I’m grateful for these things 
These things are grateful for me but 
These gifts are plagues 
These plagues are candy coated 
I only hope it brings 
A smile and all the other 
Little useless things 
But these hands are tied to an arm 
And to an eye that won’t abide 

I’m not doing that well today 
And self control was never my forte 
So I call a friend 
Jesus with a pager and Mercedes Benz 
Cuz there’s a limit to ourselves 
And all the games we play 
It’s metaphor we use to define our day 
It’s only rhythm 
It’s only sound 
But we’re not accustomed to the tempo 
And we find it too loud 
And all the time… 

You look like a star 
And I talk like a fool 
I’m delivering idiots and photographs 
It makes me look cool 

I’m doing much better today 
It’s just harder to focus 
On the things that I hate 
I’m not too worried cuz I know 
I’ll get my vision back 
Then at least I’ll have a weapon 
To defend these attacks 

If I could only find a filter 
For these tricks 
Then I could bury the riddles deep 
Deep in the mix 
It’s not the lines 
It’s more the tones 
More often it’s the volume 
That can make it hit home 

It’s not the songs 
That determine if the record sells 
It’s the faces in the videos 
that we know so well 
It’s the push from the whores 
In leather chairs 
They package our emotions 
And they market our fears 
And the rise to the top is a fall from below 

I’ve never been one to see writing on walls 
Still you call me crazy 
Don’t walk on in don’t expect me to listen 
Don’t you try to save me 

Because I’m too suspicious of long 
Explanations that 
Make you feel like 
You’ve really reached me 
I’m changing my ways I believe 

Don’t talk about 
What happened 14 hours ago 
It’s ok if you smile 
But please