Pirates
Alix Olson Lyrics

What's the matter with the brains
What is wrong with the mindset of those in power?

Of the big boys with the big money
Of those with wealth and influence

Are they bruised, are they sore
Are they affected by the backlash of their mistreatment of people?

Are they battered, are they bloody
Are they suffering consequences for their harmful actions?

With the wounds and the scars
Marked with the evidence of their wrongdoing

Of the people they've mistreated
Of those who have been harmed by their actions

See I was taught to believe in the scale of justice
I was raised to believe in fairness and equality

Confront the people with the power in their pockets
Challenging those who hold wealth and influence

They outweigh us
They hold more power and influence than the rest of us combined

And now the executive class buys executive branch status
Wealthy individuals buy political power and influence

By purchasing Supreme Court time
By using money to influence the decisions of the highest court in the land

White collar crime becomes a comedy
Crimes committed by those of wealth are often overlooked or not taken seriously

While the drug war drama gets a bigger, better view
Issues such as the war on drugs are highly publicized

Now it's all lit up in big lights
These issues are highly visible

Meanwhile, Exxon gives millions to the Taliban
Large corporations support extremist groups to further their own interests

To build a pipeline through Afghanistan
For the purpose of enhancing their own economic gains

And the corporate scam of evil
Large corporations are often involved in harmful or unethical practices

Is buried deep beneath the sand
These practices are often hidden from public view

Transporting the blood of children
Transporting resources that were procured in harmful or exploitative ways, including through child labor or violence

From Palestine, Iraq, and Iran
From regions that have been historically targeted by powerful nations for their resources

And somehow the rage flows
The anger and resentment of those who have been harmed spreads

From the pipelines to the pipe bombs
From the resources being extracted to the resulting violence or terrorism

Of little white boys in Wisconsin
Of those who are influenced by extremist rhetoric and perpetuate acts of violence

Somehow the rage flows
Anger continues to spread across the world, often because of the actions of those in power

To the suicides in Jerusalem cafes
To the individuals who feel driven to take their own lives in response to the political climate they're in

The rage flows to the terror
To the acts of terrorism that occur as a result of extremist ideologies

In the New York City subways
Example of a place that has been affected by terrorism

The rage flows to the stones flung in Al Jazerra
To the individuals who express their anger through protests as they see their voices not being heard

Flows with nuclear waste
Even the radioactive material that's dumped irresponsibly results in harm to countless lives

Down the path of discontent
Continuing the spread of anger and resentment

And the TV news anchors say
The media often downplays or ignores the severity of world issues

Hey, rage flows for no reason
Pretending as if widespread anger is baseless or undeserved

Now stick these antennas in your forehead
To suggest that people should blindly absorb what's being broadcasted

Freedom of thought may channel treason
Freedom of thought can lead to dissent or rebellion against oppressive power structures

Well give me one reason, give me one reason
Asking for reasons why people should not actively resist oppression

Gimme one good reason to defy my global papal
Asking for a reason to not continue passively accepting the current state of affairs worldwide

Cuz we got ninety years if we're lucky on this planet
Our time on earth is limited and we should make the most of it

And I refuse to eat my sandwich between
Rejecting the idea of living a life that passively consumes commercialism

Commercials for fake butter and cheese
An example of commercial propaganda

Caffeine and saccharine food us up
The food we consume is often unhealthy and addictive

And our heightened direct media shoots us up
Media, such as social media, further exacerbates this cycle of addiction and passivity

Until our brains are entombed
Our mental states become stagnant and unproductive

Petrified, lying side by side next to our 401ks
We become immobilized, lying next to our investment portfolios

And our SUVs encased in caskets, plastered with compliance
We become slaves to our material possessions

Chains stored in the chamber of a Wal-Mart deep freeze
Our consumerist culture becomes a prison in which we're enslaved

And outside the sarcophagus of American flags and God Bless's
Our culture of consumerism is hidden behind patriotic imagery

Our collective conscious is brought right down to it's knees
We become weakened and submissive to the powerful

Praying forgiveness to the station exporting numbness
Our culture becomes complacent and numb in response to the wider world issues

We're poisoning the oil, the ozone, the airwaves and the grain
We continue to damage the natural world and the resources we depend on

These are our true colors running
These destructive behaviors are part of our true identity

And they are running away with everything
These destructive behaviors are allowing those in power to gain more power and influence

Cuz the big boys have smelled our protests
Those in power are threatened by the growing protests and dissent

As potent as the poison in our water
The power of our protests matches the harmfulness of the issues we are protesting

Thats why they've squashed them
Those in power use their influence to quash opposition to their harmful actions

And are squawking like the chickens in their trucks
Their response to dissent is to discredit and silence those who speak up

I guess they just taste better all cagey and blindfolded
Their hold on power is strengthened by the ignorance and passivity of the masses

And all freaked out and huddled up
And by instilling fear and a sense of helplessness in the masses

So yeah I say, no atlas is scary
I refuse to be intimidated by those in power

Yes, I confess resistance is chilling
But actively resisting those in power is an intimidating and daunting task

The roadblocks are killing us
The obstacles we face in resisting are harmful to our well-being

And the dead ends keep building
The traps and obstacles to genuine progress continue to strengthening their hold on power

This is a battle of birds, it's a collision of moral proof
This is a battle between those who hold power and the moral righteousness of those who demand justice

This is a people as pirates and we're stealing back the truth
Those who are oppressed are fighting back and reclaiming their rightful place in the world

We gotta steal back the truth
There is an urgent need to resist and reject propaganda and misinformation

Cuz they ain't gonna give it back to you
Those in power are not likely to willingly cede their hold on the truth

You gotta steal back the truth
It is up to individuals to seek out the truth and resist lies and propaganda

From ABC, CBS, NBC
Examples of major media networks that often perpetuate a biased narrative

CEO to shining CEO
From the wealthiest and most influential individuals and organizations

From Disney, HBO
From large corporations that often produce and market commodity culture

From NPR even these days
From traditionally objective and reliable media sources that have recently been co-opted by corporate interests

We gotta steal back the truth
There is no time to wait. We must actively resist and challenge the status quo

This is a people as pirates
This is a people that have been forced to become unconventional in the ways they must demand justice

And we're stealing back the truth
They are fighting back against the lies and propaganda that have been forced upon them