what’s that rotten smell the stench of morning headlines someone’s trying to sell a war of ignorance with newspapers passed out in our schools and every morning children recite an oath to fools
oh no those are words my lips won’t make i couldn’t fake blind allegiance to a dead ideal while kids follow what I say i should’ve hit the lights and said stop kids you’re writing your own pledges now and if you need ideas i’ll tell you when i was your age
yes you could see me dancing in the streets in front of soldiers in battle armor called the state police i saw my parents standing next to me and i thought this is what it’s like, to bring your kids up right and i looked up and smiled
thinking people can’t be mind-controlled history knows this so we’ll teach our children to be skeptical of the government they’ll question all the lies they’re ever told they’ll be fearless when they stop worshipping the flagpole and reject what they’ve been sold
then you will hear them chanting in the streets a sea of children singing so loud the sound is deafening this war machine will collapse in disbelief and the hawks will lose their wings and cry for forgiveness for their crimes and the kids will nod and smile