Current members:
Nathan Gray - lead vocals (1994–present)
Josh Latshaw - guitar (1994–present)
Chad Istvan - guitar (1994–present)
Rob Ehrenbrand - bass (2004–2011, 2013–present)
Chris Rakus - bass (2013–present)
Jared Shavelson - drums (2013–present)
Former members:
Darrell Hyde - bass guitar (1994–1999)
Rob Avery - bass guitar (1999–2004)
Marc Krupanski - bass guitar (2011–2013)
Matt Krupanski - drums (1994–2013)
Dan Pelic - drums (2013)
Lee Dickerson - lead guitar (2013)
Management vs. Labor
BoySetsFire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As it was killing you
They've locked you out after all that you have done for them
You toil yet they profit more
Save yourself today in tearing down the design that they built with our hands
Struggle by to feed your kids while theirs grow fat, privileged and disdained
They've bled you dry
Until all that's left of you is sold to build their paradise
Only to find that we're left behind
We'll own our own time and give you nothing in return
Our next meal will come from your table
So our lives can become something more
Than what you buy and sell
America will be reborn
The lyrics of BoySetsFire's song "Management vs. Labor" touches on the idea of just how much workers are being overworked and how the company that should be treating them fairly ends up squeezing them out of everything they've got. The songwriters question whether the sacrifice was worth it for the workers, who have killed themselves trying to keep up with the ever-increasing demands imposed by their higher-ups. Although the workers are aware of their exhausting conditions, they remain unaware of how much extra they hand over to their employers. After spending a significant amount of time toiling for the benefit of giving their employers more, they end up getting shut out, making their hard work count for nothing.
The chorus of the song challenges the workers to take control of their lives, to save themselves from the hands of their employers who profit more than they do. BoySetsFire encourages the workers to bring down the designs that their employers created using their sweat and blood. The band acknowledges that workers struggle to feed their children, while the children of their higher-ups grow fat, privileged and look down on them with disdain. The higher-ups have taken so much that there isn't anything left of the workers to build their paradise. The songwriters questions what have the workers worked for, are they still scraping by for all their lives, only to be left behind. In the end, the band wishes for America's rebirth - a hope that there will come a time when workers will finally have their voices heard, and they will be valued and respected as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Sacrifice, did it really mean that much to them
Were their expectations too high, did they truly care about what they were asking you to do?
As it was killing you
The demands they made were so tough that they took a toll on you, making you feel like you were slowly dying.
They've locked you out after all that you have done for them
Despite putting in all your efforts, sacrificing time and energy, they still consider you unworthy, and have chosen to exclude you.
You toil yet they profit more
You work your fingers to the bone, dedicating yourself fully to the task at hand, but in the end, they are the ones who benefit more from your labor.
Save yourself today in tearing down the design that they built with our hands
In order to protect yourself, the only solution is to destroy the structure created by them, in which you were made to work with your own hands.
Struggle by to feed your kids while theirs grow fat, privileged and disdained
You have to go through endless struggles just to keep your children well-fed and healthy, while theirs get to enjoy luxuries and abundance, while looking down on you with disdain.
They've bled you dry
They have taken everything from you, leaving you with nothing but emptiness and despair.
Until all that's left of you is sold to build their paradise
They push you to the edge, seeing you as nothing more than a commodity to be exchanged for the fulfillment of their own desires and aspirations.
What have we worked for we've been scraping by for all our lives
We've been barely getting by, living off scraps all our lives, so what was the point of working so hard in the first place?
Only to find that we're left behind
Despite all our efforts, we've been left behind, despised and rejected, as if our labor didn't matter at all.
We'll own our own time and give you nothing in return
We will take control of our own lives, and won't give anything in return to those who previously used us for their own gain.
Our next meal will come from your table
We will no longer go hungry and depend on others for our next meal, and will now take from those who previously took from us.
So our lives can become something more
We will strive towards leading a better life, one in which we hold the power and are in control of our own destinies.
Than what you buy and sell
We reject being treated as mere commodities, to be bought and sold at the whim of those who control the system.
America will be reborn
Through our collective efforts, we will create a new America, one in which the system is fair, and the dignity of the working class is respected.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CHARLES W. ISTVAN, JOSHUA LATSHAW, MATTHEW KRUPANSKI, NATHAN GRAY, ROBERT W. AVERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind