BAD RELIGION - GENERATOR - 1992

GENERATOR
(Brett Gurewitz)
Like a rock,
Like a planet,
Like a fucking atom bomb...
I’ll remain unperturbed by the joy and the madness
That I encounter everywhere I turn,
I’ve seen it all along
In books and magazines,
Like a twitch before dying,
Like a pornographic sea.
There’s a flower behind the window,
There’s an ugly laughing man,
Like a hummingbird in silence,
Like the blood on my door,
It’s the generator.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, like the blood on my door,
Wash me clean and I will run
Until I reach the shore.

I’ve known it all along,
Like the bone under my skin,
Like actors in a photograph,
Like paper in the wind.
There’s a hammer by the window,
There’s a knife on the floor,
Like turbines in darkness,
Like the blood on my door,
It’s the generator.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, like the blood on my door,
Wash me clean and I will run
Until I reach the shore.

TOO MUCH TO ASK
(Greg Graffin)
A refreshing plunge, a drink of palatable water,
A deep inspiration on a warm summer day.
A safe stroll in a 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 thinking 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’re living too far out of bounds.

Is it too much to ask?
Could it be the earth 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 clash, 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're living too far out of bounds.

I ain’t no politician, I ain’t no blind supporter, I ain’t no vegetable
I am a citizen and I wonder if I'm 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

NO DIRECTION
(Greg Graffin)
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 looked into the sky,
Shouting his questions, looking for directions.
“What do I do now?”

Now a confused schoolgirl 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 a direction
Her heroes offer her.

Everyone’s 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 them what to do,
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.

TOMORROW
(Greg Graffin)
Every day we profit so,
Leaning towards the great unknown,
Asking how it pertains to tomorrow.

Aim for places we’ve not been,
Trample paths that go between,
Yesterday’s 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 doing everything we can to stop this fall.

Everyday we profit so,
Leaning towards the great unknown.

TWO BABIES IN THE DARK
(Brett Gurewitz)
There’s a 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
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 be 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.

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 be brave until the daddy comes home.

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 one thing,
Please save me.

HEAVEN IS FALLING
(Brett Gurewitz)
As I walk beneath the valley,
I shall fear no evil,
‘Cause 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 promised 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.

ATOMIC GARDEN
(Brett Gurewitz)
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...

All my scientists are working on a deadline,
So my psychologist is working day and nighttime,
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.

Come out to play, come out to play,
And we’ll pretend it’s Christmas Day
In my atomic...

I hope there’s nothing wrong out there,
I’m watching from the room inside my room.

Come out to play, come out to play,
And we’ll pretend it’s Christmas Day
In my atomic garden!

THE ANSWER
(Greg Graffin)
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 about the answer
‘cause then another one will come along soon.
I don’t believe you have the answer,
I’ve got ideas, too.
But if you’ve got enough naivete,
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 and on for eternity.

Don’t tell me about the answer
‘cause then another one will come along soon.
I don’t believe you have the answer,
I’ve got ideas, too.
But if you’ve got enough naivete,
And you’ve got conviction,
Then the answer is perfect for you.
(The answer is perfect for you.)

FERTILE CRESCENT
(Greg Graffin)
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 it’s ugly head,
Retaliation brings further dread,
The two are linked by unseen threads
That wind back through time.

I don’t agree with this outdated trend,
Nationalism is an evil friend,
But hatred is instilled by invisible lines
Drawn in our minds.

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.

CHIMAERA
(Greg Graffin)
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,
Yet 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
Yet you’re 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
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?

ONLY ENTERTAINMENT
(Greg Graffin)
Transfixated on the big blue screen:
Your window to the outside,
A melancholy dream,
A medium upon which you build reality.
This episodic currency,
That everybody needs.

Somebody’s delivery lulls you to sleep.
The man behind the weather map,
The editor in chief,
They control the worlds
Of power and disease,
And you cannot supress your curiosity.

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.

Hey! Many are 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? (turn away, turn away)
Hey you, Mr. FCC, (turn away, turn away)
Have you no advice for me? (turn away...)

See, it’s only entertainment.
Only entertainment,
Only entertainment.
Unoffical facts simply
Leading you to poverty.
Only entertainment,
Only entertainment,
Only entertainment.

Kat und Annie, das ist zu Sich!