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The static comes in slow
You can feel it grow
Our stream of conscience flows
Under the streets below
Oh, oh
The river's made of sound
Still running underground
Runs like a silent flood
We run as thick as blood
Can you hear it rise
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By our own collision
We are the voice of breaking
Down
The static comes alive
Beneath the broken skies
John Perkins said it right
Love is the final fight
Oh, oh
Let it rise above
Rise above
There is no song
Louder than love
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By our own collision
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Down
Let it rise above
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By a falling condition
We are the voice of breaking
Down
This is the sound
This is the sound
You can feel it grow
Our stream of conscience flows
Under the streets below
Oh, oh
The river's made of sound
Still running underground
Runs like a silent flood
We run as thick as blood
Can you hear it rise
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By our own collision
We are the voice of breaking
Down
The static comes alive
Beneath the broken skies
John Perkins said it right
Love is the final fight
Oh, oh
Let it rise above
Rise above
There is no song
Louder than love
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By our own collision
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Down
Let it rise above
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now
This is the sound
Of a heartbeat
This is the sound
From the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking
Down
Can you hear me?
This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By a falling condition
We are the voice of breaking
Down
This is the sound
This is the sound
Lyrics submitted by Loona3
Track duration: 03:47
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I don't buy it.
This is not history. This is not the past. This is the voice of the generation now entering the workforce; trying to build their lives on the ruins left in the wake of past generations' squandering.
This is a crying out, indeed, and a hopeful wake-up call. But what can so few who hear 'the sound' do when the rest prefer to be deaf to it?
Kudos to Switchfoot, and the generation of a nation hoping to be heard. At least -they're- listening to the kids. Nobody else is.
I think the line "This is the sound, from the discontented mouths" sums the feel of the perfectly.
This song is about determination to be heard, a sound nobody should ignore. Sadly, top dogs around teh world ignore it. Jon's explanation was riveting and thanks for posting it but, cheeseninja, lets hear your opinion
I think the line "This is the sound, from the discontented mouths" sums the feel of the perfectly.
This song is about determination to be heard, a sound nobody should ignore. Sadly, top dogs around teh world ignore it. Jon's explanation was riveting and thanks for posting it but, cheeseninja, lets hear your opinion
Lyrically, I feel like this song is a corollary of Hello Hurricane. I was reading a book at the time, Let Justice Roll Down- it's the autobiography of John Perkins, given to me by a friend of mine. I was struck by Perkins’ honesty and humility. He describes the Jim Crow world of not so very long ago with brutal honesty. We are a haunted nation. Whether we admit it or not, the past runs through our veins. Listen to the streets, they'll tell you the same. We can cover up our racism and narrow-minded bigotry with excuses and time but the sins of the past cry out from the ground. The undercurrents from our history are always buzzing around our ears. But rising above the constant gnawing of past wrongs is the song of Love. Love is the reconciliation. The deliberate act of forgiveness. The deliberate act of moving forward unencumbered by the past. This is the sound. This is the sound."