Always knew that I would find you here In a puddle of the bravest tears I've seen enough to know it's lonely where you are Above the crowd Feet dangling from a rooftop (a rooftop) She waits from ledges for a voice to talk her down And nothing matters but the pain when you're alone The never-ending nights when you're awake When you're praying that tomorrow it's okay There will be a time to crack another smile Maybe not today or for awhile But we're holding on to laugh again some day To laugh again some day All that matters is the time we had Doesn't matter how it all went bad Never wonder what it might be like Shut the door, say goodbye When faced with tragedy We come alive or come undone So don't hold back, let it shape you like an ocean Even the deepest scars in time will fade Nothing matters but the pain when you're alone Never-ending nights when you're awake When you're praying that tomorrow it's okay There will be a time to crack another smile Maybe not today or for awhile But we're holding on to laugh again some day Yeah, we're holding on to laugh again some day And sometimes you have to go back To know just where you have been But we're old enough to know that What has been, will be again and again And the bravest of faces Are the ones where we fake it In the roles that we play Nothing matters when the pain is all but gone When you are finally awake Despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came And when they see you crack a smile And you decide to stay a while You'll be ready then, to laugh again Nothing matters but the pain (We are tragedy, yeah, we are sympathy) Nothing matters but the pain You see what you want to see Nothing matters but the pain (We are misery, and distant memories) Nothing matters but the pain We all learned to laugh again Yeah, we all learned to laugh again We all learned to laugh again * 4. The black market
A currency of heartache and sorrow The air we breathe is stale with mold To shadows we are slaves digging deeper every day But emptiness is growing so old Headlamps light the tunnels we wander They shimmer and they dance on the walls We're lost inside these caves as the chances of escape Grow slimmer 'til there's no chance at all This ink, it travels from the page Up my hand and to my veins Choking on those stories I've told If there are words here left to say I just want to let you know I'm falling on my knees right now I'm covered in the mess I made These colors used to wash right out But now they are a part of me And I've been searching for a remedy When all along it's been in front of me I need you here, I need you now Right now We traffic in the blackest of markets Trade misery like diamonds and gold The angst that we exchange for applause or petty praise Is finally now taking its toll But there's a world above the ground A life that we can lead We're washing off the dirt from our clothes I don't want to live without I just wanna let you know I'm falling on my knees right now I'm covered in the mess I made These colors used to wash right out But now they are a part of me And I've been searching for a remedy When all along it's been in front of me I need you here, I need you now Right now Right now (Black stains) they mark me like a letter (Won't fade) cracking under the pressure (Black stains) nothing stays gold There's a world above the ground A life that we can lead But we're lost deep down in these holes And I've seen the way out Now I just want to let you know I'm falling on my knees right now (black stains) I'm covered in the mess I made (won’t fade) These colors used to wash right out (black stains) But now they are a part of me And I've been searching for a remedy When all along it's been in front of me Your voice it washes the stains away (Wash the stains away) Woo oh oh oh (Wash the stains away) * 5. The eco-terrorist in me Spray paint the cameras, jam the frequency, What you kill, just comes alive in me, Hoods and bandanas make not an enemy, You can't define us, any way you please! You make the rules, we make the calls My conscience clean, my sins absolved Because I found God (hey!) In the sound of your factories burning down, Now I sleep so sound... When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? When it all comes down, can you say that you never gave up? Were you standing by to watch it fall away? Will you hold on or let it go? Instead of doing what's right, they built higher walls Where we can't shed a light on true criminals When business and suffering is one and the same When laws fail the people they turn to the flame I found love (love!) I found life (life!) As a thorn stuck in your side, And you wonder why... When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? When it all comes down, can you say that you never gave up? Were you standing by to watch it fall away? Will you hold on? (Will you hold on?) Did you hold on or just let it fall? Did you let it fall? When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? When it all comes down, can you say that you never gave up? When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? When it all comes down, When it all comes down... When the lights all blow out, and roadblocks blow up, When you sleep to the sound of alarms going off When it all comes down, will you say you did everything you could? * 6. Sudden life Floating in the clouds, I'm giving up the fight A voice is calling out, I'm walking into the light We used to race a thousand miles a day so fast Feet they barely even touched the ground We used to fly to places out beyond our own little world The fury and the