[Clicks and Coliseums] (Verse 1) The front page is bleeding in crimson and black Another city in ruins, another attack Starving children under a merciless sun A catastrophe corporate web pages run But why are the columns so heavy with dread? Why must the headline taste of the dead? Because our brains are wired to hunt for the threat And fear buys the clicks that the advertisers get. (Chorus) If it bleeds, then it leads to the top The law of the cynical world will not stop Give us terror and famine, destruction and grief While the good news is buried and dies for relief We want to be shaken from morning to night 'Cause misery sells when it feeds on our fright. (Verse 2) But flip through the pages, and what do you see? A five-column spread on some sports dynasty A midfielder's ankle, a strain and a tear While thousands are dying in bombs over there Why is the stadium treated like grace? More vital than wars on the human race? It’s bread and coliseums for the modern-day crowd A shield from the screams that are crying too loud. [scream and crying, guitar solo] (Chorus) If it bleeds, then it leads to the top The law of the cynical world will not stop Give us terror and famine, destruction and grief While the good news is buried and dies for relief We want to be shaken from morning to night 'Cause misery sells when it feeds on our fright. (Bridge) We can’t bear the weight of a world on its knees So we drown out the suffering with MVP streaks It’s easier to weep for a trophy that’s lost Than to look at the rubble and reckon the cost We swallow the panic, then check on the score And numb the awareness of what's at the door. (Outro) Click on the horror, stare at the screen. Then check the standings... and wash yourself clean. Next story. The circus goes on.
