SEVEN DAYS OF SAMSARA

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER
you say youre pc? id say pretty confused, cuz there was nothing correct about the girl you abused. she trusted you and laid by your side. but you touched her in her sleep not once but twice. i think you should fucking die. i hope you fucking die. fuck you simon. fuck you simon. you had to ruin it. percieved safety among friends. THIS SONG GOES OUT TO EVERYONE WHO ACCUSES HARDCORE OF PREACHING TO THE CONVERTED. FUCK THAT. THIS SONG IS ABOUT HOW HARDCORE KIDS ARENT SO "ENLIGHTENED". THIS SONG IS ABOUT A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE WHO WAS SEXUALL ASSAULTED BY ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE "PUNK/HARDCORE COMMUNITY" WHO SHE BELIEVED WAS A CLOSE FRIEND. RECENTLY SOMEONE HEARD THIS SONG AND EVENTUALLY FIGURED OUT WHO IT WAS ABOUT (its not that hard). THE KID DIDNT BELIEVE THAT HIS FRIEND COULD DO SUCH THINGS. THATS THE HARD PART ABOUT IT. THE RAPIST LOOKS THE SAME AS YOUR FRIEND. THE KID WHO ASSAULTED MY FRIEND COULD BE THE KID STANDING NEXT TO YOU AT A SHOW OR HE COULD BE THE DRUMMER OF THE BAND YOURE BOBBING YOUR HEAD TO.

THE END OF THE WORLD AS I KNOW IT
if your finger were bigger id hang myself but instead i hang my head. id buy you saturn saturday if that would make you stay. id buy you saturn saturday if that would make this feeling go away. THIS SONG IS ABOUT HOW LOW YOU CAN FEEL WHEN THINGS DONT GO AS YOU PLANNED. THIS SONG IS NOT PRO-SUICIDE. RECENTLY A KID I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH SHOT HIMSELF IN THE HEAD. I DONT KNOW WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE, BUT I KNOW THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER SOLUTION. THIS KID WAS GOING TO GRADUATE COLLEGE IN 8 MONTHS.

PHONE IS RINGING, OH MY GOD
the dictionary is necessary when you cant open your mouth. a loss of words is what i heard when we met eye to eye. basement shows are not the easiest fucking place... and i called just to say goodnight. called you up just to say goodnight. and i called just to say goodnight. woke you up just to say goodnight. cant you see the frustration thats growing on my face. constant anticipation of every move that you know ive been dying to make. why cant life be just like a phone call? why cant life be love? "phone is ringing but wheres my angel" SOMETIMES IT CAN BE REALLY DIFFICULT TO TALK TO SOMEBODY FACE TO FACE. ITS MUCH EASIER TO EMAIL OR CALL THEM ON THE PHONE. THIS SONG IS ABOUT THE FRUSTRATION OF NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS.

BURY YOUR HEAD
as our sun sets im stuck here with regret waiting for the sky to fall down to crush my heart and everything that surrounds. at night, im too afraid too afraid to turn on the light to see this lonliness my existance has become and i say that i know its not my fault and youre the one whos really missing out but i dont believe it. you lye in bed with your smile so wide so wide it brightens up the sky. i close my eyes. you wipe my tears away as you say "is everything going to be alright?" how could everything be alright when i wake up shaking in the night. when the cat that i love has got my tongue. words on the run. as our sun sets...THIS SONG CAN BE ABOUT A MILLION DIFFERNT THINGS. I WROTE IT AS A BAND THAT I HAD BEEN IN FOR THREE YEARS HAD DECIDED TO CALL IT QUITS. THE SONGS NOT ENTIRELY ABOUT THE DEMISE OF THE BAND, BUT ITS A GOOD STARTING POINT.

COLOR BETWEEN THE LINES
trace that thought in chalk red velvet one foot from its eye six feet below the line that divides the earth and the sky. dear angel youve grown horns so sharp theyll stab through your eye and right through all your lines. darkness is quickly coming in the outlook is constantly sinking. optimism is a thing of the past. i want it back. dont ever trace that thought... and as all exciting thought becomes a new outline in chalk i will stand up for myself and for this world's mind. you can not leave me behind. you will not leave me behind. never decline from this process so divine. if you let them censor your thoughts then then control your mind and thats all youve got. for all of the earth's mind. for all of the world is mine. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP AN OPEN MIND. OPTIMISM AND IMAGINATION ARE THE KEY.

