Hook:
Atmosphere inflated with hatred and hurtful words
Fearful minds debating how to shake the undisturbed
Tearful eyes conveying basic needs gone un-served
All while a child suffers beatings undeserved
No love for the socially awkward
No love for the different
No love for the one that goes against the grain
You've got to fit in with them
No love if money ain't your biggest care
Try your own way, they'll insult ya
But if love isn't in the air
Then “pop” goes culture
Verse 1:
The element of fear occurred regularly
In my elementary years, I learned early
That I could never be cool, I wasn't worthy
Every day at school I battled insecurity
They called me small fry and my smile wasn't pearly
Never had an incident with sticks and stones
But man, those kids' words hurt me
Came home one week around 2:30
Just balling my eyes out
A kid saw my teeth and came right up to me
Askin' if I had rocks in my mouth
See, when I was little, I accidentally tripped
My top-front row of teeth
Left, right, and middle, I smashed half of it
Then my new enamel was chipped
And this kid was laughin' at it
Unaware that lookin' back, it'd be that traumatic
But the fact is I'm past it
No matter how emphatic, to stay mad at it
Is to stay static
And that's straight counter-productive
When you have dreams to be creatively constructive
Every obstruction is instructive
But you gotta decide to rise amongst it
Cause there is a war going on
Between love and fear
And it's easy to be torn between
Rising above and layin' low while we're here
But just to make things clear
If you're too afraid to change, then you're part of the problem
Pop goes culture without the clean air
Of love filling up the globe, keepin' it revolvin'
Hook:
Atmosphere inflated with hatred and hurtful words
Fearful minds debating how to shake the undisturbed
Tearful eyes conveying basic needs gone un-served
All while a child suffers beatings undeserved
No love for the socially awkward
No love for the different
No love for the one that goes against the grain
You've got to fit in with them
No love if money ain't your biggest care
Try your own way, they'll insult ya
But if love isn't in the air
Then “pop” goes culture
Verse 2:
High school, I'm done
Felt diseased by this fearful virus
The way it's ruled and run
I felt the need to speed to my highest
Short cuts to start the long healing process
My heart was cut by losses
Its beat was beat by the biased lies they toss us
Whatever they taught us or taught me
Were thoughts from a copy
And copies of copies get awfully sloppy
Tried to stay original like floppy disks
But their dark cloud stopped me quick
I quit living with even a little bit of wit
Only given credit for a quip
If it was written in a little limerick
And given a letter grade they picked
So strict, no wonder I would fake sick
Face it, music is a type of intelligence
But they don't face the music
They abuse it with negligence
Hierarchy of subjects
Your favorite is irrelevant
Unless it is relevant to whatever these selfish systems need
Gathering wealth, sifting us like wheat
Steam-rolling self-esteem
Seems to be the theme
Instead of selfless dreams
Walk into any school, and you can hear the harsh comments
Lack of love and wisdom, open mouths imparting nonsense
And to the one that gives some, all that's given back
Is a laugh and a turn of the head
Man, that's a heart without real contents
Hook:
Atmosphere inflated with hatred and hurtful words
Fearful minds debating how to shake the undisturbed
Tearful eyes conveying basic needs gone un-served
All while a child suffers beatings undeserved
No love for the socially awkward
No love for the different
No love for the one that goes against the grain
You've got to fit in with them
No love if money ain't your biggest care
Try your own way, they'll insult ya
But if love isn't in the air
Then “pop” goes culture