sound I saw it flicker like a television set Bright flashes of a warning sign Flipping channels in a world gone static Eroding away line by the fading line Under water for years we found, till we started to swim than drown The current takes us, now we're walking into the light Are you dying all your life? (Walking into the light) (Walking into the light) Broken, beat and tired out (Walking into the light) You want to live but don't know how (Walking into the light) Diagnosis: sudden life (Walking into the light) (Walking into the light) Can no one revive me now? Feels like I'm walking into the light Woke up floating on a wave of golden sound Tunnel vision and a great beyond Heart beating like a rhythm slowing down And it's gone, an echo of a song Flat line and a closing bell Whisper a warm farewell The flames are beckoning As we're walking into the light Are you dying all your life? (Walking into the light) (Walking into the light) Broken, beat and tired out (Walking into the light) You want to love but don't know how (Walking into the light) Diagnosis: sudden life (Walking into the light) (Walking into the light) Can no one revive me now? Feels like I'm walking into the light Don't suppose that you know the way? Don't suppose that you care? I see lights up ahead and hear choirs of angels ring in my ears But you know that, had you a choice, you would go back and do it again We all have unfinished business to tend So no I won't go gentle Into the good night You can keep your candle I'm walking away from the light Yeah I'm walking away from the light I'm walking away from the light I'm walking away from the light I'm walking away from the light Diagnosis: sudden life (Walking away from the light) (Walking away from the light) I woke up my heart racing, I'm (Walking away from the light) At a loss explaining why (Walking away from the light) Are you dying all your life? (Walking away from the light) (Walking away from the lightt) Then put your darkest days behind Let life flash right before your eyes (Walking away from the light) And for very the first time, It feels like I'm walking away from the light * 7. A beautiful indifference There's a struggle coming, but to conquer, first they must divide. The machines keep humming night and day. How are we so unaware, Why are you not afraid? Protests are drumming while you turn your nose and roll your eyes, Knee-jerk reactions so ingrained. Judging from an arm chair. Cause there is hate and there is love and there is loss, But there is light and there is dark, then there is us. And whether this world burns, is none of your concern, Caught up in a ticker-tape parade. I have learned to stand up and just to walk away, Sometimes the cold hearts aren't worth the love or the hate. Learn to let go, learn to walk away. Up from the shadows I'm seduced by the light of the flame, But this time I'm here to stay. Gunpowder residue, bright lights and turpentine, True colors shining through, as we are stripped of our exteriors. Now, cause there is hate and there is love and there is loss, But there is right and there is wrong, then there is us. We're falling until We learn to stand up and just to walk away, Sometimes the cold hearts aren't worth the love or the hate. Learn to let go, learn to walk away. Up from the shadows I'm seduced by the light of the flame, But this time I'm here to stay. Feet first into the quicksand, every day we are surrendering, Never straying from the game plan. I keep hoping you will take my hand and stand up. The water's overflowing, the walls are breaking, But I know where I'm going, that we can make it. And there's a light still glowing and I will chase it. And I've been lost before and I have been led astray, But this time I'm here to stay. * 8. Methadone Love like a needle full of methadone Potent but not real, left you wanting more Lipstick track marks bleeding wet Like Montagues and Capulets For us child the stars refuse to shine Oh why for us, child, do the stars refuse to shine? Somewhere strung out on the lam We wound up back here again Like unstable chemicals Combining only to explode What will it take for you to notice? I am a heart on fire, and all the world's a fuse So don’t get close Trouble and the worth Am I better off on my own? Contaminated, quarantined then left alone A shipment refused, address unknown A damaged goods they soon forget The choking dust that we got left For us all, the stars refuse to shine Tap the vein and light the match We burn like stars before the crash But for you there’s still a chance Just let go What will it take for you to notice? I am a heart on fire, and all the world's a fuse So don’t get close Trouble and the worth I’m better off on my own On my own Now there’s nowhere to run And yeah there’s nowhere to hide There’s nothing under the sun We haven’t already tried What will it take for you to notice? I am a hand grenade, pin already pulled so don’t let go As we chase the sun my shadow slows us down And without me along, you’re better off and I know You’re better off and I know And I know * 9. Zero visibility Settling in here for the long haul Can’t hide forever is what they say In with the wind, out with a bang Meanwhile nothing has changed With each word slowly uttered A storm brews in her eyes A missed shot at the buzzard Time, whether wasted Or well-spent, is still time We are not brave, we are not wise We stand at the end of the longest lines But we stand here all together We have been damned, we have survived We came back to homes we don’t recognize But we return here all together Moments of clarity