THE POSITIVLY STUPID YOUTH
what the fuck do you think that youre doing? its something positive you and your crew will ruin as you take it past the x-treme to the ultra-militant hardline hate-edge courage crew bullshit. your actions make me sick but this sickness gives me a reason to sing. "fuck all who cheapen what i truely am in others eyes." go! i fell in love with the scene as an escape from fucks like you but its the face not the floor you punch, youre carving an X, so fuck you. I, DAVID RUDNIK, AM STRAIGHT EDGE. I DIDNT BEGIN CALLING MYSELF STRAIGHT EDGE SO I COULD GO AROUND BEATING UP KIDS WHO WERE DIFFERENT THAN ME. STRAIGHT EDGE IS A POSITIVE MOVEMENT. I WONT LET IT BE RUINED BY A FEW KIDS IN SALT LAKE CITY OR THE SXE THUGS THAT YOU CAN FIND IN CITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. FUCK THUG LIFE. XXX

SORTING THROUGH THE STATIC
once again its time for classical music. ponder the thoughts in my head. wallow in the greatness of a hug. how can you say unhugable? if i could wrap my arms around this dream id never let go. what if i had no arms? what if i had no arms and no legs? could you still love me the same way that you did yesterday? THIS SONG IS ABOUT UNREASONABLE EXPECTATIONS. THATS ALL THAT CAN REALLY BE SAID. DONT BE SUPRISED IF THESE LYRICS CHANGE BEFORE WE RECORD THE SONG.

PANIENKA PANIENKA IDZ DO NIEBA PRZYNYSH MI BOCHENKA CHLEBA
whats the worst that can happen? all weve got is two months so lets make it count. ive lost six and now im done missing out. whats the worst that could happen compared to two months of constant joy. sixty-one days of constant smiles could outweigh a year of constant heartache while youre six hours away but im talking about things that have never been and i wont let that happpen again. in this far fetched reality that i tend to live where everything always ends up alright. its always happily ever after but you and me never even opened the book. how are we supposed to know what happens to the frog. ladybug ladybug fly up to heaven and bring my back a loaf of bread or just one kiss. just one kiss. WHATS THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN? PLAIN AND SIMPLE. THAT SENTENCE SAYS IT ALL. WE LET OPPORTUINITY SLIP THROUGH OUR FINGERS WAY TOO OFTEN. SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA STICK YOUR NECK OUT AND TAKE THE CHANCE. THE SONG TITLE IS IN POLISH(thanks to chris' grandma)

THE TRUTH
question the answers that theyve forced down your throat for so fucking long. were not in kansas anymore. this problems too great to be ignored. bring it back to the monkey trial. youll make monkeys out of us all. what about the children? think about the children? i know youve said that before. youre the proof that some of us have evolved. you cant stop this wind from blowing. you cant stop this rain from falling. you cant stop this sun from rising. never stop attacking. an attack on everything you stand for. an attack on all that you believe. an attack for all those who will suffer. an attack against the knowledge thief. im not burning a cross. KANSAS NO LONGER REQUIRES THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION IN SCHOOL. TEACHERS MAY STILL CHOOSE TO TEACH IT, BUT I GUESS CREATIONISM IS THE OFFICIAL STANCE OF THE STATE. THE FIRST TIME WE EVER PLAYED THIS SONG LIVE AN OLDER MAN WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM IN DISGUST AS I EXPLAINED THE LYRICS. I THINK HE TOOK IT AS AN ATTACK ON CHRISTIANITY OR PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN CREATIONISM. IT ISNT. I JUST BELIEVE THAT THE STATE OF KANSAS AND THE KIDS WHO ARE BEING RAISED THERE ARE BEING CHEATED.

