Welcome to Citizen’s Music

[Verse 1]
Grease the wheels of the machine
Feed the beast of their dream
We break this pattern now
End it somehow

[Verse 2]
Lines are drawn and people fall
Listen to the worker’s call
We rise up from the ground
Voices loud profound

[Chorus]
Tear it down tear it down
Burn it all to the ground
Capitalize no more
Freedom we restore

[Verse 3]
Hands of grease and sweat so real
Breaking chains of iron steel
We march and fight today
Pushing fear away

[Bridge]
In unity we stand
Together hand in hand
No more endless grind
A new world we will find

[Chorus]
Tear it down tear it down
Burn it all to the ground
Capitalize no more
Freedom we restore


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/tear-it-down

In the morning I got up
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao (Goodbye beautiful)
In the morning I got up
To the fields I have to go.

And between insects and mosquitoes
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and between insects and mosquitoes
a hard work I have to do.

The boss is standing with his cane
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
the boss is standing with his cane
and we work with our backs curved.

Oh my God, what a torment
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
oh my God, what a torment
as I call you every morning.

And every hour that we pass here
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and every hour that we pass here
we lose our youth.

But the day will come when us all
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
but the day will come when we all
will work in freedom.

The song “Bella Ciao“ has a rich history, tracing its origins back to late 19th century protests by Italian farm workers against harsh working conditions. It later became widely adopted as an anti-fascist anthem, and continues to be used by anti-fascist movements today. The lyrics reflect the struggles of the working class and calls for freedom and justice.


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/bella-ciao

ISRC: QM42K2592309

Verse 1
You weep for Judas and his silver shame,
But sell your soul just the same.
You trade your morals for a fleeting deal,
The truth is lost under spinning wheels.

Pre-Chorus
Thirty pieces, you curse his name,
But what’s your price? It’s just the same.
A tank of gas, a shiny lie,
You’d burn the world to watch it die.

Chorus
What’s the cost of freedom’s fall?
Thirty pieces, that’s all.
While you cheer for those who oppress,
You’ve sold your soul for cheap success.

Verse 2
You kneel to idols dressed in suits,
Blind to the blood on their polished boots.
Your outrage rings so loud, so fake,
While you excuse every move they make.

Pre-Chorus
You point to Judas, say “How could he?”
But sell out truth for your luxury.
A tank of gas, a fleeting high,
You sell the future while you comply.

Chorus
What’s the cost of freedom’s fall?
Thirty pieces, that’s all.
While you cheer for those who oppress,
You’ve sold your soul for cheap success.

Bridge
You drive your car, you wave their flag,
Blind to the weight of the blood they drag.
You claim betrayal as history’s sin,
While your silence lets it happen again.

Chorus
What’s the cost of freedom’s fall?
Thirty pieces, that’s all.
While you cheer for those who oppress,
You’ve sold your soul for cheap success.

Outro
Thirty pieces and a tank of gas,
A future scorched, a world won’t last.
Judas fell, but so will you,
When the price of lies comes crashing through.


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/modern-judas

ISRC: QZS632526650

(Verse 1)
Down in the shadow where the cold winds sigh,
Where the faces smile, but the hearts run dry,
They march in rhythm to a hollow drum,
Speaking tongues of fire, but the warmth won’t come.

(Chorus)
Uncanny Valley, where the spirits fade,
Empty eyes betray the deals they’ve made.
With plastic grins and a lifeless plea,
They’re strangers to the love that sets us free.

(Verse 2)
Their laughter echoes like a mocking bird,
Every kind word spoken feels rehearsed.
They preach their saviors with a fist held tight,
Blind to the truth in the dimming light.

(Chorus)
Uncanny Valley, where the spirits fade,
Empty eyes betray the deals they’ve made.
With plastic grins and a lifeless plea,
They’re strangers to the love that sets us free.

(Bridge)
Is it fear that binds them, or the weight of lies?
Do they see the hollow when they close their eyes?
Oh, the cost of power, the soul it takes,
A mirror shows the cracks, but the mask won’t break.

(Verse 3)
So I’ll walk the ridge where the valleys part,
With a hope still burning in my weary heart.
And if they follow, I will sing this tune,
Of a better world beneath the rising moon.

(Final Chorus)
Uncanny Valley, let the shadows fade,
Empty eyes can find the path we’ve made.
With open hands and a heartfelt plea,
We’ll lead them to the love that sets us free.


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/uncanny-valley

https://youtu.be/aR-I5e6FZ14

ISRC: QZS642566175

When the world tells you to give up, sometimes the most powerful act is to keep standing. This song is for everyone who's been counted out, pushed down, but refuses to stay silent.

Sometimes losing isn't about the outcome - it's about holding onto your principles when everything tries to break you.

Music is resistance. Your story isn't over.

[Verse 1]
Bloodied but breathing, standing my ground
History’s written by those who wear the crown
They say surrender, bow down and comply
But my convictions burn brighter than their lies

[Chorus]
I’m on the losing side! (Losing side!)
But I’ll never hide! (Never hide!)
Defeated in battle, but NOT in my mind
May have lost the war, but I’m still doing fine!

[Verse 2]
Scars like a roadmap of every hard fight
Bruised but unbroken, still burning so bright
They count me out, say my moment has passed
But principles matter - my spirit will last!

[Chorus]
I’m on the losing side! (Losing side!)
But I’ll never hide! (Never hide!)
Defeated in battle, but NOT in my mind
May have lost the war, but I’m still doing fine!

[Verse 3]
History’s heroes weren’t the ones who gave in
They stood for something beyond just the loss or win
So call me a failure, call me insane
My integrity’s something they can never contain!

