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Too Much To Ask
A refreshing plunge
A drink of platable water
A deep inspiration on a warm summer day
A safe stroll in the middle of the road community
A neighbor who in times of need will not turn away
I ain't no politician
I am a citizen
And I wonder if I'm living too far out of bounds
Community protection
Rehabilitation
Police that serve without legitimate right to maim
Global awareness
Ecological guilt
Cultural and environmental awakening
I ain't no optimist
I try to be a realist
And I think that we are living too far out of bounds
Is it too much to ask?
Could it be the world is shrinking?
I can see the walls closing in
No one can take much for granted anymore
Remote control
Three cars for every family
Corruption at the expense of the simple majority
A violent crash
A plunder of the third world
Any wretched ploy that bolsters our economy
I ain't no blind supporter
I'm a conscious citizen
And I know that we are living too far out of bounds
Is it too much to ask?
Can we keep the earth from sinking?
I can see the walls closing in
No one can take much for granted anymore
(you better not take it for granted anymore)
I'm not taking nothing for granted anymore

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No Direction
A sullen figure walks along a dusty road
His life was holy and he couldn't bear the load
He left his people and a simple life behind
He raised his torso and he looked into the sky
Shouting his questions
Looking for directions
"What do I do now?"
Now a confused school girl stares at the TV tray
The stresses of maturing compound every day
She glances up to see her favorite video
And gets ideas from Madonna's nasty clothes
In need of affection
She craves affection
Her heroes offer her
Everyone is looking for something
And they assume somebody else knows what it is
No one can live with the decisions of their own it seems
So they look to someone else
To tell 'em what to be
Tell 'em what to wear
Tell 'em what to say
Tell 'em how to act and think and compel others compulsively
Until the world is all like them
A righteous student came and asked me to reflect
He judged my lifestyle was politically incorrect
I don't believe in self important folks who preach
No Bad Religion song can make your life complete
Prepare for rejection
You'll get no direction from me
You'll get no direction from me

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Tomorrow
Every day we profit so
Leaning toward the great unknown
Asking how it pertains to tomorrow
Aim for places we've not been
Trample paths that go between
Yesterdays foundations and tomorrow
It's the way they say it's got to be
We spear ahead and forge our destiny
Who do they represent?
Who do you believe?
Make a sound decision for others to heed
Try to set a faster pace
Try to build a master race
One that will make a contribution to tomorrow
It's the way they say it's got to be
We put aside our fears and make history
The clothes are in the dryer and the writing is on the wall
We're trying everything we can to stop this fall
Everyday we profit so
Leaning toward the great unknown

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Two Babies In The Dark
There's light on in the hallway
So I can't understand
Why you hide underneath the covers
There's a baby in your womb
So don't be scared tonight
Because Raggedy Ann is in the closet picking posies
Two babies in the dark
Like diamonds in the sand
While papa's far away making up children's stories
The little one's inside
So afraid to be alone
She's trying to brave until the daddy comes home
So if you chance to see her
Please tell her it's alright
'Cause everyone fights the tendency to snap
Sometimes it's not a matter
Of being brave and strong
'Cause noises in the house are terrifying
I'll put you to sleep at night
Like a foreign movie
I'll sing you lullabies
And I'll teach you about everything
And I'll only ask you one thing
Please save me

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Heaven Is Falling
As I walk beneath the valley
I shall fear no evil
For thanks to King George and his rainbow cabinet
Today murder is legal
God I know that it's wrong
To kill my brother for what he hasn't done
And as the planes blacken the sky
It sounds like heaven is falling
It sounds like heaven is falling
You promises me a new day a'dawning
I've seen a thousand points of light
Like so many points of hatred, shame and horror
God I want to be a man
But I don't want to die with a rifle in my hand
And as the planes blacken the sky
It sounds like heaven is falling
It sounds like heaven is falling
You promised me a new day a'dawning
Well nothing here looks new to me
But a score of mothers' sons
Caught 'tween the devil and the deep blue sea

