1. |
The Mark
03:49
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I saw the mark
And I like the way it feels
Something sleek to unify
From the ground up was designed to hold up
All your crumbling ideals
Something simple as a symbol
But you know what it resembles don’t you?
Be on your best behavior, be on guard
'Cause I can guarantee you something is watching us
Now it's not the devil but it's not god
And that's what makes it a thousand times more dangerous
Grab your guns grab your knives
Live the decadent life
At the bottom of the barrel's when you know that you've arrived
Got a tiny little problem in the shape of a friend
I know there's something wrong
But I can't put my finger on it
You stood up for me once, but never again
You did me less of a favor and more of a mess
And if you've got commitment issues, I understand
But it's a nasty habit, you must confess
And I may come to you with the voice of a man
Making promises and acting the diplomat
And I may come to you singing "kill, kill the lamb"
But I can promise I don't have the brains for that
I'm a beast I'm a beast
Get my ass on a leash
Just because I wear the mark
It doesn't mean that I believe
Got a tiny little problem in the shape of a friend
I know he's an impostor
But I'm too gone to shout about it
I know there's something wrong
But I can't put my finger on it
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2. |
Down
06:05
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You forgot when you bought security
To check over your shoulder
Your glassy eyes, pharmaceutical mind
The world is cloudy forever
And it’s clear by the look on your face
You’ve made a grave mistake
Something’s getting lost and muddled.
Some days it works better than others.
And all the prophets sing their siren song
“Have you been to see me lately?
I curl up in a little ball when you’re gone
So don’t leave me waiting, waiting”
We’ll cut you down where you belong
“What if we don’t need you any more?”
It wouldn’t matter if you tried it.
“How’d you get to be so self assured?”
You’ve been living on my island.
All the help in the world won’t mean anything now
Because we know who you are and we know what you do. Sayin’:
We will cut you down to the size you belong,
To the size you belong.
Don’t pretend
You’re so ashamed
When that’s your face
Beside your name.
The rotten deal
As advertised
Was what you chose.
You paid full price.
Someday we may get our freedom back
But for now it makes us nervous
Dropping screens and safety in our lap
Such a lovely, darling service
Choirs of angels sing along with the hymn
Yes we know who you are and we know where you’ve been. Singin’:
We will cut you down to the size you belong.
It doesn’t matter if you slip through the cracks, so long as we’ve got your money
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3. |
Anti Intellectual
06:20
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Push the button, shut them up
All your enemies of state
Push the button, turn it off
If you think that’ll help you escape
I’ve been walking down your hall
Ivory tower, fancy-free
Anti-intellectual
Pro-stupidity
You can’t just say anything you feel like to anyone
I’ve never seen you have respect for the basic law
You’ve really made a joke of it
And when you’re getting desperate
I can’t
Wait to
Hear you
Begging
Begging
Kill me
Kill me
Please.
Is this how your work is done-
Stab my children while they sleep?
Take a piece of everyone
Give the hounds a taste for meat.
There’s a mob against your wall
And they envy what they lack
You’re not listening at all
And you’ll pay for that.
They never test anyone like you.
They always love everyone like you.
Don’t tell me everyone’s like you.
I’ll show you everyone
You’re so clean and alkaline
With a criminal veneer
Make your diamond temple shine
Let your conscience disappear
I’ve been crawling in the dirt
Never leave my hands and knees
Ruin everything you want
For eternity
Tell me once again
While I’ve got you at hand
About the cake that you’re letting them eat.
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4. |
The Freeway
04:42
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Belching smoke into the sky
Twisting, sickly,
Mimicking the shape of our spines
As we travel we get institutionalized
A sprawling concrete madness; to cope you learn to drive
So come on
Don't stop
Move on
And every road takes you to the center
If that's where you want to go
If you've got the mindlessness
I've got the means and ways
The miles are only matched
By the deadly malaise
If I keep on
Going faster
I can reach you
As a mutant
Made aware of
The rejection
Of my body
By my consciousness
When we kiss I taint your lips with the blackness
I know we'll never blame somebody else
And all the gifts you offer
I'm sure they'll never matter
These pyramids we build will be our cells
And when we kiss I taint your lips with the blackness
The poison leaches through into your skin
I am made of bone and soot
Gather dust on every foot
I'll return to bond with you again
If I keep on
Going faster
I can reach you
As a mutant
in the new form
Does it please you?