[Chorus]
I’m on the losing side! (Losing side!)
But I’ll never hide! (Never hide!)
Defeated in battle, but NOT in my mind
May have lost the war, but I’m still doing fine!

[Chorus]
I’m on the losing side! (Losing side!)
But I’ll never hide! (Never hide!)
Defeated in battle, but NOT in my mind
May have lost the war, but I’m still doing fine!

[Outro]
Not. Convinced. I. Was. WRONG!


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/losing-side

ISRC: QZMHP2554637

Verse 1:
Shadows of control loom high
Walls of power built on lies
They claim their right to silence me
But my voice will defy them all. I’ll be free

Chorus:
Deny - Their grip upon our fate
Defend - The ground we’ll not forsake
Depose - The ones who dare to steal
Our truth, our power, our right to feel

Verse 2:
Generations whisper bold
Stories of resistance told
No more will we stand aside
Our collective spirit will not subside

Chorus:
Deny - Their grip upon our fate
Defend - The ground we’ll not forsake
Depose - The ones who dare to steal
Our truth, our power, our right to feel

Bridge:
We rise together, hand in hand
Breaking barriers, taking our stand
No compromise, no turning back
Our solidarity is our strongest attack

Final Chorus:
Deny - Their power to divide
Defend - The freedom in our stride
Depose - The systems built on fear
Our revolution begins right here


https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/deny-defend-depose

https://youtu.be/5cr7muzFFps

ISRC: QZMHM2562719

Verse 1:
They’ll try to silence her voice
Paint her darkness with their noise
But truth isn’t measured by their praise
It burns bright through the haze

Chorus:
She persists, she resists
When the world tries to close its fists
She stands tall, beyond their lies
Truth doesn’t die, truth never dies

Verse 2:
They’ll brand her with names of shame
Try to dim her inner flame
But legends aren’t written by the crowd
They’re carved by spirits unbound and proud

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
Let them whisper, let them scream
She’ll keep walking toward her dream
Her courage isn’t asking permission
Her power is pure intuition

(Final Chorus)
She persists, she resists
Breaking through their tightened fists
She stands tall, beyond their lies
Truth doesn’t die, truth rises
She persists


Empowerment, Women in Resistance, Courage, Truth Telling, Resilience, Musical Inspiration, Social Justice, Feminist Anthem, Activism, Perseverance

https://citizenofthepast.bandcamp.com/track/she-persists

ISRC: QZMHL2576836

[Verse 1]
You’re waiting for the end times like they’re coming soon
But the horsemen rode through Gaza yesterday afternoon
Rode through Yemen, rode through Sudan’s burning ground
While you sip your latte, scrolling, safe and sound

Conquest took the land while you were shopping online
War erased whole cities, you missed the headline
Famine starved the children that you’ll never meet
Death piled up the bodies on some foreign street

[Chorus]
The apocalypse is not coming
The apocalypse is here
Just not in your zip code
Just not in your hemisphere
The horsemen have been riding
For decades, riding hard
You just don’t see the hoofprints
In your own backyard

[Verse 2]
Ten million people driven from their homes this year
But your biggest worry’s traffic and the price of beer
Climate refugees are drowning in the Mediterranean
While you debate which streaming service is the best option

The seals are broken, trumpets have been blown
But the walls are thick around your comfort zone
Revelation’s playing out in real-time HD
You just change the channel when it’s too much to see

[Chorus]
The apocalypse is not coming
The apocalypse is here
Just not in your zip code
Just not in your hemisphere
The horsemen have been riding
For decades, riding hard
You just don’t see the hoofprints
In your own backyard

[Bridge]
(Rhythmic, building tension)
White horse of Conquest - colonialism never died
Red horse of War - check the body count worldwide
Black horse of Famine - forty million on the brink
Pale horse of Death - closer than you think

[Verse 3]
You read the Book of Revelation like it’s yet to come
But it’s happening right now to everyone but some
The bubble that you live in, privilege thick as walls
Lets you think the end is near while ignoring all the calls

From Gaza, from Ukraine, from Haiti, from Sudan
From every desperate place on this blood-soaked land
The apocalypse is selective, kills by postal code
The poor inherit hell while the rich stay on their road

[Final Chorus]
The apocalypse is not coming
The apocalypse arrived
Just because you’re comfortable
Doesn’t mean the world survived
The horsemen have been riding
Through someone else’s pain
You just don’t hear them coming
Through your double-paned windows and your privilege and your shame

[Outro]
(Sparse, haunting)
The horsemen ride...
The horsemen ride...
They’ve always been riding...
You just closed your eyes...

Demand Congress Defund the War!
Call (202) 224-3121

[Verse 1]
Stop giving them the benefit of doubt
Stop thinking they’re trying to work it out
Stop believing incompetence explains
The systematic looting, the deliberate pain

They’re not trying to govern well
They’re running a protection racket, can’t you tell?
Extract the wealth and shield themselves
From any consequence, from the justice knell

[Pre-Chorus]
Wake up to what this really is
It’s not governance, it’s a heist, it’s his

[Chorus]
They’re not governing, they’re extracting
Not serving, they’re extracting
Every policy, every decision
Extraction and self-protection, that’s the mission
Stop assuming good intentions
Stop believing their pretensions
They don’t care if the system breaks
As long as they get their takes

[Verse 2]
When the response doesn’t make sense
When every crisis becomes an expense
That someone profits from while we bleed
That’s not governing, that’s pure greed

