Echolyn - The Great Men lyrics

Are we too far gone from the mother land, Our mother's milk? If we reached out could we still feel the guiding hand Of the great men? And these men of God And these men of truth Have the words that they've written Been forgotten and abused? Was it first grade that we sat in cla** Like a box of varied chocolates? Was it first grade that we first heard of the great men? We pledged our allegiance to the flag At the start of every day And we wondered when we grew up Could we be a great man Pushing like a junkie or a barker at a fair Using sugar coated rhetoric, you're so damn debonair You're a sweet talking smiler, a bonafide beguiler A player with a strategy, a mover of the mind You're the connoisseur of conversation A soapbox serpent speaking with a forked tongue It was June of '84 when the storm came rolling through It took our hats and most of what we learned But I held on fast to all my goals So the wind wouldn't blow them away And I wished to be something more...on Graduation Day With your mannequin smile on fire Its charm looting pockets for hard earned cash And you deal out your double standards To reel in all those pats on the back that you've lived for, Connived for, hurt for, And cheated with a stone heart You're a beggar with a bleeding heart A bleeding heart, so cold so cold What makes a man ignore The causes to his effects To damn his very soul to get ahead? It's greed that waves the carrot That leads to false security Is our want much greater than our need to give? To be strong you must first have strength within your heart To have faith is a thing that can't be bought To be great is to first serve the one who's served us all It's much harder to stand than it is to fall To be a great man