We let their lies influence our lives Subtle reflections in the tv screen Glowing static telling us stupid things Defining what is beautiful The magazines tell us how to think Defining what is normal and exceptional Movies defining how we should dream Neighbors defining how we should compete Little whispers in the dark saying That what we should be praying for Is the beginning of wealth And not the end of all wars Is the brand new digital device Not intelligence, compassion, and wisdom Our vices have us locked up In separate cells we call homes Programmed little sacs of flesh Sick circuit boards in a city of consumption Spasms of flickering images Broken billboards beating down our brain Till the young ones learn the same lessons And they perpetuate it with their own **** Their subtle social cues Their cruel attitudes Their blatant statement The art of exclusion Weeding out what makes us wonderfully different To create more carbon copies That fade and fade Till the carbon copies turn into blank pages