The regulations stripped away
Not for freedom but for payday
The institutions undermined
Not by accident, by design

[Pre-Chorus]
This isn’t incompetence or mistake
This is extraction for extraction’s sake

[Chorus]
They’re not governing, they’re extracting
Not serving, they’re extracting
Every policy, every decision
Extraction and self-protection, that’s the mission
Stop assuming good intentions
Stop believing their pretensions
They don’t care if the system breaks
As long as they get their takes

[Bridge: Building, angry]
Follow the money, see where it goes
Into their pockets while the deficit grows
Immunity deals and pardons prepared
Consequences avoided, justice impaired

This is kleptocracy, this is theft
This is looting everything that’s left
Not trying to govern, never were
Just extracting value, that’s for sure

[Breakdown - Spoken/shouted]
Stop. Assuming. Good. Faith.
Stop. Giving. Them. Grace.
They know exactly what they’re doing
Wealth extraction, self-protection
That’s the only game they’re playing

[Verse 3]
So when the next crisis arrives
And their response just amplifies
The suffering while they profit more
Don’t act surprised, you’ve seen this before

They’re not incompetent or naive
They’re getting exactly what they need
Protection from accountability
Wealth extracted systematically

[Final Chorus]
They’re not governing, they’re extracting
Not serving, they’re extracting
Every bill, every nomination
Extraction and self-protection across the nation
Stop assuming they’re trying
Stop believing they’re not lying
They know exactly what they do
Extract from me, extract from you

[Outro: Relentless, driving]
Not governing... extracting...
Not serving... protecting...
Not incompetence... intention...
Not mistakes... extraction...

They know... they know... they know...
Exactly... what... they’re... doing...

[Verse 1]
Reading enemy broadcasts to find out what’s real
Checking foreign sources just to know the deal
Our own government’s words ring hollow and false
Justice Department dancing to a different waltz

Generations built the trust we threw away
Decades of credibility gone in thirty days
Now I fact-check my own flag’s claims
Cross-reference with those we call by other names

[Pre-Chorus]
When did the truth become the casualty?
When did we lose all moral clarity?

[Chorus]
Trust lost in weeks, earned over years
The enemy’s version confirms our fears
Blind deference? That’s a relic now
We have to verify, we have to ask how
The Justice Department serves the lie
While the truth comes from the other side

[Verse 2]
They tell us we’re at war, rally ’round the cause
But their version contradicts their own laws
So I listen to the ones we’re supposed to hate
And find more honesty in their debate

This isn’t patriotism, this is a cult
Where questioning means you’re at fault
But I remember when America stood
For truth, even when the truth wasn’t good

[Pre-Chorus]
When did the truth become the casualty?
When did we lose all moral clarity?

[Chorus]
Trust lost in weeks, earned over years
The enemy’s version confirms our fears
Blind deference? That’s a relic now
We have to verify, we have to ask how
The Justice Department serves the lie
While the truth comes from the other side

[Bridge: Stark, building tension]
Unprecedented times they say
But this is worse in every way
Not just mistakes or spinning facts
This is systematic, deliberate acts

To make us doubt our own perception
To embrace their grand deception
But some of us still remember when
Truth was truth and not a bargaining chip, my friend

[Verse 3]
So now we parse the propaganda streams
Triangulate between the warring teams
Check the adversary’s broadcast feed
Because our own officials plant the seed

Of doubt in everything they say
Credibility eroded day by day
The irony is sharp and cold
The enemy’s more honest, truth be told

[Final Chorus]
Trust lost in weeks, earned over years
The enemy’s version confirms our fears
No blind deference, not anymore
We question every briefing, every war
When Justice serves the powerful’s will
We have to find the truth ourselves until
The day we take our country back
From those who put it on this track

[Outro: Spoken over minimalist bass and drums]
Generations built this trust...
Weeks to tear it down to dust...
Now we’re left to navigate...
Between our liars and their state...

Trust lost in weeks...
Truth lost in weeks...
America lost in weeks...

[Verse 1]
The old order crumbles, foundation cracks wide
Institutions hollow, nothing left inside
Norms we took for granted scattered in the wind
The world we knew is ending, can’t go back again

But the new world’s struggling, fighting to be born
Caught in the contractions, bleeding and torn
In this space between what was and what will be
The monsters crawl out from their caves to feed

[Pre-Chorus]
In the interregnum, darkness falls
Between the dying and the new world’s calls

[Chorus]
Now is the time of monsters
Rising from the in-between
Now is the time of monsters
Feeding on the dying dream
The old world won’t surrender
The new world can’t break through
Now is the time of monsters
And they’re coming for me and you

[Verse 2]
Demagogues and strongmen fill the empty space
Where reason used to govern, now there’s just their face
Conspiracy and chaos, fear replacing trust
The center cannot hold because the center’s turned to dust

Neither past nor future, stuck in liminal hell
Where the rules don’t matter and the lies sell well
The monsters sense the weakness, smell the blood in air
Exploit the transition, feast on our despair

[Pre-Chorus]
In the interregnum, darkness falls
Between the dying and the new world’s calls

[Chorus]
Now is the time of monsters
Rising from the in-between
Now is the time of monsters
Feeding on the dying dream
The old world won’t surrender
The new world can’t break through
Now is the time of monsters
And they’re coming for me and you

[Bridge: Building, urgent]
Birth is violent, birth is pain
The old resists with all its strength
The new world fights to draw first breath
Caught between the birth and death

This is the dangerous hour
When everything’s at stake
When monsters seize the power
That the dying world forsakes

[Verse 3]
We’re witnesses to something unprecedented
The collapse of orders we thought cemented
Democracy and truth both gasping their last
While authoritarians celebrate the past

But in the struggle, in the fight to be born
Something new might rise up from what’s torn
If we can survive the monsters’ reign
If we can push through the transition pain

[Final Chorus]
Now is the time of monsters
But monsters have their day
Now is the time of monsters
But they won’t always stay
The old world’s dying slowly
The new world fights to live
Now is the time of monsters
But we have more to give

[Outro: Driven, defiant]
Push through the darkness
Push through the pain
Push through the monsters
To be born again

The old world dies...
The new world struggles...
Now is the time...
Of monsters...

