Ain't No Reason
Brett Dennen Lyrics

There ain't no reason things are this way
There is no explanation for why things are the way they are.

It's how they've always been and they intend to stay
The way things are has been the same for a long time and isn't likely to change.

I can't explain why we live this way
I don't have an explanation for why we live our lives as we do.

We do it every day
Despite not understanding why, we continue to live our lives this way every day.

Preachers on the podiums speaking of saints
Religious leaders delivering sermons about holy figures.

Prophets on the sidewalk begging for change
People who claim to have the gift of prophecy, struggling to get by and asking for help from others.

Old ladies laughing from the fire escape
Elderly women enjoying life from their apartment balconies.

Cursing my name
Angry individuals directing their frustrations towards me.

I got a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same
I have a lot of problems and they all seem to be equally difficult and unsatisfying.

A window and a pigeon with a broken wing
A scene of vulnerability and fragility.

You could spend your whole life working for something
It's possible to devote your entire existence towards achieving a certain goal.

Just to have it taken away
Despite pursuing a goal with single-minded focus, it can still fail to produce the desired outcome.

People walk around pushing back their debts
People living with debt who are working to try and pay it off.

Wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets
People who define themselves by their salaries and material possessions.

Talking about nothing, not thinking 'bout death
Conversations that lack substance and ignore the inevitability of mortality.

Every little heartbeat, every little breath
The passage of time marked by each heartbeat and breath we take.

People walk a tight rope on a razor's edge
Living in a dangerous and precarious world, always in a state of possible calamity.

Carrying their hurt and hatred and weapons
People carry emotional and physical weapons in the form of grudges or actual weapons.

It could be a bomb, or a bullet or a pen
Violence can come in many forms: physical, verbal or written.

Or thought, or a word or a sentence
The potential for harm exists even in the intangible realm of ideas and language.

But love will come, set me free
The promise of love to liberate oneself from the constraints of the world.

Prison walls still standing tall
The continuation of systemic oppression and imprisonment.

Some things never change at all
In spite of all efforts, certain unjust systems persist.

Keep on building prisons, gonna fill them all
The tendency to criminalize and incarcerate an ever-growing population.

Keep on building bombs, gonna drop them all
The increase in arms and weaponry leading to the inevitability of destruction.

Working your fingers bare to the bone
Working hard to the point of exhaustion.

Breaking your back, make you sell your soul
The physical or mental toll of unrewarding, laborious work leading to loss of meaning and identity.

Like a lung, it's filled with cold
The weight of the world being suffocating and unyielding, much like an oppressive illness.

Suffocating slow
The gradual, draining endeavor of existing within unforgiving circumstances.

The wind blows wild and I may move
The unpredictability of life and the unexpected turns it can take leading to change and transformation.

The politicians lie and I am not fooled
The untrustworthiness of politicians who say one thing but mean another and the disillusionment that leads to keeping people grounded.

You don't need no razor or a three piece suit
Fighting for change can come from anyone, regardless of economic or social standing.

To argue the truth
Speaking honestly and addressing the real issues in society is always important.

They air on my skin in the world under my toes
Sensing the environment around us and the extent to which we are connected to it.

Slavery stitched to the fabric of my clothes
The pervasiveness of oppression throughout the world and its interconnectivity to our lives.

Chaos and commotion wherever I go
The chaotic, unpredictable nature of society and the world around us.

Love I try to follow
Attempting to navigate and find meaning within a world that is always in flux, guided by the emotion of love.

Love will come, set me free
The transformative nature of love and how it can liberate one from the constraints of the world.

Love will come, set me free, I do believe
A reaffirmation of the power of love and an unwavering belief in its efficacy.

Love will come, set me free, I know it will
Despite the harshness of the world around us, holding onto the hope that love will ultimately prevail.

Love will come, set me free, yes
Affirmation that one's belief in love and its transformative power remains steadfast.