You Are (The Government) Lyrics
Eradicate but vindicate as "progress" creeps along.
Puritan work ethic maintains its subconscious edge
As Old Glory maintains your consciousness.
There's a loser in the house, and a puppet on the stool,
And a crowded way of life, and a black reflecting pool,
And as the people bend, the moral fabric dies,
The country can't pretend to ignore its people's cries.
You are the government.
You are jurisprudence.
You are the volition.
You are juridiction.
And I make a difference too.
This song is telling people that they can make a difference and they need to take action, so that things in this world can be changed for the better.
To me this song is frustration due to the mass short sighted, unwise, unwilling, stupidity of the people. People do their part by voting, but they seem to think that is where it ends. I think the song is telling you that you can't let politicians fuck you over. Bureaucracy is not the government, politicians are not the government, You Are The Government. Think about it, if the people demanded George Bushes head on a platter when he was committing all of those crimes as president, it would have been done. People are too caught up in their own bullshit and never ending rat race to see why things are difficult for them in the first place. Most of the time it is because of a jacked up system. Our constitution is set up for us to revise and change things for the better, but we choose not to do it. This song is a cry to the masses. The masses didn't get it in 1988 and they still haven't gotten today.
I can see where you're coming from madcappunk but, I've always viewed this song as a little sarcastic. I always thought Greg meant that people do elect their congress but in the end the congress has the ultimate control and if you can't really disagree with them but you have to bend to their rules...
i believe hes stating "we" as in the people, the public, the peasants, whatever, are the government. we elect who should be in government anyway. phat song.
Modern seem's closest.. I see it as we vote who we want in power then they do some damn F@*#ing war and do shit and we get mad. But we're electing those who we hate.
jesus oxigen you could be right.
Uh... more like Pro-freedom. You own your life.
Bad Religion are not anarchists, unfortunately...
You've all got pretty thick skulls. This song is about ANARCHY. In our society we aren't the government. But in an Anarchist society you are "the government." This is old punk, not the new pussy Green Day bullshit, and old punk bands were almost all Anarchists.