[Verse 1] States act in their interest That has always been true Pressure bends the boundary But the boundary still holds Agreements are not perfect They were never designed to be They exist to limit damage Not eliminate it [Pre-Chorus] If the system holds It is because we hold it If the system breaks It is because we chose it [Chorus] This is how it works Not how it is written Rules require restraint Not belief in perfection Stated or not They only exist if enforced Others will follow What we choose to ignore [Verse 2] The argument is familiar Threat justifies response Scale justifies method Urgency justifies process But the rule is not tested When it is easy to follow It is tested in moments Where breaking it feels justified [Pre-Chorus] Delay increases risk Process creates exposure But process is the barrier Between action and collapse [Chorus] This is how it works Not how it is written Rules require restraint Not belief in perfection Stated or not They only exist if enforced Others will follow What we choose to ignore [Bridge] Panama was not approved Iraq was not contained Those were fractures Not permission Outcomes do not legitimize The method used to reach them Each exception expands What comes next [Final Section] Order is not natural It is maintained And once abandoned It does not return the same [Outro] This is not new It is what we built Imperfect, negotiated, held together And this administration is fucking destroying it
