Ritual
downset. Lyrics

Do you know what it is like to run?
Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to escape quickly and desperately?

Do you know what it is like to live in fear?
Have you ever been so frightened that you couldn't think or act properly?

Do you know what it is like to run?
Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to escape quickly and desperately?

Do you know what it is like to live in fear?
Have you ever been so frightened that you couldn't think or act properly?

'Cause she knows what it's like to run
The singer is referring to a woman who has experienced the fear and desperation of running.

She knows what it's like to live in fear
The woman has also been forced to live in constant fear.

Because she knows what it's like to run
The woman's experience of running has had a profound impact on her life.

Rape ritual
The singer is denouncing the ritualized and repeated practice of rape.

How can I stand in silence while you are raping my sister?
The singer is expressing his outrage at the thought of someone raping his sister and his unwillingness to remain silent about it.

Ritual
The singer is repeating the word 'Ritual', continuing his condemnation of the practice of rape and expressing his revulsion at the notion of it being repeated over and over again.

I said I'll throw you in the wind because I ain't with that
The singer is announcing his intention to resist and fight back against the perpetrators of rape and those who condone or practice it.

Say what have we done to mother, sister, daughter, lover?
The singer is asking what society has done to women - and to the people who love them - to make them vulnerable to rape and other forms of violence.

Beat them down to submission, into that corner of constant fear
The singer is describing the way that women are often made to feel powerless and afraid in the face of male violence and aggression.

Humanity reduced to a sexual commodity, objectification
The singer is pointing out that the objectification of women - turning them into mere sexual commodities - dehumanizes both women and men and contributes to a culture of violence and abuse.

Pretty faces, molded imagery
The singer is referring to the way that women are often judged - and valued - solely on the basis of their physical appearance.

Damn they drop the dirty mack demands
The singer is expressing his disgust at men who engage in 'dirty mack' tactics designed to manipulate women into having sex with them.

She's more than booty to me, bypass her sexuality
The singer is rejecting the idea that women's bodies and sexuality are the only things that matter about them.

Tradition, your sexism is what you want me to learn, surrender
The singer is criticizing the traditional attitudes and values that perpetuate sexism and suggesting that we should reject them rather than surrendering to them.

Gender hatred, fade it to kill it, compassion returns
The singer is calling for an end to the hatred and violence that men often direct towards women and suggesting that compassion is the key to creating a better, more humane world.

One out of three and they say my sisters are free
The singer is referring to the statistic that one in three women will experience sexual violence at some point in her life, despite the fact that many people claim that women are now 'free' from oppression and discrimination.

Incarcerated by hatred, propagated by sodomy
The singer is describing the way that hatred and violence can trap women in a cycle of fear, pain, and abuse.

Continual ritual victimizing my sister
The singer is suggesting that the ongoing cycle of violence and abuse is like a ritual that perpetuates the victimization of women.

Physical rape is psychological murder
The singer is pointing out that rape is not only a physical violation, but also a psychological one that can leave permanent scars on a person's psyche.

Jenny, ho, slut, trick, bitch, buddy
The singer is listing a series of derogatory terms that are often used to describe women and criticizing the culture that uses these words to denigrate and oppress women.

Terms that burn in our popular brutality
The singer is suggesting that these derogatory terms are part of a larger culture of violence and brutality that is often celebrated or ignored by mainstream culture.

That media camera's at you, trying to show you what's up
The singer is criticizing the media's tendency to focus on women's bodies and to use these images to fuel a culture of sexism and violence.

Illusion magazine fantasy got you feinding to bust a nut
The singer is suggesting that the unrealistic, pornographic images of women that are found in many magazines and websites can have a harmful effect on men's attitudes towards women and on women's own self-esteem.

Body identity suffocates in her nudity, she's dying inside
The singer is suggesting that when women are valued solely on the basis of their physical appearance, this can lead to a loss of identity and a sense of being suffocated by expectations and judgments.

Fashions asking won't let her be, strip her to flesh
The singer is suggesting that women are often pressured to conform to certain standards of beauty that require them to reveal their bodies and to be sexually provocative.

For apathetic male ego, you bet the set ain't down with your wak
The singer is criticizing the idea that men are only interested in women for their own pleasure and suggesting that many men reject this view and are willing to take a stand against sexism and violence.

Sell you shallow shock value charade is wak
The singer is suggesting that the culture of sexism and violence that is all around us is based on shallow, superficial values that do not reflect the true worth of women - or men.

Sister, put a fist in what's expected of you
The singer is encouraging women to reject the narrow, oppressive roles and expectations that are often imposed on them by society.

Deny, defy, reject false definition of you too
The singer is suggesting that women should resist the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles and to define themselves by their relationships to men.

There's no excuse for this brutality or this lack of humanity
The singer is stating clearly that there is never any justification for violence, especially not when it is directed at women.

Ritual
The singer is repeating the word 'Ritual', underscoring the importance of breaking the cycle of violence and abuse that has become all too common in our society.

How can I stand in silence while you are raping my sister?
The singer is expressing his disgust and anger at those who would perpetrate violence against his sister or any woman and his refusal to remain silent about it.

Ritual
The singer is repeating the word 'Ritual', emphasizing the urgency of breaking free from the cycle of violence and abuse.

I said I'll throw you in the wind because I ain't with that
The singer is stating clearly that he will do whatever it takes to resist violence and to protect the women he loves.

Ritual
The singer is repeating the word 'Ritual', as if to say that he will keep repeating the word until we all take notice and take action to end the cycle of violence and abuse.

How can I stand in silence while you are tearing?
The singer is asking how he - or anyone - can remain silent in the face of such terrible violence and brutality.

Rape ritual
The singer is underscoring the horror and depravity of the ritualized practice of rape and the need to end it once and for all.