Keep It in the Family
Anthrax Lyrics

Mankind
This song is a critique of society and explores how its flaws have led to discrimination and hatred.

The public enemy's not the man who speaks his mind
The real enemy is those who ignore or deny the problems within society and refuse to act on them.

The public enemy's the man that goes and acts blind
People who turn a blind eye to problems and pretend they don't exist are the true villains.

Searching for an answer that he'll never find
Society's issues are complex and sometimes there is no simple solution.

An action from reaction and you can't make a retraction
The consequences of one's actions cannot be undone, and sometimes they can lead to even worse problems.

Once you've put your head out
Once you've made a statement or taken a stand, people will expect you to follow through.

And then you're blue in the face
You may find yourself exhausted from arguing or trying to prove your point to others.

As you try to state your case
You will attempt to make your point and persuade others.

You can think with your dick but it can't shout
Sexual desires and urges may be strong, but they won't have the same impact as speaking up or taking action.

Yo, I try to understand what the hell is going on
The singer is struggling to comprehend how society could become so hateful and divided.

I can't imagine how things ever got so far gone
The situation has become so extreme that it's hard to believe people could be so cruel to others based on their race, religion, or other differences.

You separatists, say you want your own state
The song addresses groups who want to break away from others based on differences, such as separatist movements.

I'll give them a state, a state of unconsciousness
The singer is saying that those who promote hatred and discrimination are not helping society and should be ignored or removed from the conversation.

Retribution, no solution, constitution
Seeking revenge or punishment will not solve the problem, and may even make it worse. The constitution is meant to guarantee rights for everyone, not just a select few.

Discrimination, through the nation, raining hatred
Discrimination and hate are widespread in society, and they affect many people.

I yell, when there's schism you must rebel
The singer believes that when society is divided and full of conflict, people must stand up and take action.

I yell, so you'll hear
The singer is raising his voice to be heard and to urge others to take a stand against discrimination and hatred.

I yell, I refuse to live, in, your, hell
The singer will not tolerate a society that allows hate and discrimination to flourish, and is speaking out against it.

I am what you fear
The singer wants the haters and discriminators to know that he and others who fight against them are not afraid of them.

I'm the truth, I don't keep it in the family
The truth about society's flaws and problems cannot be hidden, and must be addressed openly and honestly.

Live your life, take someone else
Rather than being consumed by hate and discrimination, the singer wants people to focus on living their own lives and not trying to bring others down.

The real world's outside your door
Society's problems are not imaginary or made up; they are a part of the real world that people must face every day.

Don't even try to tell me what you think is right
The singer is not interested in hearing from people who promote hate and discrimination, because their beliefs are fundamentally wrong.

When to you blacks are niggers and jews are kikes
The singer is pointing out how hateful and derogatory language is used to refer to certain groups based on their race or religion.

And you expect to be taken seriously
People who promote hate and discrimination cannot be taken seriously, because their arguments are based on false assumptions and beliefs.

But your actions, they're more than curiously
The singer is saying that the actions of those who promote hate and discrimination are not just misguided or ignorant; they are actively harmful.

Juvenile, you emulate what you hate
The singer is suggesting that those who promote hate and discrimination are behaving in a childish or immature way by copying the worst aspects of society rather than trying to improve it.

And you don't even know why you feel this way
Those who promote hate and discrimination may not even understand why they have such intense feelings of anger and resentment.

'Cause daddy hated this and mommy hated that
The singer is suggesting that attitudes of hate and discrimination may be passed down through families and across generations.

And your own ability to reason's like a tire gone flat
People who promote hate and discrimination are not thinking critically or logically, and are instead driven by emotions and prejudices.

Acting out of pure cold hatred
Those who promote hate and discrimination are motivated by intense feelings of anger and bitterness, rather than any rational or reasonable arguments.

'Cause of what another's race is
People discriminate based on race, even though it is an arbitrary and meaningless way to categorize individuals.

Color of another's face is
Physical appearance, such as skin color, is often used as a basis for discrimination and hate.

Different, and your own frustrations
People may discriminate against others because they are unable to deal with their own frustrations and problems.

Taking on a violent nature
Those who promote hate and discrimination may become more extreme and violent in their actions, causing even more harm to society.

Full of hate, so full of hate
The singer is emphasizing just how intense and overwhelming feelings of hatred can be.

You'd kill a man is that your fate
The singer is asking whether those who promote hate and discrimination would be willing to take such extreme and violent actions against others.

Your street becomes a police state
Society may become more repressive and authoritarian in response to those who promote hate and discrimination, leading to a loss of individual rights and freedoms.

Why the hell do you hate?
The singer is asking those who promote hate and discrimination to explain why they feel this way, and to try to come up with rational and reasonable arguments for their beliefs.

I'm not gonna stand for it
The singer is taking a stand against hatred and discrimination and will not tolerate it any longer.

Someone's gonna pay for it
There must be consequences for those who promote hate and discrimination, and they will eventually have to face them.

I yell, we rebel
The singer is calling on others to join the fight against hate and discrimination, and to take action to rebel against it.

We're the truth and we won't keep it in the family
The truth about society's flaws and problems must be addressed openly and honestly, and people cannot afford to ignore them or to keep them hidden within their own families and communities.

You can't keep it in the family
The problems within society cannot be confined to any one group or community; they are everyone's responsibility to address and overcome.

You've got the longest way to fall
Those who promote hate and discrimination will eventually face the consequences of their actions and beliefs, and it will be a long and painful fall.

Hate, hate!
The singer wants to emphasize just how much harm hate and discrimination can cause, and how important it is to fight against them.