The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself via live telecast
Coming live from my own funeral
Beautiful weather off at a nice shine
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline
When times like these arise, I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence
Journalist ethics slip when I pass them off as objective
"Don't give me that ethical shit"
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark-skinned Disney villain
Used civillians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children
Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions
Now I have to backpedal
From the shower of glass and metal
Wondering how after it settles
We'll find who provided power to radical rebels
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier
And waits for the suit and tie to come home
We won't wait until he's older
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end
"Now get a close-up of his head"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"How does my hair look"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"Run that tape back"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"It looks just like a movie"
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself while the stock markets crash
The city is covered in inches of muck
I see some other pictures of victims are up
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
While holding hands
To escape the brutal heat
Sometimes in groups of three
The fallout was far beyond the toxic clouds where people look like debris
But all they saw, after all was said
Beyond the talking heads was the bloody dust with legs Looking like the walking dead calling for meds
But all the hospitals are overwhelmed
Volunteers need to go the hell home
Moments of silence for firefighters were interrupted by cell phones
Who's going to make that call
To increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind
He's got a megaphone, and he's promising to make heads roll
So we cheer him on, but asbestos is affecting our breath control
The less that we know, the more they fabricate
The easier it is to sell souls
"There is a new price on freedom
So buy into it while supplies last
Changes need to be made
No more curbside baggage
Seven P.M. curfew
Racial profiling will continue with less bitching
We've unified over who to kill
So until I find more relevant scripture to quote
Remember: our God is bigger, stronger, smarter
And much wealthier
So wave those flags with pride
Especially the white part"
We sell an addictive 24 hour candlelight vigils in TV's
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties
The viewers are glued to television screens
Stuck because lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at
"Yeah"
Which foot is right to kiss
We don't really know who the culprit is yet
"Nah"
But he looks like this
We know who the heros are
They're not the xenophobes who act hard
"We taught that dog to squat
How dare he do that shit in our own backyard"
They happened to scar our financial state
And charr our landscape
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank
With a ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst
So get your tanks
And load your guns
And hold your sons in a family huddle
Because even if we win this tug of war
And even the score, humanity struggles
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess, but the rest were looking for trouble
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself
Don't waive your rights with your flags
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself via live telecast
Coming live from my own funeral
Beautiful weather off at a nice shine
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline
When times like these arise, I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence
Journalist ethics slip when I pass them off as objective
"Don't give me that ethical shit"
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark-skinned Disney villain
Used civillians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children
Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions
Now I have to backpedal
From the shower of glass and metal
Wondering how after it settles
We'll find who provided power to radical rebels
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier
And waits for the suit and tie to come home
We won't wait until he's older
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end
"Now get a close-up of his head"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"How does my hair look"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"Run that tape back"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"It looks just like a movie"
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself while the stock markets crash
The city is covered in inches of muck
I see some other pictures of victims are up
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
While holding hands
To escape the brutal heat
Sometimes in groups of three
The fallout was far beyond the toxic clouds where people look like debris
But all they saw, after all was said
Beyond the talking heads was the bloody dust with legs Looking like the walking dead calling for meds
But all the hospitals are overwhelmed
Volunteers need to go the hell home
Moments of silence for firefighters were interrupted by cell phones
Who's going to make that call
To increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind
He's got a megaphone, and he's promising to make heads roll
So we cheer him on, but asbestos is affecting our breath control
The less that we know, the more they fabricate
The easier it is to sell souls
"There is a new price on freedom
So buy into it while supplies last
Changes need to be made
No more curbside baggage
Seven P.M. curfew
Racial profiling will continue with less bitching
We've unified over who to kill
So until I find more relevant scripture to quote
Remember: our God is bigger, stronger, smarter
And much wealthier
So wave those flags with pride
Especially the white part"
We sell an addictive 24 hour candlelight vigils in TV's
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties
The viewers are glued to television screens
Stuck because lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at
"Yeah"
Which foot is right to kiss
We don't really know who the culprit is yet
"Nah"
But he looks like this
We know who the heros are
They're not the xenophobes who act hard
"We taught that dog to squat
How dare he do that shit in our own backyard"
They happened to scar our financial state
And charr our landscape
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank
With a ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst
So get your tanks
And load your guns
And hold your sons in a family huddle
Because even if we win this tug of war
And even the score, humanity struggles
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess, but the rest were looking for trouble
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself
Don't waive your rights with your flags
Lyrics submitted by Jon_Beutler
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