Blink your eyes and
I will change again
So come on
Don't stop
Move on
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5. |
The Luxury
04:58
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The un-rich, like some awful disease
Want to come in and pretend they control everything
You just act like undisciplined brats
Make way and bow before your king
I fought hard
And I got my reward
Now I'm living free of consequence
With the blessing of the lord
Do the same as before
And claim it's just coincidence
How dare you voice your dissent
All you want is decline
You just open up wide
And let the lies pour out of your mouth now
I will teach you how to survive
When you stop playing nice
And let your heels get bloody and righteous
Ah, the luxury’s permanent.
Ah, better get used to it.
[Ah, sell to the ignorant.
Ah, what do you want to get?]
The unwashed live in shit with the pigs
So they cannot understand what acceptable is
Throw a crumb of bread and you can pretend
That's all the love you have to give
Have you seen how the other half lives?
Only begging and shame
And the worst are shameless
We have to keep them segregated
We are safe
And united
And you've been invited to the fat and happy live and in person
Say out loud what you owe
Cause I want you to know
That you're deep in the hole
And you're never getting out
Not as long as I'm around
With the blessing of the lord and the blood of the poor
I will rule the earth forevermore.
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6. |
Humane
07:04
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I didn't realize how bad it really would get
I was so spoiled with western privileges
First they gave us famine till we lost our teeth
And then they gave us guns and let us be the police
Just another problem bound to fix itself in the end
And I close my eyes
'Cause I don't feel safe
'Cause I'm in real life
And that's not humane
Just keep your head down
Stay on the pillow my dear
And if they want to talk
Don't let the words in your ear
Your hands are evidence
They uncontrollably shake
I'm growing confident
That you have made a mistake
--
You think you've got it tough
You want to call them unkind
They have their ways, you know
Their ways of changing your mind
They didn't make them up
Those things you're hearing about
You think you've got it tough
I hope you never find out
--
I used to fear the air raid sirens
But know I know they're there to keep me safe
I used to fear the national silence
But then they put me into place
The marketplace will never wait
There's no restraint there's just regret
Were you expecting transformation?
Disappointment strikes again
I want to live like I'm in wartime
I need the thrill of firefight
I want to be a five-star general
I want to be identified
Call me savage, rip the bandage, watch me ravage all I can
We all belong to evolution
Disappointment strikes again
How'd you get your different answer?
Don't you know I'm right?
I wanna make you shut your mouth babe
I wanna claw your eyes
Storm is always
Getting closer
Feel the forest
Blowing over
Hold your fear in
Hold it closer
Watch your castle
Falling over
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7. |
Core of the Sun
05:06
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At the start, our intentions were pure
Kept our homes and our power secure
At the start, our intentions were good
Used to know who we were.
We got lost underfoot.
Always been the responsible sort.
Gave it all, but I needed some more.
Every day, just a slap in the face
Did you learn anything?
Can you do it again?
So hold on
As tightly as you possibly can
Hold your tongue
And no one has to know what I am
I can’t tell
If I’m doing this for money or love
In this hell
Burning hotter than the core of the sun.
I can keep keeping up with demand
I don’t need anything I don’t have.
Bought a car and I’m paying the rent
There was something I missed.
Feels like something is bent.
Feeling tense, but I’m shrugging it off
Don’t complain, ‘cause the standard’s enough
Nothing new, not a story to tell
Never need anyone
Can you live with yourself?
And we’re soiled
With the sort of dirt that never comes off
And the world
Erodes us till we’re nothing at all
I can’t tell
If I’m doing this for money or love
In this hell
Burning hotter than the core of the sun.
