Lyrics: Jim Carroll /Jim Carroll Music (ASCAP) Music: Ray Manzarek / International Aten Music (ASCAP)
They give me their word, you know It was like radio You get no choices... you just hear their voices They fill me with mild derision Like not-having television Empty voices.... broken choices
They give me two, not one That's twice as much as God’s first son But they forgot to mention.... Tension
They give me this money on loan Then they feed till they're scraping bone There are no choices...there are no choices They offer me high black mass It's like nitrous oxide gas All these voices and never choices They give me some agent's gun They say do what you want to, son...
But they failed to mention Tension All that Tension
They melt down the golden calf They play the gold on my phonograph You get no choices When you hear their voices They talk about law and order But they're all across the border Just one more voice...another empty choice
They tell me how well I've done If I lose then I'm sure they've won And nobody mentioned All this tension...