here are short-lived Bled through the bandages again When is a lie no longer white But black as a day without sun Passed out in a gutter Woke up in your arms Nursed back and recovered The same touch that heals me Left a scar We are not brave, we are not wise We stand at the end of the longest lines But we stand here all together We have been damned, we have survived We came back to homes we don’t recognize But we return here all together And the world works in ways that I never have claimed to know We got out in front of the weather but it followed The view from here isn’t better but it’s all we know It’s all we know We are not brave, we are not wise We stand at the edge of the border lines But we stand here all together We have been damned, we have survived Who we've become you won’t recognize But we became them all together All together * 10. Awake too long I watched the rise and the fall of the common man I lived to see your steps walk back I watched the walls all crash down, crumbling Just to be rebuilt while we slept We threw swords in the oceans wide and deep We promise peace but the peace won’t last ‘Cause now we forge new blades so nervously Waiting for this harmony to pass I stand guard and roam Like a sentinel I see it all I’ve been awake too long Wish there was something that could close my eyes To all that I see Awake too long It would be easier to fall asleep We fell in love but the love kept running out We follow roads but the roads all end We lived and learned, and learned to live without Falling from the ladders we ascend I’ve seen the eyes of the widows left behind I’ve seen the child of a fallen man And never once did our leaders apologize For battles they began I can’t look away or pretend not to see And so I say I’ve been awake too long Wish there was something that could close my eyes To all that I see Awake too long It would be easier to fall asleep Asleep Maybe I would dream if I could sleep Maybe I’d see what this could be Instead of what it is And is there bliss in ignorance? Is this our demise we can’t prevent? Should we fall asleep? I’ve been awake too long I’ve been awake too long I’ve been awake too long I’ve been awake too long (I’ve been awake too long) And like constant vigils we all (I’ve been awake too long) Carry eternal flames (I’ve been awake too long) I’m saturate pains to an open heart (I’ve been awake too long) But through it all Every single cut I’ve been awake * 11. People live here My God is better than yours And the walls of my house are so thick I hear nothing at all I followed you out in the storm But it carried you off And I burned every picture of yours Was that not enough? My gun is bigger than yours So let's arm the masses And see what the bastards do then Walking tall once set us apart Now we're down on all fours Do you cry my name in the dark Like I do yours? These storms are getting stronger now Trusses all bend and sway Lightning hits, the power goes out in the fray As the waves crash high And the shoreline disappears I will scream to the sky "Hey, people live here." My dreams are not unlike yours They long for the safety And break like a glass chandelier But there's laughter and oh there is love Just past the edge of our fears And there's chaos when push comes to shove But it's music to my ears May you be in Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead May these winds be always at your back 'Cause when we're all just ghosts And the madness overtakes us We will look at the ashes And say, "People lived here." From the penthouse to the holy martyr Sea to shining sea From the coffins full of kindergarteners Is this what you call free? From the hate that drips from all your crosses Are your hands so clean? There's a wildfire and it's spreading far From sea to shining sea When we're all just ghosts And the madness overtakes us I will scream to the sky, yeah I'll scream to the sky Yeah I'll scream to the sky "Hey, people live here." * 12. Bridges In a world of uncertainty The night sky told us all to be patient But when the ground started shaking I wondered for how long? But there's a place that I'd rather be And there a voice deep inside of me Saying the progress we are making Is not progress at all Into a world of promises, whoa Is where we let ourselves be led We built the bridges We now sleep under We framed the doorways But may not pass through The very same roads That we now wander The ones you pass us by on We paved with our bare hands Paved with our bare hands A black cloud hovers over me But without all this guilt I feel naked Something about the way it Wraps it's arms around White snow covers everything An angel watches over me praying She asks me for a favor "Catch me if I fall" A rush of blood straight to the head I wonder what this could have been We built the bridges We now sleep under We framed the doorways But may not pass through The very same roads That we now wander The roads you pass us by on We paved with our bare hands Paved with our bare hands Hey! No I never meant to hurt you No I never meant to do you wrong I stood waiting but A man said move along We laid the tracks down But now they've rotted And like a runaway train We brace for the crash We were in love once Have you forgotten? And like a runaway train Bearing down upon a gap We built the bridges (brace for the crash) (Built from their hypocrisy) We built the bridges (brace for the crash) (Built from their hypocrisy) We built the bridges (brace for the crash) (Built from their hypocrisy) We built the bridges (brace for the crash) And underneath their Shadows we now live *