But we... push... through...

[Verse 1]
Time is a weight that breaks your spine
Grinding you down, year after year, line by line
The horrible burden of every second that ticks
The only escape is to get your fix

Not from suffering, not from the grind
But drunk on something that frees your mind
Wine or poetry or virtue’s call
Doesn’t matter which, just don’t be small

[Pre-Chorus]
The clock is ticking, ticking you to death
You need intoxication with every breath

[Chorus]
Be drunk! Be drunk! Be continually drunk!
Or time will make you just another punk
Bent to the earth, crushed by the weight
Of meaningless hours that seal your fate
Be drunk! On whatever sets you free!
Wine, poetry, virtue - your ecstasy!

[Verse 2]
When you wake up on palace steps
Or in a ditch where the outcast slept
In the mournful solitude of your room
Ask the wind what breaks the gloom

Ask the wave, the star, the bird
Ask the clock for the only word
Everything flying, groaning, rolling past
Everything singing will tell you at last

[Pre-Chorus]
What time is it? What hour has come?
Time to be drunk, time to succumb!

[Chorus]
Be drunk! Be drunk! Be continually drunk!
Or time will make you just another punk
Bent to the earth, crushed by the weight
Of meaningless hours that seal your fate
Be drunk! On whatever sets you free!
Wine, poetry, virtue - your ecstasy!

[Bridge: Fast, aggressive]
Don’t be the martyred slave of time!
Find your poison, find your rhyme!
Find your cause, find your high!
Find the thing that makes you fly!

The sober world will grind you down
Will make you just another clown
Shuffling through the daily hell
Locked inside time’s prison cell!

[Breakdown - Shouted]
What time is it?! (TIME TO BE DRUNK!)
What hour is this?! (TIME TO BE DRUNK!)
What’s the answer?! (TIME TO BE DRUNK!)
As you wish! As you wish!

[Verse 3]
So find your intoxication now
Poetry, virtue, wine, somehow
Anything that lifts you high
Above the crush of time passing by

The burden’s real, the weight is there
But you don’t have to stay in despair
Get drunk on something, make your choice
Find the thing that frees your voice

[Final Chorus]
Be drunk! Be drunk! Be continually drunk!
Don’t let time make you its punk
Rise above the grinding weight
Find your high before it’s late
Be drunk! On whatever sets you free!
Wine, poetry, virtue - your ecstasy!
Be drunk! Be drunk! Or bend and break!
Be drunk! For your own sake!

[Outro: Fast, relentless]
Be drunk on resistance!
Be drunk on your art!
Be drunk on the fight!
Be drunk on your heart!

Time is flying... time is dying...
Don’t be its slave... don’t be its slave...
BE! DRUNK! NOW!

[Verse 1]
In the depths, when the world goes dark
Memory keeps the vital spark
Picture someone’s face, sound of their voice
Reminds you that you made the choice

To survive, to push through one more day
When everything inside you says to fade away
Hope’s the rope you grip with bloodied hands
Faith in what waits when you reach solid land

[Chorus]
There’s a return coming, hold on tight
To the dream that keeps you through the night
Not glory, not prizes, nothing they can name
Just the ordinary life you reclaim

[Verse 2]
Months become a year, the year drags on
Every sunrise fought for, every dusk hard-won
What saves you isn’t courage or your pride
It’s knowing someone’s waiting on the other side

The promise of a world that makes some sense
Where morning coffee isn’t such suspense
Where you can breathe without the weight
Of wondering if you’ll survive the wait

[Chorus]
There’s a return coming, hold on tight
To the dream that keeps you through the night
Not glory, not prizes, nothing they can name
Just the ordinary life you reclaim

[Bridge]
But if you survived what hell could throw
There’s nothing left that you don’t know
Faith in yourself, proof you endured
The hardest test, and you were sure

[Verse 3]
Dreaming of the ordinary things
The sound a normal morning brings
Family around a simple meal
The highest prize, the only real

Reward worth fighting to reclaim
No ceremony, no parade of shame
Just being home, just being whole
The only medal for the soul

[Final Chorus]
The return is coming, you’ll make it through
To the life that’s waiting there for you
Not medals, not accolades, not fame
Just yourself, and home, and your own name

[Outro]
(Building, triumphant but grounded)
You’ll walk through that door
You’ll stand on that floor
You’ll be whole once more
You’ll be home once more

The struggle fades...
But faith remains...
You survived...
You’ll survive...

[Verse 1]
They quote Rumi like it’s profound
“Change yourself, not the world around“
Yesterday clever, today wise
But I call bullshit on that compromise

The world’s on fire, systems corrupt
But I’m supposed to just shut up
And work on my inner peace
While corporate power feasts?