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Atomic Garden
Everybody wants to dance in a playpen
But nobody wants to play in my garden
I see the hippies on an angry line
Guess they don't get my meaning
I'm enchanted by the birds in my blossoms
I'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend
I like the Fourth of July
When bombs start flashing
And I wish I had a shiny red top
A bugle with a big brass bell would cheer me up
Or maybe something bigger that could really go pop!
So I could make the gardening stop
Come out to play
Come out to play
And we'll pretend it's Christmas Day
In my atomic garden
All my scientists are working on a deadline
So my psychologist is working day and night time
They say they know what's best for me
But they don't know what they're doing
And I'm glad I'm not Gorbachev
'Cause I'd wiggle all night
Like jelly in a pot
At least he's got a garden with a fertile plot
And a party that will never stop
I hope there's nothing wrong out there
I'm watching from my room inside my room

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The Answer
Long ago in a dusty village
Full of hunger, pain and strife
A man came forth with a vision of truth
And the way to a better life
He was convinced he had the answer
And he compelled people to follow along
But the hunger never vanished
And the man was banished
And the village dried up and died
At a time when wise men peered
Through glass tubes toward the sky
The heavens changed in predictable ways
And one man was able to find
That he had thought he found the answer
And he was quick to write his revelation
But as they were scrutinized
In his colleagues eyes
He soon became a mockery
Don't tell me the answer
I've got ideas too
But if you've got enough naiveté
And you've got conviction
Then the answer is perfect for you
An urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge
Overwhelmed by industry
Searching for a modern day savior from another place
Inclined toward charity
Everyone's begging for an answer
Without regard to validity
The searching never ends
It goes on and on for eternity

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Fertile Crescent
Come and see the brilliant light
Don't let your emotions mask your sight
It's the manifestation of a deeper fight
That affects me and you
My optimism was running high
A new world order was on my mind
But I couldn't believe it when I heard them say
They're blowing it away
And the fertile crescent is burning today
And baby my emotions are too
The cradle of humanity has led us all astray
And we're all in this together don't you know
'Cause our species has nowhere else to go
Aggression rears its ugly head
Retaliation brings further dread
The two are linked by unseen threads
That wind back through time
I don't agree with the outdated trend
Nationalism is an evil friend
But hatred is instilled by invisible lines
Drawn in our minds
And the fertile crescent is haunting us today
And baby our instincts are too
The ghost of humanity is warning us this way
And I think we all should need it don't you know
'Cause we've got nowhere else to go

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Chimaera
You took a time bomb
And a case of crackers
And you made a maelstrom of organic debris
Then you took a work bench
And a rusty anvil
And you polished them for everyone to see
You have created an unhealthy monster
But you're nowhere but nowhere to be found
So I guess I'll just cope with my provisions
From now until the day they lay me down
You took a baboon
And made him perfect
You took a lion
And stripped him of his pride
Then you took a million more varieties
A scalpel and a sartory
And you stitched up a horrible surprise
You have created an unsocial monster
And you've searched for all over the globe
And most believe that things would sure be better
If you'd come down here and tell us what you know
Who is to blame for this?
Someone tell me please
His handiwork is flawed
And it's there for all to see
Mutations, aberrations and blatant anomalies
They multiply and give rise to this...monstrosity
You took the most abundant smallest bits of matter
And you instilled them with affinity
And then you stratified accumulations
Weeded out bad variations
And blended up your unique recipe
You have created a powerful monster
With direction and purpose all its own
And if you were here
Would things be any different?
Or are you just a mosaic of thoughts alone?

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Only Entertainment
Transfixated on the big blue screen
Its your window to the outside
A melancholy dream
A medium upon which you build reality
This episodic currency
That everybody needs
Somebodies delivery lulls you to sleep
The man behind the weather map
The editor in chief
They control two worlds
Power and disease
And you cannot suppress you curiosity
But see it's only entertainment
Superficial urgency
Posterboard mentality
Only entertainment
Tightly constrained
The buzz that remains
Is the story of how we run our lives
Many our the people poor and suffering
From the lack of coverage
From the transmission beam
And if it ever gets there
You'll be offended too
'Cause you cannot distinguish
Chicanery from truth
See it's only entertainment
A superficial episode
As life continues to unfold
Only entertainment
Controlled and copied
They've planted the seed
That sprouts into your picture of the world
Can't someone protect me (turn away, turn away)
From this electron beam?
Hey you, Mr. FCC
Have you no advice for me?
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