[Verse 1] There is a hallway lined with mirrors At each end a man insists The shadow moved before he did And both swear they saw it shift [Verse 2] Somewhere tonight a general draws a line On a map worn thin by hands A hundred certain men before him Marked the borders of the sand [Chorus] The desert doesn't choose a side It waits beneath the sun The desert doesn't choose a side It waits when all is done [Verse 3] They call it pride, they call it power They call the red line strength Words that dress the unthinkable In a suit and measured length A mother folds the laundry With the radio held near In Tehran, in Ohio Same small room, the same old fear [Chorus] The desert doesn't choose a side It waits beneath the sun The desert doesn't choose a side It waits when all is done [Bridge] We count the missiles, count the reasons Like the sum could bring them home No flag survives the fire it starts Ash falls quiet, ash falls alone [Verse 4] Ships move out, the borders tighten Men discuss what's on the table But the table's made of kitchens And the cost is never stable Tension gathers drop by drop A headline, then another Till the water starts to boil And nobody can name the hour [Chorus] The desert doesn't choose a side It waits beneath the sun The desert doesn't choose a side It waits when all is done [Outro] The sky doesn't remember Whose war it was It waits for the smoke to clear And waits And waits [Gang Vocal Mantra] It waits — it waits No one wins — it waits It waits — it waits The sky forgets — it waits