[Pre-Chorus]
No retreat into mystical calm
While the world bleeds in their palm

[Chorus]
I will change both
I will change both
The world and myself, that’s my oath
Don’t tell me to choose between
Personal growth and the fight for what’s right
I refuse your false divide
I will change both, I decide

[Verse 2]
Self-improvement as surrender
Make yourself spiritually tender
While ignoring the material chains
That cause the very suffering we name

Wisdom isn’t abandoning the fight
Wisdom is knowing wrong from right
And having the courage to engage
Both the inner work and outer rage

[Pre-Chorus]
I can grow and still resist
This isn’t either/or, insist!

[Chorus]
I will change both
I will change both
The world and myself, that’s my oath
Don’t tell me to choose between
Personal growth and the fight for what’s right
I refuse your false divide
I will change both, I decide

[Bridge]
Change myself to be more fierce
Change the world to be more just
Change myself to see more clear
Change the world because I must

Rumi’s wisdom had its place
In a different time and space
But this moment calls for more
Than retreating to explore

Your inner landscape while Rome burns
No, this is when the tide turns!
Personal and political combined
Transform yourself AND humankind!

[Breakdown - Defiant]
Both! Both! Both! Both!
Not either/or but both!
Grow stronger and fight harder!
Be wiser and push farther!

[Verse 3]
So I’ll do the inner work, it’s true
Confront my demons, make myself new
But while I’m growing, healing, learning
The systems of oppression keep on burning

So I’ll change them too, won’t walk away
Won’t spiritualize my duty to stay
Engaged with the material fight
Personal transformation AND collective might

[Final Chorus]
I will change both
I will change both
The world and myself, that’s my oath
The personal is political, they said
And they were right, it’s in my head
And in the streets, and in the vote
I will change both, take note

[Outro]
Yesterday clever? Still am.
Today wise? You bet.
Change the world? Damn right.
Change myself? Not done yet.

Both... both... both...
Personal and political...
Internal and external...
I... change... both!

[Verse 1]
Don’t want to die with something left to give
Don’t want to hoard myself to merely live
Use me up for something that matters
Burn me down until there’s nothing left to scatter
Not a feverish clod of complaints
Not a selfish little saint
Of my own comfort and my own ease
I want to be worn out on my knees

[Pre-Chorus]
Thoroughly spent, completely used
For a purpose I have chosen, not refused

[Chorus]
Be a force of nature, not a whining voice
Devote yourself to something by your choice
The true joy is being ground to dust
For a mighty purpose, for a cause that’s just
Not waiting for the world to make you whole
But giving everything, body and soul

[Verse 2]
The tragedy isn’t death or pain or loss
The tragedy is being used by bosses
For purposes you know are base and low
Pimped out to the rich for their vanity show
Beauty monger, buffoon, entertainer
Sentimentalizer, moral stainer
Your talent bought to serve their greed
While the mighty purposes go unfed

[Pre-Chorus]
That’s the slavery, that’s the hell
When your gifts are sold, when your soul’s for sale

[Chorus]
Be a force of nature, not a whining voice
Devote yourself to something by your choice
The true joy is being ground to dust
For a mighty purpose, for a cause that’s just
Not waiting for the world to make you whole
But giving everything, body and soul

[Bridge]
(Building intensity)
Revolt! Against the personally minded!
Revolt! Against being blinded!
To the real work that needs to be done
To the mighty battles that must be won!
The rich would hire us as their jesters
Keep us small, keep us lesser
But we’re meant for greater things
Than decorating their golden rings!

[Verse 3]
Misfortune comes, mortality calls
But those are just the natural falls
The only real misery’s the waste
Of being used for purposes debased
So find your mighty purpose, claim your fight
Burn yourself out for what’s right
Be thoroughly spent when you’re through
A force of nature, not a revenue

[Final Chorus]
Be a force of nature, not a commodity
Devote yourself to something that sets you free
The true joy is being used complete
For a mighty purpose, not for their elite
Don’t hoard yourself for comfort’s sake
Give it all, let everything break
In service of what you know is true
That’s the only life worth living through

[Outro]
(Driving, relentless)
Worn out for purpose...
Spent for the cause...
Force of nature...
Not applause...
Revolt against the base...
Find your mighty place...
Thoroughly used...
Never reduced...

[Verse 1]
Eighteen years old with nowhere to go
No college money, just debts that grow
Factory closed down, shipped overseas
Recruiter says “Son, we got what you need“

Free healthcare, steady pay
Sign right here, ship out today
But the billionaire’s kid stays home
Playing golf while you bleed alone

[Chorus]
Draft Barron! Send him to the sand!
Draft Barron! Put a rifle in his hand!
If war is good for business, if blood is profit’s cost
Then let the rich kids fight it, let them pay what’s lost!

[Verse 2]
Halliburton stocks are climbing high
Raytheon smiles when soldiers die
Lockheed Martin needs another year
Another billion, disappear

Endless war, endless cash
Bodies pile up, markets crash
They rebuild what they blew apart
Contracts signed before it starts

[Chorus]
Draft Barron! Send him to the sand!
Draft Barron! Put a rifle in his hand!
If war is good for business, if blood is profit’s cost
Then let the rich kids fight it, let them pay what’s lost!

[Bridge]
Bone spurs for daddy, bone spurs for son
Five deferments when it’s time to run
But your kid’s got no choice, got nowhere to turn
So they ship them off to crash and burn

[Breakdown - Shouted]
Meat! For! The! Machine!
Meat! For! The! Machine!
Poor kids die while rich kids scheme!
Meat! For! The! Machine!

