BAD RELIGION / GENERATOR
1992 - Epitaph Records
1.Generator
2.Too Much To Ask
3.No Direction
4.Tomorrow
5.Two Babies In The Dark
6.Heaven Is Falling
7.Atomic Garden
8.The Answer
9.Fertile Crescent
10.Chimaera
11.Only Entertainment
GENERATOR
like a rock, like a planet, like a fucking atom bomb, i'll remain unperturbed by the joy
and the madness that i encounter everywhere i turn, i've seen it all before, in books
and magazines, like a twitch before dying, like a pornographic sea, there's a flower
behind the window, there's an ugly laughing man, like a hummingbird in silence, like
the blood on my door, it's the generator oh yeah, oh yeah, like the blood on my door,
wash me clean and i will run until i reach the shore, i've known it all along like the
bone under my skin, like actors in a photograph, like paper in the wind, there's a
hammer by the window, there's a knife on the floor, like turbines in darkness, like
the blood on my door, it's the generator
TOO MUCH TO ASK
a refreshing plunge, a drink of palatable water, a deep inspiration on a warm
summer day, a safe stroll in a middle of the road community, a neighbour who in
times of need will not turn away, i ain't no politician, i am a citizen, and i wonder if i'm
living too far out of bounds community protection, rehabilitation, police that serve
without legitimate right to maim, global awareness, ecological guilt, cultural and
environmental awakening, i ain't no optimist, i try to be a realist, and i think that
we're living too far out of bounds, is it too much to ask? could it be the earth is
shrinking?, i can see the walls closing in, no one can take much for granted
anymore remote control, three cars for every family, corruption at the expense of
the simple majority, a violent clash, a plunder of the third world, any wretched ploy
that bolsters our economy, i ain't no blind supporter, i'm a conscious citizen, and i
know that we're living too far out of bounds, is it too much to ask? could we keep
the earth from sinking?, i'm not taking nothing for granted anymore
NO DIRECTION
a sullen figure walks along a dusty road, his life was holy and he couldn't bear the
load, he left his people and simple life behind, he raised his torso and looked into
the sky, shouting his questions, looking for directions, "what do i do now?" now a
confused schoolgirl stares at the t.v. tray, the stresses of maturing compound every
day, she glances up to see her favorite video, and gets ideas from madonna's nasty
clothes, in need of affection, she craves a direction, her heroes offer her,
everyone's looking for something, and they assume somebody else knows what it is,
no one can live without the decisions of their own, it seems so they look to
someone else, to tell them what to do, tell'em what to wear, tell'em what to say,
tell'em how to act and think and compel others compulsively until the world is all
like them a righteous student came and asked me to reflect, he judged my lifestyle
was politically incorrect, i don't believe in self important folks who preach, no bad
religion song can make your life complete, prepare for rejection, you'll get no
direction from me, you'll get no direction from me
TOMORROW
every day we profit so, leaning towards the great unknown, asking how it pertains to
tomorrow aim for places we've not been, trample paths that go between, yesterdays
foundations and tomorrow it's the way they say it's got to be, we spear ahead and
forge our destiny, who do the represent?, who do you believe?, make a sound
decision for others to heed try to set a faster pace, try to build a master race, one
that will make a contribution to tomorrow it's the way they say it's got to be, we put
aside our fears and make history, the clothes are in the dryer and the writing is on
the wall we're doing everything we can stop this fall everyday we profit so, leaning
towards the great unknown
TWO BABIES IN THE DARK
there's a light on in the hallway, so i can't understand, why you hide underneath the
cover, there's a baby in your womb, so don't be scared tonight, because raggedy
ann is in the closet picking posies, two babies in the dark, like diamonds in the
sand, while papa's far away making up children's stories the little one's inside, so
afraid to be alone, she's trying to be brave until the daddy comes home so if you
chance to see her, please tell her it's alright, 'cause everyone fights the tendency
to snap, sometimes it's not a matter of being brave and strong, 'cause noises in the
house are terrifying, i'll put you to sleep at night, like a foreign movie, i'll sing
lullabies, and i'll teach you about everything, and i'll only ask one thing, please save
me
HEAVEN IS FALLING
as i walk beneath the valley, i shall fear no evil, for thanks to king george and his
rainbow cabinet, today murder is legal god i know that it's wrong, to kill my brother
for what he hasn't done, and as the planes blacken the sky, it sounds like heaven is
falling, it sounds like heaven is falling, you promised me a new day a dawning i've
seen a thousand points of light, like so many points of hatred, shame and horror god
i want to be a man, but i don't want to die with a rifle in my hand, and as the planes
blacken.... well nothing here looks new to me, but a score of mothers 'sons, caught
'tween the devil and the deep blue sea
ATOMIC GARDEN
everybody wants do dance in a playpen, but nobody wants to play in my garden. i