There are nights when I can’t get to sleep
Not my fault, but it’s coming from me
Take a pill so I don’t have to think
Nothing good ever comes
While I’m staying awake
When they tell you that my heart is intact
It’s so easy if you take it as fact
Every day, learn to edit the truth
Keep selecting the news
Tell me, how can you lose?
But you’re wrong.
It’s hotter than the core of the sun.
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8. |
Fear the Gospel
05:36
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Maybe you had something else in mind
Hollow life of false experience
Don’t make waves, don’t be a bother
Love your God and fear the gospel
This is how you live with permanence
Hold it in
There's no problem here but the one you made yourself
Don't waste my time with your pointless search and rescue
Hold it in.
There’s no right time for you to get weird and unpleasant.
Put your shoulders back, ‘cause your birthday’s over.
Work for something good outside yourself
You alone cannot create the truth
You will help us all be greater
Everything is done in order
In the crowd you’ll find the absolute
Hold it in
Just bite your tongue
It happens every day
No one needs a rock that changes shape
Hold it in
You know it's wrong,
But you did it anyway
You're in the spotlight now
That's your last excuse
You have to be the obedient horn
Who will trumpet out to lead the other brothers on
I can tell you that you're special if you never resist
There's no purpose for a person who won't stick to the script
The devil is insidious
The sinner is delirious
When everybody wants a piece
You have to say you're serious
And lose the part that’s curious
Accepting the epiphany
I need to crawl inside your heart
And make you my own
And if you cannot hear the truth
Then I cannot deliver you home
And we wait
To witness holy rapture
To save us from this nightmare
'Cause something's just not right here
And the change
Is never for the better
We will not be forsaken
His silence ends today
God help me
I'm saved
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9. |
Voice of God
03:20
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I’ve got a friend hiding in my teeth
I’ve got a friend tells me what to believe
I’ve got a friend who refuses to speak to you
I want to weep ‘cause I know his plan
I feel the heat when I shake his hand
I see his face any time I want
I hear him whisper with the voice of God
I’ve got the soul for the soulless, the home for the homeless
And he
He whispers with the voice of god
I’ve got the drug for the sickest
Open up and swallow it down
I want so bad for you to be my friend,
'Cause if you don’t you will burn in hell
Testify to the master eye
Who proclaims you deviant and unwell
Wash away your disease and sin
In the fountain of the martyr’s blood
Revelation, man, where you been?
I wanna burn away the neighborhood.
My god’ll take you up to heaven if you say his name
And his name is…
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10. |
Governor
06:07
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When the good lord said I was ordained for fame and fortune
Of course I didn’t dare to interfere
It took some hushed maneuvers and some deft manipulations
But you can tell all of your friends I’m finally here.
I’m here to model power, purified and absolute
Because I am control dressed in a suit.
I’m here to set the level, set the pace, and set the scene.
My friends all give me money, and they tell me that it’s clean
Don’t tell me that you’re living in poverty
I see through your highway robbery
Don’t tell me that you’re living in squalor
Shut your mouth now, get a little smaller
Wasted life and wasted youth
I’ve got mine, so why don’t you?
And if you don’t believe that life has fairy tale endings, baby
All you have to do is look at me
It may not be as peaceful or as ethical as you dreamed of
But someone’s got to act efficiently
No, I’m not sentimental
By the standards that you set.
Don’t you know I’ve earned too much for that?
I know you’re all just people
All made of bone and meat.
You will not deprive me of
My right to pointed teeth.
---
Don’t ask me to play a game of holier-than-thou
Unless you feel like losing something now
Who said you had time to be so difficult to impress?
No one cares about the penniless
I’m not here to give you handouts
I don’t see why you need help
Serving God and country
But first I’m serving myself.
---
Some day you will have to learn
You can’t fix everything you own.