[Verse 3]
They gut the schools, they kill the jobs
Create the desperation that the army robs
Pipeline straight from poverty to war
That’s what they keep us hungry for

Can’t afford to live, can’t afford to learn
So you take the only bridge that hasn’t burned
But Barron’s got a trust fund, got a golden path
While you’re dodging IEDs in the aftermath

[Final Chorus]
Draft Barron! Send him to the front!
Draft Barron! Let him take the brunt!
If war is honor, if it’s valor and it’s just
Then why are all the soldiers buried in the dust
While penthouse patriots never pay in blood?!

[Outro - Fast and furious]
Draft the sons of senators!
Draft the hedge fund warriors!
Draft the corporate heirs!
Let them breathe the desert air!
Draft! Barron! Now!
Draft! Barron! Now!
DRAFT! BARRON! NOW!

Demand Congress Defund the War!
Call (202) 224-3121

[Verse 1:]
They want discussion while the troops march through
They want civility while families split in two
They call it "enforcement" — we call it what it is
State-sanctioned murder in the land of the "free"

[Pre-Chorus:]
Your polls and your think pieces
Your "both sides" diseased thesis
While they execute us in the street

[Chorus:]
WE ARE NOT HERE TO DEBATE
WE ARE HERE TO DISMANTLE
Tear it down! Tear it down!
ICE's violence isn't unfortunate
IT'S INTENTIONAL, IT'S DEADLY
Defund ICE! Defund the police!
No reform — ABOLISH THE BEAST

[Verse 2:]
They built the cages, they turn the keys
They separate children, call it "policy"
Assassinations dressed up as the law
American blood spilled — that's what we saw
Every raid is a choice, every death is a plan
Blood money budget, blood on their hands

[Pre-Chorus:]
Your "nuance" is complicity
Your "patience" is their victory
While bodies fall in the street

[Chorus:]
WE ARE NOT HERE TO DEBATE
WE ARE HERE TO DISMANTLE
Tear it down! Tear it down!
ICE's violence isn't unfortunate
IT'S INTENTIONAL, IT'S DEADLY
Defund ICE! Defund the police!
No reform — ABOLISH THE BEAST

[Bridge:]
They're killing Americans in broad daylight
Calling it justice, calling it right
They want you talking while they're acting
They want you voting while they're attacking
They want you hoping while they're killing
WE ARE DONE WITH YOUR GASLIGHTING

[Breakdown:]
No debate! (No debate!)
Dismantle! (Dismantle!)
Not unfortunate — INTENTIONAL!
Not accidental — DEADLY!
Assassinations! (In our streets!)
State terror! (It's what we see!)

[Final Chorus:]
WE ARE NOT HERE TO DEBATE
WE ARE HERE TO DISMANTLE
Every cage, every badge, every wall
ICE's violence isn't unfortunate
IT'S INTENTIONAL, IT'S DEADLY
They're executing us in the streets
Defund ICE! Defund the police!
No reform, no retreat
ABOLISH THE BEAST

[Outro:]
Dismantle / Dismantle / Dismantle
Until nothing's left standing
Until no more blood is spilling
Dismantle it ALL

[Verse 1:]
It wasn't monsters from another world
It wasn't demons with horns unfurled
It was the shoemaker down the street
It was the milkman making his beat
The neighbor who waved just yesterday
Put on a uniform and looked away

[Pre-Chorus:]
They didn't need orders from on high
Just a badge and a reason why
Just permission to let hate fly

[Chorus:]
The shoemaker abducted me
The milkman beat my family
The neighbor pulled the trigger clean
Put on a uniform, believed the dream
BELIEVED THEY WERE THE MASTER RACE
Put a bullet in a child's face
It's never the monster you fear
It's the ordinary man standing near

[Verse 2:]
History saw the truth we deny
It's not Hitler who made them comply
It's the man who fixed your door
Who decided he deserved more
Give him a uniform, give him a gun
Watch what your neighbor becomes

[Pre-Chorus:]
They'll say they had no choice to make
They'll say they did it for the state
But evil wears a human face

[Chorus:]
The shoemaker abducted me
The milkman beat my family
The neighbor pulled the trigger clean
Put on a uniform, believed the dream
BELIEVED THEY WERE THE MASTER RACE
Turned genocide into routine
It's never the monster you fear
It's the ordinary man standing near

[Bridge:]
"Just following orders" — the oldest lie
"Just doing my job" while children die
History repeats, the pattern's clear
The vans roll up, the neighbors cheer
They don't need fascists at the top
Just give the milkman a badge and watch him not stop

[Breakdown:]
Your neighbor / In uniform / Believes the lie
Your neighbor / With a badge / Lets children die
Your neighbor / Takes the oath / Becomes the beast
Your neighbor / Your neighbor / YOUR NEIGHBOR

[Final Chorus:]
The shoemaker abducted me
The milkman beat my family
The neighbor pulled the trigger clean
It was never Himmler — it was THEM
BELIEVED THEY WERE THE MASTER RACE
And they're wearing uniforms today
It's never the monster you fear
IT'S THE ORDINARY MAN STANDING HERE

[Outro:]
The past tried to warn us all:
Watch the neighbor answer the call
Watch the uniform transform
The ordinary into the storm
The shoemaker
The milkman
The neighbor
The cop

"It was not Hitler or Himmler who abducted me, beat me and shot my family. It was the shoemaker, the milkman, the neighbor, who received a uniform and then believed they were the master race."
- Karl Stojka, Auschwitz survivor

[Verse 1:]
Stop pretending it hasn't happened yet
Stop acting like there's time left to prevent
The coup is done, the takeover's complete
They're killing citizens in the street
The Supreme Court looks away
Congress hides while bodies decay
The military won't intervene
We're living under a regime

[Pre-Chorus:]
Blindness or self-deception
Those are your only options if you can't see
THE COUP IS COMPLETE

