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Everywhere you looked there was confusion, violence, drama and drugs
So many righteous revolutionaries spouting Utopian love
Everyone shrouded in purple haze
Then one day they woke up from their dream state
They found themselves no more at peace than before
Older, meek, and conformed
Empty causes
A bluster for the soul, a fix for their mind
Empty causes
Cling to everything you find
Well, the shots rang out like popcorn
And the Chief was hit and rushed out of sight
The Mohawk-chain, leather brigade rejoiced maliciously on that night
Someone cried out "fuck the government"
His mates couldn't define what he meant
So no one gave him the time of day
And the scene died away
Empty causes
A war for the body, an army in the mind
Empty causes
Losing steam as time goes by
Could it be that everybody selfishly desires their own personal retinue
And that causes are just manifestations
Of too much time and far to little to do
Empty causes
Direction for the soul, conviction for the mind
Empty causes
Cling to everything you find
Empty causes
You've got yours and I've got mine
So many righteous revolutionaries spouting Utopian love
Everyone shrouded in purple haze
Then one day they woke up from their dream state
They found themselves no more at peace than before
Older, meek, and conformed
Empty causes
A bluster for the soul, a fix for their mind
Empty causes
Cling to everything you find
Well, the shots rang out like popcorn
And the Chief was hit and rushed out of sight
The Mohawk-chain, leather brigade rejoiced maliciously on that night
Someone cried out "fuck the government"
His mates couldn't define what he meant
So no one gave him the time of day
And the scene died away
Empty causes
A war for the body, an army in the mind
Empty causes
Losing steam as time goes by
Could it be that everybody selfishly desires their own personal retinue
And that causes are just manifestations
Of too much time and far to little to do
Empty causes
Direction for the soul, conviction for the mind
Empty causes
Cling to everything you find
Empty causes
You've got yours and I've got mine
Lyrics submitted by marspunkrocker
Track duration: 02:52
"Empty Causes" as written by Greg Graffin
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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the demographic occasionally do in their lives are held Sacrosanct; but are actually pointless. literally
the song changes over verses. the first one is about the hippie age, the 60's, clearly hinted at by referring to "purple haze" (jimi hendrix), and the drug shrouded community. once the fun age was over and hippie beards got gray, they found they had to confront reality in the end, but they're not young anymore - it's like being released from prison, and not finding your place.
i can't really make sense of the Native American /punk thing on the second verse.
but in the end, causes are a waste of time, because there's just far too many to have much effect, but like the belief in a faith, it's also easing the directionless mind. so, his view on causes may very well be neither black nor white (but gray!).