YOU ELBOW ME, I ELBOW YOU
what goes up? its coming around. attacking that new kid. initiation round one is the score and the outcome is defeat. fuck your sacred club in which we chose to compete. i wont compete. we learn from those who come before us. hopefully, we learn from thier mistakes. fuck you. heres for four years of laughing behind my back and fuck you. heres for four years of nothing to my face. i remember when you used to matter (to me). WHEN I FIRST STARTED GOING TO PUNK AND HARDCORE SHOWS, LIKE MOST NEW KIDS IN THE SCENE, I DIDNT KNOW ANYONE AND I COULD HAVE REALLY USED A FRIEND. INSTEAD I GOT NOTHING. TO MY FACE PEOPLE IGNORED ME AND BEHIND MY BACK THEY LAUGHED UNTIL THEIR BELLIES HURT. THIS SONG IS FOR JODY, WHO IS NOW A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, BUT AT ONE TIME SERVED AS THE PARTIAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS SONG.

A NEW ANTHEM FOR THE T-SHIRT REVOLUTION
riot! just another fucking word meant to make us think were something more. more than just another punk band. more than just another pop fan. youd like to think so. we are all guilty. raise your banners and fly your flags. make sure we know where you stand. it is just a "reaction reaction reaction" to society from a community that wants to believe were so different from you. take a look at yourself to see what youve done to make this world a better place. nothing. have we done nothing? just take a look at the stickers and tshirts and patches that attempt to cover our state of inaction. the presses are busy, but the movement is dead. the movement is dead. (quote=akarso) WE WEAR THE TSHIRTS, SEW ON THE PATCHES, AND COVER OUR STUFF WITH THE STICKERS, BUT WHAT DOES THAT ACCOMPLISH? ANYONE CAN SEW ON A PATCH, BUT IT TAKES SOMEONE SPECIAL TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE. THINK OF THIS SONG AS A SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WHO IS ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING. FROM FOOD NOT BOMBS TO THE FREE MUMIA MOVEMENT TO EVERYONE WHO WAS OUT GETTING ARRESTED IN SEATTLE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. MAYBE SOMEDAY WE WILL PICK UP THE SLACK (MYSELF INCLUDED).

5,6,7,8
lock me up in a cage, so i can tell it to you from first hand. lock you up in a cage so you know just how it feels, yea, just how it feels. another baby born and died for amusement and you dont get it. slave labor leads straight to death camp. "this song tells the story. architypical. the fate of the bastard. then one day her trainer struck her. she freaked out and took revenge." i will not pay to sit and watch them die. AS MUCH AS I LIKE TO SEE ANIMALS, I CAN NOT JUSTIFY THE ZOO OR THE CIRCUS. SURE THEY LOOK CUTE, BUT THINK ABOUT THE LIFE THEYRE LIVING. THAT CAGE IS ALL THEY KNOW. THAT IS THEIR WORLD. AND THEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEM PRESERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES, HOW MANY BABIES BORN IN CAPTIVITY ACTUALLY SURVIVE? (the part of this song thats in quotations was taken from a song by man is the bastarad called "tyke." i hope they dont mind.)

BONES AND BLENDERS
there it is, you can see it, those are the teeth marks and i can blame no one but you for the brusies. what can be colder than snow? you are my mood swings. you are my ups and my downs. theyre black and theyre blue and theyre getting tighter and now you can not lift up your arms. in an attempt to better yourself you have cut out all the bones. my heart has found a new home. TEETH. BONES. BITING. CRUSHING. I DONT KNOW. MAYBE ITS TIME FOR YOU TO THINK FOR YOURSELF. WHAT DO THESE WORDS MEAN TO YOU?

JEREMY CANT HACK IT
hey. this is for you. this is from you. this is the letter i could not send because i told you that i wouldnt be this way. but its hard and it hurts and i dont want to be remembered by a promise that i couldnt keep. (dont tell me theres nothing there) i dont want to be john cusack (dont tell me there never was) standing there with the radio in the air. it was a crime that it took me so long to tell you about the diamonds in your eyes and it was a crime that it took me five months (it took me so long) to let you inside my mind. this is what i was avoiding. this is what i was avoiding. this is why i was how i was. THIS SONG "BORROWS" SOME PHRASES FROM THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION AND ITS ABOUT THE PERSON WHO TURNED ME ON TO THEM. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