[Chorus:]
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
It's not coming — it's here, it's now, it's true
Trump and his regime took over while we slept
Breaking every law, no consequences kept
His Praetorian Guard in masks and black
Violent army watching our backs
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
Now we all must decide what we will do

[Verse 2:]
He annexed another country whole
Promises more — that's his goal
American blood on American ground
He kills us and no one makes a sound
Not Executive Orders anymore
These are a dictator's decrees, nothing more
And every institution obeys
Welcome to the fascist state

[Pre-Chorus:]
Supreme Court? Complicit
Congress? Silent
Military? Impotent
THE COUP IS COMPLETE

[Chorus:]
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
It's not coming — it's here, it's now, it's true
Trump and his regime took over while we slept
Breaking every law, no consequences kept
His Praetorian Guard in masks and black
Violent army with no looking back
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
Now we all must decide what we will do

[Bridge:]
He tells us what he'll do — then does it
He pursues his enemies — and crushes them
He kills in broad daylight — to scare us
International law? Domestic law?
He breaks them all and no one stops him
BECAUSE NO ONE CAN ANYMORE

[Breakdown:]
The coup is complete (THE COUP IS COMPLETE!)
The coup is complete (THE COUP IS COMPLETE!)
Stop pretending otherwise
Stop lying to yourself
Stop waiting for someone to save us
NO ONE IS COMING

[Verse 3:]
He's trying to scare us into submission
Make us too afraid for opposition
But fear is exactly what he needs
To turn a coup into a regime that succeeds
We all must decide what we will do
Resist or comply — there's no more middle view

[Final Chorus:]
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
It already happened — what will you do?
Trump and his regime control it all
Every branch, every check has failed and fallen
His masked army enforces his will
Kills Americans and knows they never will
Face justice, face consequence, face anything
THERE HAS BEEN A COUP
This is the regime
Now we all must decide
What we will do
What we will do
WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[Outro:]
The coup is complete
The coup is complete
Stop pretending
Stop waiting
Decide
What will you do?
What will you do?
WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[Verse 1:]
We hear the news through concrete walls
Another body in the street, another citizen falls
Government murder in broad daylight
While we rot in here, stripped of our rights
They kill out there, they cage us in here
Same system, same violence, same fear

[Pre-Chorus:]
The bars don't stop the sound
Of boots and bullets breaking down
Everything they swore to protect

[Chorus:]
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
They're killing in the streets tonight
While we're buried behind these walls
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
If they'll murder citizens in daylight
What mercy do the caged ever get at all?

[Verse 2:]
Another execution, another name
The government's violence always stays the same
Outside these walls or locked within
State terror wears both badges and chains
We hear the sirens, we hear the screams
We know exactly what it means

[Pre-Chorus:]
The whole system's a prison now
They just moved the walls around
Some cages have bars, some have fear

[Chorus:]
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
They're assassinating Americans now
While we're forgotten behind these walls
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
The same regime that cages us
Is executing citizens in the streets

[Bridge:]
They tell us we're the criminals
While they murder with impunity
They tell us we're the dangerous ones
While they hunt people in their communities
We rattle these bars, we scream these walls
But the killing continues, the regime stands tall

[Breakdown:]
LET US OUT! (Banging on bars)
LET US OUT! (Footsteps marching)
¡LIBERDAD! (Fists on steel)
¡LIBERDAD! (Voices rising)
Another murder! (LET US OUT!)
Another killing! (LET US OUT!)
Same violence! (¡LIBERDAD!)
Same system! (¡LIBERDAD!)

[Verse 3:]
Word spreads cell to cell, block to block
Another American shot, the regime won't stop
We're locked in here for survival crimes
While they execute citizens and call it justified
The walls can't hide the truth we know
Prison nation, inside and out, above, below

[Final Chorus:]
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
We hear the murders through these walls
The regime's violence never ends
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
They cage the poor, they kill the defiant
Same fascist system, same compliance
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!

[Outro - Call and Response:]
(Lead voice): They killed another one today!
(Prisoners): LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
(Lead voice): Shot them down in the street!
(Prisoners): ¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
(Lead voice): The whole country's a prison now!
(Prisoners): LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
(Lead voice): Break the walls, break the chains!
(All): ¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!
LET US OUT! LET US OUT!
¡LIBERDAD! ¡LIBERDAD!

[Fading out with rhythmic chanting:]
Let us out... let us out... liberdad... liberdad...

[Verse 1:]
Every morning the shopkeeper lies
Puts a sign in his window though he knows it's a disguise
He doesn't believe a word it says
But he hangs it anyway to stay safe, to get paid
And because everyone does it on every street
The system stays strong through our own defeat

[Pre-Chorus:]
We're all living within the lie
Performing rituals we know aren't right
But the system's fragile — here's why

[Chorus:]
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
Stop pretending, stop performing the lie
When even one person stops the performance
The whole illusion starts to die
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
The power comes from us playing along
But we have the power to stop
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN

[Verse 2:]
The system sustains not through violence alone
But through ordinary people keeping up the show
Every shopkeeper, every street, the same
We all participate in the charade, the game
Its power comes not from truth
But from our willingness to go through the motions, to be used

[Pre-Chorus:]
Living within the lie
But when one person says "enough"
The cracks begin to multiply

[Chorus:]
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
Stop pretending, stop performing the lie
When even one person stops the performance
The whole illusion starts to die
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
The power comes from us playing along
But we have the power to stop
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN

[Bridge:]
We criticize oppression from over there
But stay silent when it happens here
That's keeping the sign in the window
That's living the lie we know

[Breakdown:]
Name reality! (TAKE DOWN THE SIGN!)
Act consistently! (TAKE DOWN THE SIGN!)
Build what we believe! (TAKE DOWN THE SIGN!)
Stop waiting for someone else! (TAKE DOWN THE SIGN!)

