XVI
Dan Mangan + Blacksmith Lyrics

Wrestling the days since the staff crept away,
I’ve been struggling since the staff abandoned us,

Sorta sleeping awake and just waiting, waiting,
I’m sleepwalking through life and waiting for something to happen,

I'm just going to wait ‘til they say it's okay to ring that bell again.
I'll wait for permission to take action,

You see, hook line and sinker, I'm in for the ride,
I'm fully committed and invested in this venture,

Got my eye on the prize and I know if I show that I'm willing to try to do it their way – I know what you'd say, you'd say I threw the family under the bus as if I hoped it would Crush us like I don't care. I do care, I swore and I swear,
I'll play by their rules to reach my goal, but I worry that I might harm our group accidentally, I took an oath to protect us,

I was thinking of you, always did and I do
I'm always thinking about everyone in our group,

I just see things so different, I just had to try
I have a different perspective, so I need to attempt my vision,

Like the market's middle child, we're not winning or losing, it's such sweet denial.
We're at a standstill, and it's comforting to stay that way,

Up to the chin, but if we just buy in, we could thrive in the gutters and out on the towns and we're doubling down ‘cause we're dying of boredom, there's nothing to do.
We're in over our heads, but if we embrace our circumstances, we can succeed despite being in a dire situation,

See if you hate the man, the man hates you too
If you're against authority, they're likely against you as well,

Don't you think I have moments? Sure, I'd love to take charge.
I have my doubts, but I still have aspirations for leadership,

'Cause we all see the farce, but we don't mention, mention the castle of cards.
We all know the situation is precarious, but we're ignoring the underlying problem,

And what's there to say? Let them eat cake?
There's nothing left to say, so we have to accept what's happening and move on.