"WE DONT WRITE SONGS, WE WRITE HITS"
hey hit maker, where has the feeling gone? when was it that the royalty replaced the love, replaced the song? hey hitmaker? whats your guarentee? i hear its shot up like a skyrocket rising so fast passing two (no) three. wheres it gone? who stole the feeling? wheres it gone? who stole the soul? wheres it gone? who stole everything that ever meant anything to everyone who built that pedastal and held you up. "lets clap for the cash now!" this is my corporate boycott of a growing trend. "its pointless to play if youre not getting paid." youre not rocking out, youre cashing in. "its pointless to play if youre not getting paid." and so you go for the gold and so you shoot for the greed and crush those who get in your way cuz "its pointless to play if youre not getting paid." PEOPLE ARE MAKING MONEY OFF OF PUNK ROCK. SOME PEOPLE ARE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY. SOME PEOPLE ARE EXPLOITING THE PUNK AND HARDCORE COMMUNITY TO FINANCE THEIR ROCK STAR LIGESTYLES. THERE IS NO ROOM IN THIS SCENE FOR THESE PEOPLE, BANDS, LABELS, DISTRIBUTORS, PROMOTERS, OR ANYONE ELSE WHO IS "SLUMMING IT" IN THE PUNK SCENE JUST TO GET THEIR PIECE OF OUR COMMUNITYS PIE. ALL THE QUOTES WERE EITHER SAID OR SUNG BY THE MEMBERS OF BRAID/HEY MERCEDEES AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER, BUT NO, THIS SONG IS NOT ABOUT THEM. OR IS IT? WHY DO YOU CARE?

AND STUPID IS BETTER THAN SPINELESS
i just want to hide under my hood and make burritos till the sun comes out till my toes and your nose begin to thaw. and when the sun comes out the kids will shout do you know how much you mean to me? you may never know till im comfortable. ONE OF MY MAJOR CHARACTER FLAWS IS THAT I HAVE DIFFICULTY TELLING PEOPLE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO ME. I COULDNT SURVIVE A DAY WITHOUT MY FRIENDS AND ITS ABOUT TIME I LET THEM KNOW. THIS SONG TITLE WAS STOLEN FROM A LINE IN A ZINE BY MATT KIRK. WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE MATT.

"TEAR DOWN THE POWER LINES"
baseball bat, not quicker than a bb gun but with a flip of a switch we could get them both done. out with the lights. cuz its time we enjoy the night. because "the night time is the best time" for life. because the night time is the only time for us to enjoy these stars so lets take up arms to remove these bars and set beauty free. i can not see the heavens thanks to your neon sign and i can not see the heavens, the glow has made us blind. HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED UP AT THE SKY AND SEEN NOTHING? NOTHING BUT BLACK AND A FAINT RED GLOW CREATED BY THE OVER ABUNDANCE OF LIGHTS IN THE CITY. ITS ABOUT TIME THAT WE GET TO SEE THE MOON, THE STARS AND THE PLANETS IN ALL THEIR GLORY. ITS ABOUT TIME WE TAKE BACK THE NIGHT. THE TITLE OF THIS SONG COMES FROM A JOHN BROWN BATTERY LYRIC AND THE PORTIONS OF THE LYRICS THAT ARE IN QUOTES WERE BORROWED FROM INK AND DAGGER.

THE INSTRUMENTAL
the phone drops the heart stops and i cant believe it. to imagine i wont see that smile again. and last words, fuck last words, theyre nothing if your life didnt say shit. so how was i? who am i? i wish i could kiss that cheek one more time. were all dying. were all dying to live. were already dead. i still miss you and i always will. tears smear the ink of lines in a book and i said nothing as you were laid to rest. will it be the same? can it be the same? wont it be the same? itll never be the same? i wouldnt want it that way. so long. maybe someday well meet again. we will meet again. we all are already dead. DEATH WAS NEVER REAL TO ME UNTIL RECENTLY. SURE, ITS IN THE MOVIES AND IN THE NEWS, BUT UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO, NO ONE CLOSE TO ME HAD PASSED AWAY. THIS SONG IS DEDICATED TO EUGENE JOHN RUDNIK SR, THE 80+ YEARS HE SPENT ON THE EARTH AND TO THE COUNTLESS PEOPLE WHOS LIVES HE TOUCHED. GRANDPA, YOU ARE MISSED MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW.