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11. |
Temples
06:53
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I make war and I will glorify
With the fire inside
Show no mercy to the parasites,
To the sodomites
You provide disgusting evidence
Of your decadence
We will give our gift of violence
To the Americans
In my dream your face was gone
Blown away by some great bomb
In the chaos, in the screaming
You could look like anyone
Darkness blankets all their souls.
Who are these people dressed as wolves?
Kneel
Before the ultimate power
Tremble
Before the kingdom laid bare
Beg me
For the ultimate mercy
You can get hellfire
Or you can get spared
Today is not your day of reckoning
But don’t believe for a second you’re immune
I have seen and felt the remedy
You will feel it too. You will taste it very soon.
Friends all turned to enemies
As the lord was testing me
I will laugh as they descend
For they watched, but lent no hand
Now I hear through all this din
See no people. Only sin.
Seething, fuming
Smell of brimstone,
Taste of carrion
You contort like soulless actors
Hiding murderers
Through your soul where devils hibernate
He will penetrate
You will meet your last biographer
Executioner
Every second I don’t spend
Engulfed in searing pain
Is a gift from my creator
Blessed be his name
But my grip is getting weaker
And my symptoms getting worse
I can feel him push me closer
To the hell that I deserve
And the world is so small
And the walls are so thin
I can tell just who you are
I can tell just where you’ve been
And my vision fills with haze
There is nothing in this place
Please make the headache
Stop.
Regis dominus
Righteous, glorious
Reign victorious
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12. |
City of Drones
05:12
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My friends are bored
My friends are so bored they could scream
My friends get tunnel vision
And believe they don’t miss anything
Lost in the wires
Animals distracted with bottles and cans
This sales pitch feels like home
Who would want to tell the difference?
We are a city of drones.
My friends don’t care
Who calls their houses after ten
We’re always up
Nothing good, nothing bad happens
Lost in the woods
Animals with jobs and appliances
This sales pitch feels so good
Nothing feels as bad as defiance is
--
I will work until I drop dead from exhaustion.
It’s not loyalty, it’s just to teach a lesson
That you are all I have
…please don’t throw me away
We’ve picked through everything
Leaving just the gristle and the fat
There’s nothing left for us
And we’re okay with that.
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13. |
Nothing in the World
04:27
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Pack your luggage now, ‘cause the time is nigh
Have you seen the neighbors getting greedy?
If you’re throwing in the towel, baby, so am I
‘Cause the TV said that it was easy
Don’t you look them in the eye when you’re feeling pale
How’d you get yourself in so much trouble?
You can flash them all a smile, throw them off your trail
How could anybody be so awful?
You and I are going to run away
I can see the walls are crumbling fast.
Worthless and disposable
Everything’s compostable
Nothing in the world can last.
Student of life, what a lousy alibi
Doesn’t solve a single worry
When you slowly drain away at the world like a parasite
Making sure we can’t get lonely
There’s no need to fight
You can just apologize
Sorry for the fuss, your highness
‘Cause we’ve got a place to hide when the world goes awry
Yeah, your daddy bought his share of diamonds
I can send you with a doctor’s note
But I don’t think they’ll bother to ask
When everything’s available
Nothing is sustainable
Nothing in the world can last
Do you fancy something sordid?
Co-habitants, co-morbid
Don’t be so unpleasant
All you want in 60 seconds.
Don’t be afraid of it.
Give me just a sign, ‘cause I’m wasting time
I’ve been waiting for the duck and cover
If we all survive the attack in this life,
Then I know they’ll try again in another.
I can shelter you from rising tides
I can feel it when you’re feeling trapped.
Nothing is so perilous
When you’ve got preparedness
Nothing in the world can last.
I won’t open up for God himself.
We’ll be the ones to start from scratch.
I want you sitting close to me
Just like it’s supposed to be
Nothing in the world can last.
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Collin Kravis recommends:
The album packs in interesting arrangements and takes time to try out a few different sounds. Much lighter than my stuff. But that's a good thing sometimes.
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