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