[Intro: Billie Joe Armstrong] Sing us the song of the century It sings like American eulogy The dawn of my love and conspiracy Of forgotten hope and the cla** of 13 Tell me a story into that goodnight Sing us a song for me {​​Ma** Hysteria}​​ [Hook 1: Billie Joe Armstrong] Hysteria Ma** Hysteria Ma** Hysteria Ma** Hysteria [Verse 1: Billie Joe Armstrong] Red alert is the color of panic Elevated to the point of static Beating into the hearts of the fanatics And the neighborhood's a loaded gun Idle thought leads to full-throttle screaming And the welfare's asphyxiating Ma** confusion is all the new rage And it's creating a feeding ground For the bottom feeders of hysteria [Hook 1] [Verse 2: Billie Joe Armstrong] True sounds of maniacal laughter And the deaf-mute's misleading the choir The punch-line is a natural disaster And it's sung by the unemployed Fight fire with a riot The cla** war is hanging on a wire Because the martyr is a compulsive liar When he said: "It's just a bunch of n******gs Throwing gas into the" [Hook 1] [Bridge 1: Billie Joe Armstrong] There's a disturbance on the oceanside They tapped into the reserve The static response is so unclear now
Mayday this is not a test! As the neighborhood burns America is falling Vigilantes warning ya Calling Christian and Gloria! {​​Modern World}​​ [Hook 2] I don't want to live in the modern world I don't want to live in the modern world I don't want to live in the modern world I don't want to live in the modern world [Verse 3: Mike Dirnt] Well, I'm the cla** of 13 in the era of dissent A hostage of the soul on a strike to pay the rent The last of the rebels without a common ground I'm gonna light a fire into the underground Well [Hook 2] [Bridge 2: Billie Joe Armstrong] I am a nation Without bureaucratic ties Deny the allegation as it's written f**ing lies [Verse 4: Mike Dirnt] Well, I want to take a ride to the great divide Beyond the "up to date" and the neo-gentrified The high definition for the low resident Where the value of your mind is not held in contempt I can hear the sound of a beating heart That bleeds beyond a system that is falling apart With money to burn on a minimum wage Well, I don't give a sh** about the modern age Yeah! [Hook 2] (Ma** Hysteria) I don't want to live in the modern world [x10]