Burn It Down
The Cog Is Dead Lyrics

Down in a village where most residents were poor
In a village where most people struggled financially

An old man had a factory that folks called "The Killing Floor"
An elderly man owned a factory with a notorious reputation

He was a surly master and though his workers all had wives
Despite his workers having families, he was a stern and unpleasant boss

He'd work them within inches of their lives!
He would push his workers to their limits and beyond

They all were sick and tired of this stuff
The workers were fed up with the mistreatment and abuse

The men decided that they'd had enough
The male workers made the decision to take action

We won't take this anymore!
We refuse to continue enduring this situation

Not gonna die on The Killing Floor
We refuse to be worked to death in this factory

He won't work us into the ground
We won't allow ourselves to be overworked and exhausted

It's time to strike a match and burn it down...
We're going to set the factory on fire to make a statement

They waited for the old man to head home for the night
The workers bided their time until the owner was gone for the evening

Then muscled in with kerosene and lanterns to ignite
They forcibly entered the factory with kerosene and lanterns to start the fire

They took one final look at all these monstrous machines
Before setting the fire, they surveyed the machinery that had oppressed them

Then lit the match that would fulfill their dreams
They sparked the flame that would symbolize their liberation

It was a blazing jubilee
The fire was a triumphant celebration

They felt these flames had set these workers free
The workers believed the fire had liberated them from their oppressive situation

As the workers danced around the fire having fun
The workers rejoiced together in their newfound freedom

The old man pulled up terrified and screamed "What have you done?!"
The owner arrived in a panic, horrified at the destruction

"This factory was the only thing that kept us all alive!
The owner lamented that the factory was vital for their livelihoods

Now you've gone and blown us all sky high!"
Now, he blamed the workers for ruining their livelihoods

The factory was above an oil lake
The factory was situated over a lake of flammable oil

But all too late they realized their mistake
The workers realized too late the danger of setting the fire in that location

We wouldn't take it anymore!
We refused to continue being mistreated and oppressed

Didn't wanna die on The Killing Floor
We didn't want to be overworked and exhausted in the factory

But we drove ourselves to the ground
However, our actions have caused us to destroy our own livelihoods

When we struck that match and burned it down...
Our decision to set the factory on fire ultimately caused more harm than good

Why'd we have to go and burn it down?!
The workers regret their decision to set the fire and question the wisdom of their actions