The Golden Rule
Everclear Lyrics

Ooh we hit in the sex hard
We use sex as a weapon to manipulate and control you

With pretty pictures and the baby steps
We lure you in with superficial beauty and small, incremental actions

Ooh we hit you with small words
We use seemingly harmless language to subtly insult and degrade you

Easy going down, easy to protect
Our tactics are designed to seem harmless and easy to rationalize

Ooh, we hit where it hurts the most
We know how to target your deepest insecurities

In a place that it will never show
We cause emotional damage that may not be immediately apparent

Ooh, we hit you with a silent debt
We make you feel indebted to us without ever actually saying so

You are a secret that no one really cares about
We treat you as disposable and insignificant

Ooh, we hit you in a simple place
We use simple tactics that are hard to detect or combat

A memory that you had never had
We manipulate your perceptions and memories to suit our agenda

We hit you in a way that you don't understand
Our approach is designed to be disorienting and hard to fathom

Until you strike that thing that everything turns bad
Eventually, our true intentions will become clear and the situation will turn sour

I don't care about the words you say
Your words have no power over me

I don't care about the things you do
Your actions are meaningless in my eyes

I don't care if you like it or not
Your feelings are of no concern to me

We both know I am better than you
I believe myself to be superior to you

Pretty makes everything better
We use superficial beauty as a way of masking our true intentions

Pretty makes everything clean
We use beauty as a way of whitewashing our actions and intentions

Pretty makes everything a little bit easier
We use beauty as a tool of manipulation to make our actions easier to rationalize

Pretty makes not pretty look pretty f***ing obscene
We use beauty to create a stark contrast to anything that we deem 'not pretty'

It doesn't matter who your daddy is
Your background and pedigree are irrelevant to me

It doesn't matter where you went to school
Your education is of no consequence to me

It doesn't matter how much money you make
Your wealth means nothing to me

I will always think you will always be you
I believe that you are fundamentally unchanged by any external factor

Ooh yeah, it kinda sucks to be you
I take satisfaction in your perceived misery and shortcomings

I will always be the first in line
I believe that I am inherently entitled to preferential treatment

I will always be the last to hurt
I will fight relentlessly to avoid being hurt or disadvantaged in any way

I'm a game that you will never win
I see all interactions as a competition and will do what it takes to come out on top

I'm a disease for which there is no cure
Once I have established a presence in your life, I will be impossible to get rid of

I'm a white guy, I am the king of the world!
I am privileged and entitled and believe myself to be above the rules that govern the rest of the world

Power makes it all better
Having power over others is a means of attaining satisfaction and control

Power makes it all worthwhile
Gaining power over others is seen as the ultimate goal that justifies any means necessary

Power makes people do exactly what you want them to
Having power over others is a means of manipulation and control to get what you want

Power makes it all look black and white
Once you have power over others, you see the world in terms of simple, binary choices

Oh money makes everything better
Money is a means of attaining power and control

Money makes me get a room
With money, I can afford to indulge in any whim or desire

Money makes everything easier
Money is a means of smoothing over any obstacles or inconveniences

Money makes me better than you
Having money is a means of attaining superiority over others