Bought And Sold

[Intro: Filthy Drop A riff, distorted banjo, pounding drums. Instrumental.] [Verse 1: Gritty midrange post grunge singing. Sarcastic, aggressive rhythmic delivery. No rap.] Shake your hand, kiss your ring Sell the country for anything Golden doors, backroom deals While the working man foots the bill Smile for the cameras, wave to the crowd Tell them you're humble, say it real loud Brand new suit and a million dollar grin Funny how broke you were before you got in Private jet, private chef, private meeting with a donor Public speech about the struggle from a multimillionaire owner Taxpayer funded dinners, five star rooms and fancy cars Then you tell a single mother she should learn to live within her means [Pre-Chorus: Forceful gritty singing. Rising guitars and drums.] You shake our hands Then take your cut You promise change And change absolutely nothing [Chorus: Explosive hard rock. Crushing guitars, pounding drums, huge raspy sustained vocals.] BOUGHT AND SOLD That's the price of your vote Another hand in your pocket While they're grabbing your throat BOUGHT AND SOLD Every favor has a fee They call it public service But the public pays to bleed [Verse 2A: Aggressive rhythmic rock singing. Tight, forceful phrasing. No rap.] Promises made of paper and air Signed in ink that was never there They campaign hard, they campaign loud Then disappear soon as they're crowned A handshake, a contract, a favor, a fee A lobbyist gets what the voters won't see A bill gets amended, a loophole appears A company profits for twenty more years [Verse 2B: Brief venomous technical rap. Same gritty male voice. Accelerate into double time. No trap.] Committee, subcommittee, meeting after meeting Everybody gets a paycheck while the working class is bleeding Take a trip, make a deal, put a cousin on the payroll Call it public interest while you're padding out the bankroll [Pre-Chorus: Return to powerful gritty rock singing. Guitars surge.] You shake our hands Then take your cut You promise change And change absolutely nothing [Chorus: Massive melodic hard rock. Crushing guitars, powerful raspy sustained vocals.] BOUGHT AND SOLD That's the price of your vote Another hand in your pocket While they're grabbing your throat BOUGHT AND SOLD Every favor has a fee They call it public service But the public pays to bleed [Instrumental Break: Vicious Drop A riff, distorted banjo, industrial percussion.] [Bridge: Mocking gritty rock singing. Sinister groove, gradually rising intensity. No rap.] Oh, congratulations on another four years Another round of speeches, another round of cheers Another taxpayer vacation, another donor on the phone Another politician crying that they can't afford a home But somehow there's a mansion Somehow there's a yacht Somehow every public servant Has a little more than they ought [Bridge Rise: Heavier guitars and drums. Furious rhythmic rock singing.] You can audit every worker, count the pennies that they make But the money in your own account is nobody's business to take You can lecture us on sacrifice from the comfort of your chair Then vote yourself another raise and tell us life ain't fair [Build: Machine gun rhythmic rock singing, not rap. Increasing intensity. Final lines explode.] Take the check, make the call Write the bill, sell us all Smile again, shake that hand Sell another piece of land Pocket full of promises Mouth full of lies LOOK WHO'S GETTING RICH WHILE EVERYBODY PAYS THE PRICE! [Final Chorus: Maximum power. Crushing guitars, arena drums, soaring gritty sustained vocals.] BOUGHT AND SOLD That's the price of your vote Another hand in your pocket While they're grabbing your throat BOUGHT AND SOLD Every favor has a fee They call it public service But the public pays to bleed [Final Chorus Extension: Strongest raspy rock vocals. Full band intensity.] BOUGHT AND SOLD Hand in hand Pockets lined across the land Special interests run the show While the rest of us drown below [Outro: Heavy guitar groove. Cold sarcastic gritty singing. Hard final stop.] Bought and sold Bought and sold Funny how the people never see the gold [End]