Changeling
Christians & Lions Lyrics

I was named while I slept so consider it void
My given name holds no true significance or authority

I was a self-loathing fighter, a good American boy
I used to fight for what I believed in, but with a deep self-hatred and conforming to societal expectations

But don't bother telling me nothing, I've grown
I have become resistant to being told what to think or believe

All feral and forgetful, full of soft, fitful hopes
I have become wild and untamed, forgetting my upbringing, yet still holding onto fragile dreams

I think it started in school
My journey towards questioning authority and societal norms began during my time in school

They taught me ignorance of privilege
Education system reinforced my unawareness of the advantages I had due to my privileged position

We were a nation at war
Our country was engaged in conflict

That didn't seem to know the difference
Yet, it appeared that we did not comprehend the true consequences and implications of war

But when I heard them talk like battles Could be 'won,' I laughed
When I heard people discussing war as if it could be easily won, I found it absurd and laughed

'You don't actually expect me To believe shit like that'
I questioned the credibility of such claims and refused to believe such empty rhetoric

And from then on no classroom Was gonna cage my resentment
Since then, I refused to let any classroom or educational institution suppress my resentment and skepticism

I could cast my aspersions Or shoulder burdens, withhold judgement
I had the ability to criticize and doubt, as well as take on responsibilities without passing judgement

I saw messiahs, pariahs Greedslayers, and scabs
I observed both influential and rejected figures, as well as those fighting against greed and exploitation

But I couldn't come home 'Til I'd learned how to grab
I felt unable to return to my true self until I had learned how to seize control and assert myself

So I grasped that the Promised Land is too often promised By men who would seek, and then steal, then hold office
I realized that many who promise a better future often do so with selfish intentions and end up manipulating their way into positions of power

And that nothing was ever gonna get very far Till we smother the Old Guard and put no one in charge
I understood that true progress could only be made by overthrowing the established authorities and rejecting the idea of having someone in control

And until our skulls part like a flower in bloom We will rush to get a part of what power and doom We can muster
Until we fundamentally change our mindset and embrace a collective movement, we will continue to eagerly pursue any opportunity for power and destruction

It must be enough, enough Or we're fucked- it's disgusting It's all we know of love
This relentless pursuit of power and destruction must become enough for us, or else we are doomed. It is a sad reflection of our understanding of love.