Us silly racers still think the race starts at the line drawn in the sand We wait for the starter’s pistol while they are jumping the timekeeper’s hand We don’t realize the hurdles have been removed from some of the lanes The winners long ago reserved their place on the podium and it’s all been in vain. While we say it’s always been done the righteous way the cheaters took the prize and strolled away The rules of the game have changed It seems that they’ve been thrown away They tell each other "placate don’t play and you’ll have your day" Never had to earn their place Now they have the nerve to brag and waive their laurels in our face Us foolish gymnasts wake up early and put in hard workouts before the dawn Drill routines and watch our diets while they grease the judges’ palms Our routines have power and strength, grace and fluidity but by the barest margins the judges throw out the whole contest’s validity The audience gasps and the announcers are stunned And now they ask why we don’t smile for the cameras and say we had fun They run free while we’re harnessed with dope in their veins But we’ve got to run harder and make them let go of our reins The rules of the game have changed It seems that they’ve been thrown away They tell each other "placate don’t play and you’ll have your day" Never had to earn their place Now they have the nerve to brag and waive their medals in our face We crazy linemen built a culture of accountability and sacrifice for the team Hours of practice and playbooks and hard sweat in the gym After the coin toss it’s clear the other team intends only dirty play The zebras swallow their whistles and selectively look away Despite it all, with tenacity we push the trenches the length of the field only to find the goalposts have moved because of the referees’ backroom deal And now they dare us to stop a game rigged from the very top The rules of the game have changed It seems that they’ve been thrown away They tell each other "placate don’t play and you’ll have your day" Never had to earn their place Now they have the nerve to brag and waive their trophies in our face No, we won’t pledge loyalty to the referee just for a place on the podium a place on the podium
