The Way It Is

My father told me son
Its okay to have ideas
But beliefs against your government
Still won't pay your bills
You can raise your fists
And publicly resist
But in the end
Corruption still exists

And no protest song will ever change the world
When everybody does exactly as they're told
In the end every man work for what is his
You can fight the world
But it's just the way it is

Your words aren't
Are not meaningless to me
I feel their honesty but it's my
Life I gotta figure out for me
It's what I've always done not want
I have become and I know the consequences
That will come
And if I never reach the world or speak
To people's souls
It's a passion that will not die as I grow old
It's what I choose to do
It may not work for you
But to myself I know I must be true

I am not ashamed to stand right where I've stood
My beliefs they are unchanged
Because I believe they should
And I'll measure my success
One word at a time
If the truth is spoken
Will I stand the test of time