[Intro]
*The numbers are startling. On any given night the United States has estimated that some 200.000 veterans are now calling the streets home. This according to [?]. The homeless include service members who have served [?] wars*
*Close to 40% of the homeless are the veterans, veterans coming back from current [?]*
[Verse 1: Nabo Rawk]
I used to love my country, I gave it my all
Gave it my soul, my heart and stood tall
A soldier on the front line, I served my four years
Came back with one arm, more fears and nightmares
Not many would call me a hero
But Uncle Sam sees me different, he labelled me a zero
A vet like me should be set for life
But all I got was a medal and a whole lot of strife
It's hard pushing a [?] when you got one arm
It's hard copping change with a stubborn aplomb
So no one wanna hire you, no one wanna hear you out
No one wanna listen, they claim you went the wrong route
But I went the right route and I served like a man
Now I'm sleeping in a garbage can
It's the facts not fiction, imagine the pain
The result is addiction, it's simple and plain
[Hook: Nabo Rawk]
I'm a victim of the system, the one you're enlisting
Come back wishing that everything was different
*You don't believe homeless vets exist*
*It's undeniable*
*Homeless vets exist*
I'm a victim of the system, the one you're enlisting
Come back wishing that everything was different
*Days are shorter, nights are colder, feeling like life is over*
*Then it's all over soldier*
*They train you to transfer from a civilian to a k**ing machine. When you get out, they should 've trained me to go back into being a civilian again*
[Verse 2: Apesh**]
It's not glory but horror, for the fact you k**ing foreigners
It's nothing like man's instinct to be a warrior
But change your perspective the day you see a dead kid
There's no way you coming out the way you went in
Insensitive, you are not the way you used to be
But not quite your uncle, living crazy in a cuckoo tree
They make you a machine so you don't sh** when you see war
Criss Angel can't Mindfreak like Marine Corps
They shed lazy and decency, then they get inside
Strictly with everything that makes a man civilized
You combat-ready who cares? They can't fear you
You not only have the balls to k**, you can't wait to
Jarhead, reset your mental back to animal
But they'll pay you, then pay for your school that's understandable
So when you take earnest and turn 'em into Spartacus
You end up like Gomer Pyle, it's not for all of us
I bet you can't wait for landmines and mortar fire
Shell shock, battle fatigue, war neurosis
And ultimately Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
You can lose your sight, sound, speech and your focus
You're disconnected, confused and preoccupied
And always tired, you lost your appetite and lost your mind
You might care or care not if anybody try to help ya
With a Thousand-yard stare you see the world like whatever
[Hook: Apesh**]
You're a victim of the system, once you've enlisted
You gave your sanity while they rocking yellow ribbons
*You don't believe homeless vets exist*
*It's undeniable*
*Homeless vets exist*
You're a victim of the system, once you've enlisted
You gave your sanity while they rocking yellow ribbons
*Days are shorter, nights are colder, feeling like life is over*
*Then it's all over soldier*
[Outro]
*I think people have to be more aware of the fact that these veterans out there aren't getting what they need from the government. And if they are, they are not getting the psychiatric help that they need because it's just getting worse all the time*
*It's a sense of failure, you know. It's what have I done to get here? I was a senior database an*lyst. I was a senior system developer and I was [?] without a clue as to what tomorrow's gonna bring. If you're prone to depression, then the [?] will k** you*
*These men and women can not be forgotten. We can not do enough for them. They gave their all for us. We ought to be able to give them the insurance of the remainder of their life. Whatever it is, it's not gonna be poverty, not gonna be homeless. That's a travesty*