Mercenary

I was the future in 1995 I watched the flashbulbs burst whenever I'd arrive I'd tape my knuckles up, cinched and tight for the ring Just beneath the gloves, clenching white for the swing I was a sellout before a sellout crowd I threw the fight in my head, before the fat lady bowed You want a tip-off, some good advice for the brawl? Just wear a mouth-guard, to keep your teeth when you fall And when you quit Make sure that you can wash your hands of it Chorus: Armed to the teeth, score one for treachery I am a mercenary There's more lies here than we can all bury I am a mercenary I've seen the headlines swarming thick with flies I've seen the Billboard charts, I've heard them spitting lies Here's to your lame award, your phony Nobel Prize Here's to the suckers lining up to see us compromise Let's light a campfire, we'll have a singalong I'll burn some bridges, you'll bring the crappy songs And when you quit Make sure that you can wash your hands of it Chorus Bridge: There's a part of me I've compromised Buried somewhere under ghosts of lies Make it quick, make it sick Turn the crank and just play the greatest hits Sigh There's a part of me that I despise Pull the curtain back and see what dies Emerald spires of the near profound Let's burn this lousy city down