The glory of the warriors has disappeared.
It has vanished like smoke through a keyhole.
Glory goes to the one with the most power.
The warriors are now the ones I pass on my way to the top.
But it is said that those you pass on the way to top are the ones you see again on your way back down.
Trust me, I am no warrior.
But mark my words.
When I climb to the top, I am never coming back down.

Hate is such a strong word.

But a weakling like me needs some strength.

I can hear the birds chirping loud on this morning.
I hear them chirp from tree tops, traffic stops, outlet shops, and until their lungs pop.
Their chirping is a sign.
It's a conveying message.
It capitalizes on the dualities of hope and inspiration.

These birds fly every single day.
They remind me of my mother.
She went day after day caring for us after my father left.
She never stopped, much like this bird I see above me.

These birds chirp to find other birds.
It reminds me of my friend Rick.
Rick was a struggling alcoholic who always pushed people away.
But one day, that changed like the tides.
Rick realized what his life was amounting to, and changed.
He saw life for better, and he reached a helping hand out to anyone who needed it.
He'd give you the shirt off his back even if you had 20 to spare.
I remember the first day I met Rick, he offered to pay for my movie ticket.
Man, how fast two years has gone by without you here.

These birds I watch from my window, they never look sad.
I wish I could put on that facade.
I wonder how truly happy one must be if they're happy all the time.
I know some people who are happy all the time.
Or atleast they act that way.
I just feel like they are drowning, but they don't want to bother people by saying, "save me."
Birds can fly away, so people would think they wouldn't need saved.
But what happens when a bird flies out too far over the ocean?
Who can hear its cries then?

These birds, they're pretty cool.
And I'm probably not pretty cool for calling birds pretty cool.
But when it comes down to it, birds are warriors.
They can see what other's can't view, fly where other's can't reach, and sing unlike any other creature.

Many people go through life trying to be a strong valiant warrior.

And birds can do it on a Thursday morning without even breaking a sweat.

I watched them go swimming one day.
They were ok at best, but they kept trying.
Backstrokes and breaststrokes, repeat and more.
I watch from the sidelines as they laugh and cry and share their happiness.
I can hear them shouting, but I can't make it out.
It sounds like a cry for help.

But it's funny, I'm the one who's drowning.
They're the ones standing three feet away shouting "Learn how to swim".

I was never the most handsome thing to look at.
I never had nerves of steel or confidence of a God.
I never had the best financial situation.
Or the best hair.
I never had the physique of a male weight-lifter.
Or football player.
Or dancer.
Or even ping pong player.
I never knew how to capitalize on opportunities like other guys did.
I never knew how to stand comfortably in my own shoes.
I always seemed to mess up.
To botch my words.
Ruin the moment.
Poison the air with my disappointing appearance.
I never had my emotions figured out.
I never seemed to enjoy a day of happiness.
Because I was too far lost in sadness.
I lost my forest through the trees.
I never even had a forest.
I never had a place where seeds of hope could grow into trees of glory.
Where my legacy could live on forever.
Where my love could rejuvenate even the sickest of souls.
I never had an opportunity to show what my love really could do.
But I always had love to give.
Too bad I never had anyone in line who wanted to receive it.

Fight, you've got to fight.
Give it all you've got.
You've got to fight, you might just fall.
Let this fill your thoughts.
Give the oxygen masks to the children in black.
Tell them to have their fun.
Blind them with your magic tricks.
But never blind them like the sun.
Never fail to amaze.
It's your job to hold the habit.
Your pedestal holds the strength.
Oh every single bit of it.
You feed the discontented mouths with every single sound.
You're the voice of the voiceless no doubt.
Feed them words, feed them truth.
Give them the words to shout.
The chalk outlines fill the streets.
The kids fill the army.
Seven nations could never cease.
The things that those kids tell me.
They want it all.
They're tired of the wait.
Impatience would be a silly thing.
To use as their bait.
Look at them, they're so proud.
They feel they've done it all.
They live to fight, and fight to live.
But they'll never live to fall.
The kids in black love the thrill of attack.
They love to watch it unfold.
They sit back, relax, and watch the destruction.
They never do as they're told.
"Slave to the Grind, Slave to the Grind!"
They'll never have enough.
Those kids in black, with their oxygen masks.
Are the up-most kind of tough.
Their courage reaches beyond our borders.
It overpowers mankind.
Oxygen-masked kids in black shout:
"Slave to the Grind! Slave to the Grind!"

You know, life is pretty funny.
Even laugh provocative, to say.
The game that we play, where the rules constantly change.
You know, the one where we constantly miss who player 2 is.
Don't say a word, let me count the days.
Tick tock, there goes another.
Down, around, and back again.
My, my, one of our talks helps, my friend.
We fall on our backs, so we may witness our rise.
Don't you get it? It's hidden behind your beautiful brown eyes.
You know, that game that we play together?
The one that ticks by, just as the days tick down.
My old man once told me you learn to play the game after awhile.
A slap in the face and 10 bucks become the same.
You know they are not your destiny.
You're something bigger.
Something brighter than the sun, babe.
Don't change for me, change for yourself.
No matter what I do, it shouldn't affect your view.
Don't tell me what you would've done,or what you should've done, tell me what you already did.
You know, I'm not going to be the pretender.
Oh, and you should know, I will never surrender.
But in this world, you either play the game, or change it.
You know what they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
And if you can't make it here, welcome to the club.