CAN YOU WALK SINGLE FILE?
one foot in the classroom. one foot in the grave. one foot in the classroom. one foot in the grave. nineteen years of preparation it all comes down to this. all steps lead to the next step which leads to college which will prepare you for life. or was it death that my professors lectured about as they engraved professions into my brain. if you do this and you do that success and money will fall in your lap and then youre trapped and there is no going back. one foot in the classroom. one foot in the grave. one foot in the classroom. one foot in the grave. LOOKING BACK ON IT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT UPSETS ME MOST ABOUT MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WAS THE WAY THAT MANY OF MY PROFESSORS WERE FOCUSED ON TRAINING US FOR WHAT WED BE DOING IN THE "REAL WORLD" AS OPPOSED TO TEACHING US INFORMATION THAT COULD BE USED IN A WIDER VARIETY OF SITUATIONS. THEY OFTEN SEEMED SO FOCUSED ON GETTING US JOBS THAT THEY FORGOT WHAT THEY WERE TEACHING. THERES MORE TO EDUCATION THAN LANDING A "GOOD" JOB AND MAKING A TON OF MONEY. DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO BE HAPPY.

FORGET YOUR PAIN AND CUT TO THE REFRAIN
when i walked in the phone was ringing thats when i knew they knew i fucked up. when i walked in the phone was ringing thats when i knew they knew i fucked up. im a slave. im a slave. im a slave and i know it. im a slave. im a slave. im a slave and i dont care. im a slave. im a slave. im a slave and i know it and i know it but i dont care. (i havent quite figured out this part yet) nine to five sounds like a nightmarish time line but how does noon to eight make you any less dead? nine to five sounds like a nightmarish timeline but how does eight to six make me any less dead? how does noon to eight make you any less how does eight to six make me any less how does two to ten make us any less dead? seven days on the spinning cycle. seven days on the roulette wheel. seven ways id love to tell you to fuck off and go to hell. I WORK TOO MUCH AND I KNOW IT. IM A SLAVE TO THE MACHINE AND IVE COME TO ACCEPT IT. I DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO BE ABLE TO DO WHATEVER I WANT THE REST OF THE TIME. ID LOVE TO LIVE A LIFE FREE OF PUNCHING IN AND CLOCKING OUT, BUT FOR NOW IM DOING WHAT IVE GOT TO DO. MAYBE SOMEDAY ILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO ESCAPE THIS CYCLE, BUT UNTIL THEN ILL KEEP CHUGGING AWAY, CLOCKING IN THE HOURS IN ANTICIPATION OF MY HALF HOUR LUNCH BREAK, THE END OF THE DAY, OR THE DAY I FINALLY GET TO SAY "SO LONG, FUCK OFF, FARWELL" TO EACH AND EVERY BOSS I HAVE EVER HAD.

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE, SOLD....
im not a puppet. im not a pawn. not to be kicked in the back or spit upon. cuz this shit is larger. this shit is real. this shit is life and its my life you steal. conditioned from day one to accept their idea of fun. to accept their idea of goals. to accept being bought and sold. i will not accept your life. im holding on to what is mine because i reject your values. i reject your goals. i reject your system and i reject being bought and sold to the highest bidder. cuz im not a puppet im not a pawn... if youve got nothing youve got nothing to lose. and if youve got nothing to lose youve already won. youve already won! IN CASE YOU HAVENT NOTICED THIS SONG AND THE TWO ABOVE IT ALL TEND TO FOCUS ON A COMMON THEME. THAT THEME IS WORK. WORK IS WHAT I DO RIGHT NOW. SINCE SEPTEMBER IT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL I HAVE DONE. ITS SICK AND WHATS EVEN MORE DISGUSTING IS THAT PEOPLE DO THIS DAY AFTER DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR UNTIL THEY CANT DO IT ANYMORE. I DONT WANT TO BE THEM. IM NOT GOING TO WORK DAY IN DAY OUT FOR SOME CORPORATION JUST BECAUSE THEY OFFER ME THE MOST MONEY. IF YOUVE GOTTA WORK 40+ HOURS A WEEK, IT HAD BETTER BE SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. THOSE ARE WORDS TO LIVE AND DIE BY.


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