C
[Verse 1]
C
Someone told a story about a man who'd lived through Hell
Dm F G
And stumbled, orphaned, to his home, to find the servants living well
C C
And how they welcomed him like family as they plotted out some deed
Dm F G
To kill him in his sleep and stay to satisfy their greed
F Ab C
I thought of who it is whose story gets remembered in the end
Dm F G
And through how many careful tellings does one practice their defense
F Ab C
Some nuances the narrator selectively omits
Dm F G
Or ones collective memory is destined to forget
[Chorus]
F C
Yeah, we make decisions that account for the worlds that we live in
F C
We make explanations that amount to the ones we envision
F C
It isn't just the horror of the way he killed those kids
Dm F G
But the way the tale was told explained away the deed he did
F Ab C
You know that everybody needs a place to live
[Verse 2]
C C
You show your willfulness to ignorance with the council that you give
Dm F G
The testimonial performances belie the lies you've lived
C C
Another actor on the podium feels slighted by the way
Dm F G
And abstractions been amended on some broken, bygone days
F Ab C
Yeah but these politics have victims, they get stuck there in the space
Dm F G
Between the weight of great ideals and the narratives they shape
F Ab C
It wasn't you there with the handgun, but your fax machine and pen
Dm F G
Your personal computer, and your business acumen
[Chorus]
F C
Appeal to a notion that we all deserve what we can reach for
F
That what sits in your sight is a God-given right, yes
C G
In spite of the slights you can't speak for
F C
Sees fairness as a function of the rules that you can't bend
Dm F G
Takes action over nothing but the naked will to win