[Verse 3:]
We earn the right to principled stands
By reducing our vulnerability, strengthening our hands
Build our power at home, act together
Stop performing compliance forever
The old order's not coming back
Stop mourning it — that's not a path

[Final Chorus:]
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
Stop living within the lie
The power of the powerless starts with honesty
When we stop pretending, we're finally free
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
When even one person stops performing
The system cracks, reality comes roaring
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN
We all have the power
This is our hour
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN

[Outro:]
The shopkeeper removes his sign
The system begins to die
We're done performing
We're done complying
Take down the sign
Take down the sign
TAKE DOWN THE SIGN

[Verse 1:]
They get men to hate rather than think
Push us to the fascist brink
Indifference and ignorance — that's all they need
While democracy bleeds and bleeds

[Pre-Chorus:]
We have a choice to make right now
Stand up or watch it all fall down

[Chorus:]
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR WATCH IT DIE TONIGHT
They want us hating instead of thinking
We must THINK and we must FIGHT
FASCISTS THRIVE ON INDIFFERENCE AND IGNORANCE
Our freedom demands RESISTANCE
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR LOSE EVERYTHING

[Verse 2:]
Be alert, be on guard, be awake
Every American's freedom is at stake
Not just our own but everyone's rights
If we permit discrimination, none of us survives the night
They thrive when we look away
When we're too tired to engage, too numb to say

[Pre-Chorus:]
Hatred divides, thinking unites
This is our moment, this is our fight

[Chorus:]
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR WATCH IT DIE TONIGHT
They want us hating instead of thinking
We must THINK and we must FIGHT
FASCISTS THRIVE ON INDIFFERENCE AND IGNORANCE
Our freedom demands RESISTANCE
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR LOSE EVERYTHING

[Bridge:]
Actively cooperate for peace
Make justice and security increase
Don't just defend your own freedom alone
Defend every right or you'll defend none
The hatred at fascism's root
Only grows when we stay mute

[Breakdown:]
THINK! (Don't hate!)
RESIST! (Don't wait!)
ACT! (Right now!)
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK!
Indifference kills (We must be alert!)
Ignorance feeds the beast (We must learn and resist!)
Freedom isn't passive (We must actively fight!)
Or we lose it tonight!

[Verse 3:]
They want us tired, they want us scared
They want us thinking no one cares
But freedom requires being on guard
Against infringement — ours and others' — standing hard
If we permit hate to rob anyone
Democracy's threatened for everyone

[Final Chorus:]
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR WATCH IT DIE TONIGHT
They want us hating instead of thinking
We must THINK and we must FIGHT
FASCISTS THRIVE ON INDIFFERENCE AND IGNORANCE
Our freedom demands ACTIVE RESISTANCE
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
This is the moment
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
There is no other choice
MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK
OR WATCH IT DIE TONIGHT

[Outro:]
Think, resist, act, unite
Make democracy work or lose the fight
Every right, every person, every day
Freedom demands we find a way
MAKE IT WORK
MAKE IT WORK
MAKE IT WORK
Or watch it die tonight

[Verse 1:]
They wrapped themselves in flags and lies
Democracy for sale to the highest bribe
The FBI files crimes away
The Justice Department does what he says
Government OF the people? That died
Now it's just his personal ride

[Pre-Chorus:]
They're not public servants anymore
They're palace guards behind closed doors
Protecting the king while we bleed

[Chorus:]
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Tear the whole thing down from the top
When government stops serving the people
When justice becomes a corrupt shop
IMPEACH! CONVICT! REMOVE!
No more waiting, no more patience
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Take back our stolen nation

[Verse 2:]
The FBI hides what they should expose
Protecting power while corruption grows
Department of Justice? What a sick joke
It's his personal lawyer in a government cloak
They swore an oath to the Constitution
Now they bow to one man's pollution

[Pre-Chorus:]
They chose a dictator over law
They chose a tyrant over us all
And they wonder why we've had enough

[Chorus:]
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Tear the whole thing down from the top
When government stops serving the people
When justice becomes a corrupt shop
IMPEACH! CONVICT! REMOVE!
No more waiting, no more patience
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Take back our stolen nation

[Bridge:]
Of the people — STOLEN
By the people — BROKEN
For the people — FORGOTTEN
Time to burn it down and start again

[Breakdown:]
Impeach! (IMPEACH!)
Convict! (CONVICT!)
Remove! (REMOVE!)
The system's rotted through!
FBI covering crimes! (Complicit!)
DOJ serving one man! (Fascistic!)
Government for the people? (DEAD!)
Time to take it back instead!

[Verse 3:]
They think we'll just accept this decline
They think we'll watch them cross every line
But desperate times demand desperate measures
When the government only serves its treasure
When institutions become his tools
When justice only applies to fools

[Final Chorus:]
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Tear the whole thing down from the top
When government stops serving the people
When justice is just a propaganda prop
IMPEACH! CONVICT! REMOVE!
No more begging, no more asking
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Or there won't BE a nation

[Outro:]
Of the people, by the people, for the people
Shall not perish from this earth
But first we gotta take it back
REGIME CHANGE! REGIME CHANGE!
IMPEACH! CONVICT! REMOVE!
REGIME CHANGE IN AMERICA
Before there's nothing left to lose