see the hippies on an angry line, guess they don't get my meaning, i'm enchanted by
the birds in my blossoms, i'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend, i like the
forth of july, when bombs start flashing, and i wish i had a shiny red top, a bugle with
a big brass bell would cheer me up, or maybe something bigger that could really go
pop! so i could make the gardening stop come out to play, come out to play, and
we'll pretend it's christmas day in my atomic garden all my scientists are working on
a deadline, so my psychologist is working day and nighttime, they say they know
what's best for me, but they don't know what they're doing, and i'm glad i'm not
gorbachev, 'cause i'd wiggle all night, like jelly in a pot, at least he's got a garden
with a fertile plot, and a party that will never stop, i hope there's nothing wrong out
there, i'm watching from my room inside my room
THE ANSWER
long ago in a dusty village, full of hunger, pain and strife, a man came forth with a
vision of truth, and the way to a better life, he was convinced he had the answer,
and he compelled people to follow along, but the hunger never vanished, and the
man was banished, and the village dried up and died, at a time when wise men
peered, through brass tubes toward the sky, the heavens changed in predictable
ways, and one man was able to find, that he had thought he found the answer, and
he was quick to write his revelation, but as they were scrutinized in his colleagues
eyes, he soon became a mockery, don't tell me about the answer, 'cause then
another one will come along soon, i don't believe you have the answer, i've got
ideas too, but if you've got enough naivite, and you've got conviction, then the
answer is perfect for you an urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge,
overwhelmed by industry, inclined toward charity, everyone's begging for an
answer, without regard validity, the searching never ends, it goes on and on and on
for eternity
FERTILE CRESCENT
come and see the brilliant light, don't let your emotions mask your sight, it's the
manifestation of a deeper fight, that affects me and you, my optimism was running
high, a new world order was on my mind, but i couldn't believe it when i heard them
say, they're blowing it away, and the fertile crescent is burning today, and baby my
emotions are too, the cradle of humanity has led us all astray, and we're all in this
together don't you know, 'cause our species has nowhere else to go aggression
rears it's ugly head, retaliation brings further dread, the two are linked by unseen
threads, that wind back through time, i don't agree with this outdated trend,
nationalism is an evil friend, but hatred is instilled by invisible lines, drawn in our
minds, and the fertile crescent is haunting us today, and bay our instincts are too,
the ghost of humanity is warning us this way and i think that we all should heed it
don't you know, 'cause we've got nowhere else to go
CHIMAERA
you took a time bomb, and a case of crackers, and you made a maelstrom of organic
debris, then you took a work bench, and a rusty anvil, and you polished them for
everyone to see, you have created an unhealthy monster, but you're nowhere but
nowhere to be found, so i guess i'll just cope with my provisions, from now until the
day they lay me down you took a baboon, and made him perfect, you took a lion, and
stripped him of his pride, then you took a million more varieties, a scalpel and a
sartory, and you stitched up a horrible surprise, you have created an unsocial
monster, and you're searched for all over the globe, and most believe that things
would sure be better, if you'd come down here and tell us what you know who is to
blame for this? someone tell me please, his handiwork is flawed, and it's there for
all to see, mutations, aberrations and blatant anomalies, they multiply and give rise
to this...monstrosity, you took the most abundant smallest bits of matter, and you
instilled them with affinity, and then you stratified accumulations, weeded out bad
variations, and blended up your unique recipe, you have created a powerful
monster, with direction and purpose all its own, and if you were here, would things
be any different? or are you just a mosaic of thoughts alone?
ONLY ENTERTAINMENT
transfixated on the big blue screen, it's your window to the outside, a melancholy
dream, a medium upon which you build reality, this episodic currency, that
everybody needs somebody's delivery lulls you to sleep, the man behind the
weather map, the editor in chief, they control two worlds, power and disease, and
you cannot suppress your curiosity but see it's only entertainment, superficial
urgency, posterboard mentality, only entertainment, tightly constrained, the buzz
that remains, is the story of how we run our lives many are the people poor and
suffering, from the lack of coverage, from the transmission beam, and if it ever gets
here, you'll be offended too, 'cause you cannot distinguish, chicanery from truth,
see it's only entertainment, a superficial episode, as life continues to unfold, only
entertainment, controlled an copied, they've planted the seed, that sprouts into
your picture of the world, can't someone protect me (turn away, turn away), from this
electron beam, hey you, mr.fcc, have you no advice for me?
email me if you have any lyrics, pics, ideas and/or suggestions