After the Flags

«But still it moves» I heard you cry
Matters of fact attract, with time to bide
Thread sisters stay on my side
Heavy headed when we collide
Ten sounds at once reverberate
Coin-operations self-sustain in a cloud
Compulsion caught will penetrate
«Come on son do your country proud!»
Lead us down to the ocean
And wash our hands of campaigns for the self-assured
Fading white in surrender
And weary from the beating sun that blinds you
Take a hit for catharsis
Take a hit for them all
After the flags they’re selling off the wall
I wanna die for a reason
I wanna kill for a cause
Before they fall
The fall won’t kill but it’s gonna hurt
And for a moment clear the haze from your eyes
To redefine the lines of flesh and dirt
A sudden tenderness, viscera surprise
Dressed in red to mourn the dead
6 o’clock, do you watch just to wince at this?
Eyes are wide; we have been misled
And now you face the modern synthesis
Straighten out your fiction
As means to ends and ends to meaning guide you
Take a hit for catharsis
Take a hit for them all
After the flags they’re selling off the wall
I wanna die for a reason
I wanna kill for a cause
After the flags I’m nobody at all
Take a hit for catharsis
Take a hit for them all
After the flags they’re selling off the wall
If I can reach you with reason
You say it’s time for a fall
After the flags you’re nobody at all