Free Pizza For Life
Ghost Mice Lyrics

I'm gonna write this in a book one day
This song is telling a story about a particular event that happened many years ago in such an interesting way that it deserves to be documented in a book.

But for now this song will have to do
Although a book would be great, this song will serve as a temporary substitute for it until the time when this story will eventually be put in a book.

It's about the lengths you and I were willing to go to
The song narrates how the writer and his friend went to great and extreme lengths to ensure they got free food, and the consequences of their actions.

To get some free food
The song tells the story of how the two friends would go to any extent, even illegal ones, to get free food, because they were broke and homeless at the time.

It was 1997 something I cant remember
The events described in the song happened a long time ago, making it hard for the writer to recall particular dates and times.

You and I were living in my van
The two friends were so broke that they had to make an abandoned van their abode, though not a comfortable one.

Everything that we had we had to take
The two friends owned very little and whatever possessions they had, they had to acquire them by whatever means possible.

And the saddest song ever heard on the radio
The writer talks about a song he heard on the radio that he believes was the saddest because of what he was going through at that time.

Was Let it snow let it snow let it snow
The song, 'Let it Snow' by Vaughn Monroe, is described here as being the saddest song ever heard on the radio by the writer at the time when he felt helpless and stranded in a van.

We didn't have any place to go / It snowed it snowed it snowed
The snowfall made their homeless situation worse because they were stranded in a van with no suitable place to go or seek shelter.

Let's take it back a few years / To the day where we first met
The beginning of their friendship is being traced back to when they first met, before things got worse.

I moved to Bloomington to be a bum
The writer moved to Bloomington without any particular goal, plan or employment prospect, but to wander around as a bum, while living off his friend.

You were here on a full Mathematics scholarship
The friend was on a scholarship to study Mathematics, depicting how they both had entirely different lives and goals in Bloomington, but still became best of friends.

We became the best of friends
Despite their different backgrounds and life goals, they both formed a strong bond and became best of friends.

Where our story begins Is where our trouble begins
The story of their friendship becomes a tale of the troubles they encountered, their unlawful activity and how their resolve to get free food led to the consequences they faced.

I never had a dime to my name
The writer was so broke that he did not have any money to his name, and had to live off his friend's scholarship.

You liked playing games
Though the writer did not have much interest in playing games, his friend enjoyed playing games and thus, became a way for them to get free food through a local pizza place deal.

A local pizza place had a deal / 10 coupons got a free 12inch
The local pizza place had a deal where ten coupons would earn customers a free 12-inch pizza.

We dug through the trash and find them
To obtain the coupons, they had to dig through the trash where people had thrown them away, instead of keeping them for the offer.

A few nights work put pizza in our mouths
After obtaining the coupons, they would only have to do a few nights' work of digging for pizza, giving them the chance to survive without buying food.

We started to wonder where the coupons went after people turned them in
As time went on, they became curious as to what happened to the coupons people used in the pizza shop and how many had been used to redeem the offer.

So we looked in their dumpster and what did we find / We found 140 of them
To ascertain their curiosity, they checked the dumpster of the pizza shop and discovered 140 of the coupons they had been digging the trash for.

Sooner than later we started making our own / When Kinkos got the red copy machine
After finding the coupon designs, they started creating them for themselves, using a copy machine from Kinkos, after they switched to colored paper.

The manager said we don't take photocopies
When the manager of the pizza shop came to know they had been using photocopies and not the real coupons, he confronted the writer about it.

So I jumped into the car / Told the driver to drive / As we sped off into the night we yelled
To escape trouble, they sped off excitedly, while yelling about controlling free pizza for eternity.

A few years later you dropped outta school / We've both been down and out
The friend dropped out of school after some years, leaving them in a dire situation of instability and uncertainty.

One night we were sleeping in my van / It was fourteen degrees below / I woke up because I heard something crack
During winter, they had to sleep in a van that was not in good condition, and at some point, they felt the harshness of the weather, as one of them developed frostbite.

Our desperation drove us to dishonesty
Due to their poor situation, they started becoming dishonest and taking things that were not theirs.

We were criminals distinctive and vile / Declared most of the world to be our enemy
They became extremely bad, notable criminals that regarded most people as their enemies while breaking the law to feed themselves, without any remorse.

We stole checkbooks and credit cards / Signed signatures that were not ours
They started stealing checkbooks and credit cards, forged signatures and stole money to buy pizza or whatever was necessary.

Slice after slice we ate / Pizza every night
They ate pizza every night without fail, but they never paid for them, after stealing either from people or, in other cases, the pizza driver's delivery.

We always shared it with our friends / Gave the driver a mighty tip
They shared their stolen pizza with others and equally made large payments while giving tips to the delivery driver to appease their guilt.

In our simple minds, we had / A slice of paradise
To them, the pizza was a symbol of hope, comfort, and happiness amidst the harshness of their lives.

But I guess we took it a little too far
Due to their criminal activities, they eventually crossed a line and went too far with their dishonesty.

Cause you ended up doing some time / When they slammed the door to your cell / I swear I heard you yell
Because of their escapades, the friend ended up being arrested and served time in jail, with the writer hearing the friend scream the refrain 'Free Pizza For Life' in his cell.

To celebrate setting you free / We ordered some pizza / And paid with forgery
When the friend was released, they ordered pizza to celebrate the release, but they used forged money to pay for it.

Cause when they knock you down / You can't stay on the ground / You gotta keep getting up
The song narrates that life can be tough at times, but one can't stay on the ground when they are down; they must keep fighting and trying to get back up.

You gotta keep putting your faith in luck / And as we can clearly see / That we made some mistakes
The song encourages everyone to keep believing that luck will turn around, and mistakes should be recognized and learned from.

For the most part, I have no regrets/ And at some parts, I feel a little ashamed / But it all worked out okay in the end
In the end, their unlawful activities may have been regretful, but the experience taught valuable lessons and worked out okay in the end.

And I think I would do it all over again
Looking back, even though they made some mistakes, they would do it all over again because of the lessons learned, the bond they shared and how things worked out okay in the end.

Sorry you're the one they caught / I wish it coulda been me my friend
The writer sorry his friend got caught, and not him during their unlawful activities leading to the consequences they faced.

I'm not saying we were wrong / And I'm not saying we were right / All I know is what we want
The song recognizes that what they did was not right, but what they wanted at that moment was free pizza, leading them into doing things that have consequences.

Free Pizza For Life / Free Pizza For Life / Free Pizza For Life / Free Pizza For Life
The refrain suggests that free pizza was all they ever wanted, and they would do anything to have it. It became their song of hope and symbol of defiance throughout their adversities, even up to the time of their consequences.