I got my education in the ivory halls
Found the pulse of the nation in truck stop toilet stalls
And we're running out of time because we're running out of patience
So visit our sins on future generations

You can speak or have a conscience but you know it doesn't pay
They'll keep you at the margins and they'll shut you away
I've been looking up and down and searchin' round these parts for hope
Is like finding your footing on a slippery slope

It's all that I can do just to make it
And say the emperors around us are all naked
It's all that I can do just to make it through
And fight against their tendency to turn their backs on you

They envy you because you're young, it's what they wanna be
But kid beware of hucksters who'll sell you slavery
They'll package inspiration like a product on a shelf
Killing any inclination to find it for yourself

See them try to forge a new consensus
After all these years of bludgeoning your senses
Day after day they say
"Would you have it any other way?"
And give a deep sleep of a smile at your reply