Baba Brinkman - Social Contract lyrics

You think I haven't gone through any hardships ‘Cause I was raised in communes instead of projects? That's why I've always had problems with the opposite s** ‘Cause I was taught never to treat women as objects And never to treat anything simple as complex And vice versa, but I can't remember what I was taught next See, that's the problem with hippie kids They stop listenin' when you teach ‘em not to listen to hypocrites But most of us still can't appreciate the differences Between civil disobedience and criminal deviance It's the difference between fixin' a system and pimpin' it ‘Cause corruption ain't the same as honest work I try to separate the pigs from police officers And I can see nuances, ‘cause I was raised by philosophers But nuance isn't popular, and neither am I My whole life I've been tryin' to read between the lines And I've never been penalized for speakin' my mind So freedom is mine; I'm a scorpion And a libra combined, with a fist and a peace sign On either side, and I'm just tryin' to equalize They say “fight the system we need to be free” When there's demons increasing at either extreme It keeps feeding all the greediest schemes That I can see They say "fight the system we need to be free" Like a greasy streams spillin' into the sea They keep feeding me a hedonist dream That I can't see Sometimes freedom is violent; it gets derailed The system fails whenever freedom tips the scales When a sadistic freak is freed from a prison cell Or a big business victimizes people with its sales Some say we need chaos, but when a government falls Another one pops up; it's like juggling rubber balls We don't need more freedom; we need tougher laws Electricity should be double the cost With subsidies involved for those with no money It's gonna be pretty hard to keep this show running If nobody believes there's any room for change We need fewer cars and more commuter trains And new laws to make sure polluters pay For what they do to our food chains; these are the changes Institutions can make, if we just use our brains Instead of TVs and computer games They say “fight the system we need to be free” When there's demons increasing at either extreme It keeps feeding all the greediest schemes That I can see They say fight the system we need to be free Like a greasy streams spilling into the sea They keep feeding me a hedonist dream That I can't see See, I'm all about change, but I'm not about the counter-culture Standin' around with just a frown and a stomach ulcer Makin' the occasional ethical purchase While dismissin' politics as nothin' but a nest of serpents As soon as you're done talkin', try runnin' for office Try becoming part of something positive There's really nothing stopping us; it's just a problem of optics In the absence of reason; there's no illusion of freedom The illusion is a lack of freedom, and we're losin' to these illusions But we can't join ‘em; we have to beat ‘em And just because I'm gettin' disillusioned with libertarians Doesn't make me a disciplinarian We need different solutions for different areas From over-fishing the oceans to carbon emission tariffs From the Arab militiamen to the American Michigan Aryans We need some significant barriers This may sound ridiculous from a kid with hippie parents But sometimes it's just hilarious how addicted we are To the idea that we should never be restricted at all But if freedom means drivin' an SUV And never havin' to clean up the mess you leave Then I say we need to be less free I don't expect you to agree, but you did listen at least So now you're free to take this lesson or leave it Peace