Headstrong, heavy weather   Going at it Hell-for-leather   Red lights flashing on   Some little pop song   Boys get out your Balzac   The Empire's gonna strike back   The critics and the diplomats are living in a tin shack      Break-neck, full-tilt   Climb the ladders they built   Angels in the abattoir   Junking up a good guitar   Stale city bandwidth   You don't get the language   But don't pick on the girl who's only turning on the lightswitch      Are you going to swim the mainstream?   Are you going to swim the mainstream?   Or are you going to make that lightning?   Are you going to swim the mainstream?      Heads-up, they'll say   History was a big mistake   Chews you up, spits you out   Then asks you what the lip's about   An old tin army   A young James Dean   And another kinda war that is waging in your bloodstream      A wildfire, wild-card   This girl's been barred   They drew the weapons, read the rules   Sent the rebels back to school   They'll book you for the next crime   Get you in the nick of time   So don't trust the captain who is sailing in a straight line      Are you going to swim the mainstream?   Are you going to swim the mainstream?   Or are you going to make that lightning?   Are you going to swim the mainstream?      Now say your prayers, stay polite   Busy saving daylight   Age plays dirty tricks   You're looking like a counterfeit   He's gonna train us   Can you really blame us   If we grow up we're all going to be famous