History's made Then manipulated Then forgotten After being repeated Beaten into us endlessly Until we start believing that there's no other option Until we start believing imprisonment is free Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep fighting Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep loving Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep breathing One day we won't They say "You teach a man to fish and he'll gut you Meticulously and swift" With a "fuck you" ringing out through his lips "Used to love you" you think As blood pools up in your mouth Painting teeth crimson Fully Knowing that the buds on your tongue ain't ever gonna taste freedom Or a nice meal again You're not gonna get a bank bailout kid On your own Ever seen a heart of gold turn to stone? Ever seen a good man sell his soul to a fed Best friends to the end you were told Yeah? On your own Nothing is taking away the pain of growth Nobody can step into your shoes and know Even when they try to imitate or clone Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep fighting Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep loving Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep breathing One day we won't Haven't felt any fire in a while If you love me then please just engulf me in flames Nostalgia thick as Tarkovsky sitting on city hall steps in the rain Buttoned up polo in a court room Overpriced lawyer in a cheap suit Surely buddy had a lot of words to say Until he got in front of a federal judge that day So I wanted to rip every inch of skin off of those slithering snake faces I've been holding back screams but the ptsd is just pounding away at me As if I'm still feeling gun barrels touching my temples Been in therapy checking the mental But deep in the center of my chest Is nothingness As I stare into green eyes of a devil Their morals are malleable Greed for power is palpable Watching prosecutors Play a twisted game for victory With the life of a human being Like monopoly property or puzzles There's no proper rebuttal It's cough up the money up or Shut the fuck up Now your husband or father is stuck a muzzle With hundreds of dogs in a hole Only waiting to get thrown a bone While the wife's working doubles In hopes that the bank won't go and put a lien on their home Even after re-reading the history state violence leaves me in a state of disbelief Nothing hits a man harder than seeing his family in tears while he's copping a plea Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep fighting Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep loving Sometimes it's hard to convince ourselves to keep breathing One day we won't