I got my education in the ivory halls   Found the pulse of the nation in truck stop toilet stalls   And we're running out of time because we're running out of patience   So visit our sins on future generations      You can speak or have a conscience but you know it doesn't pay   They'll keep you at the margins and they'll shut you away   I've been looking up and down and searchin' round these parts for hope   Is like finding your footing on a slippery slope      It's all that I can do just to make it   And say the emperors around us are all naked   It's all that I can do just to make it through   And fight against their tendency to turn their backs on you      They envy you because you're young, it's what they wanna be   But kid beware of hucksters who'll sell you slavery   They'll package inspiration like a product on a shelf   Killing any inclination to find it for yourself      See them try to forge a new consensus   After all these years of bludgeoning your senses   Day after day they say   "Would you have it any other way?"   And give a deep sleep of a smile at your reply