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The Defense Lyrics

Nothing comes easier than madness in the world today
Mass paranoia is a mode not a malady
Yeah I'd like to watch all thousand cable channels but there's nothing on
And my high speed connection's monitored daily by the pentagon
These things are seldom what they seem
I'm not inclined to enjoy my dreams
Won't go away

No Peace and No Friends
We Trace the mortal edge with no defense
To State the obvious
This world is perilous for us
No sense and No Guide
Ain't it beautiful to be alive Yeah right
I won't resign before the struggle ends
So I'll construct this sound defense

We are the prey and culture is the predator
I'm running out of time where conditions are positional
Shadows of a doubt cast reluctance and depravity
There's got to be a way to overcome this grim reality
Is there an option left for me
I'm not immune to despondency
There's no way

No Peace and No Friends
We Trace the mortal edge with no defense
To State the obvious
This world is perilous for us
No sense and No Guide
Ain't it beautiful to be alive Yeah right
I won't resign before the struggle ends
So I'll construct this sound defense

There's a signpost on the corner
And it keeps everybody safe
We were all made in the shade
And your mother's in the kitchen
Where she's patching all the cracks in the wall
We never had to care in the world

Too much to sacrifice
It's hard to recognize
Just a compromise of purely deadly alibis
It's combinational
The pressure so intense
So I'll construct this sound defense

Nothing's plainer than the madness in the world today
I must conceal myself and steal myself and break away
I seek initiatives in matters that are black and white
So I'll construct this sound defense
Song Info
Submitted by
alucard On Jan 19, 2002
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28 Meanings

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Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

That last bit at the end of the song, I believe this is more accurate to what the background singers are saying:

(No shame) Too much to sacrifice (No lies) It's hard to recognize (Just black) Just a compromise (And white) of purely deadly alibies (?) It's combinational (Design) The pressure so intense So I'll construct this sound defense

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

I think this song is basically about how much the world sucks sometimes (aint it beautiful to be alive, yeah right) and how he builds an emotional wall to defend himself from it.

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

Alrighty then, FIRST! This website is for posting what you think the song means, not if you like it compared to other songs Bad Religion has made, or if you like it in general. Its great that you think their songs are great, but if you didn't and or don't like them, why would you go look it up, and comment it, right? Its okay that you write it, but I'm more than positive people come here to read about a meaning rather than: "I love this song! This band is the best!" ,or, "Ugh! This band sucks." whichever way you see it. Thanks, now with that out of the way, I can move on.

This is what I think of the song part by part:

"These things are seldom what they seem" -> "things" as in reference to possibly how the government controls most of the activities we do throughout the different times of the day. EX. the times we watch something on TV, and the the types of websites we can or cant visit etc.

-> "seldom what they seem" well, "seldom" means "rare", "barely", and "not often", and "seem" means "how things appear". So if we put that together, we get, "rarely we see how things appear." Which to me translates to how we don't see how the government or the higher power controls us cause we don't want to believe it.

-> "This world is perilous for us" Easily saying that the world is a hazardous place to live in.

-> "Ain't it beautiful to be alive Yeah right" Greg scoffs at how people "love" the world and admire it so much that they are blinded by everything that is corrupt and horrid in the world.

-> "I won't resign before the struggle ends" To me, he is saying how even though things might be hard right now, he wont give in to yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows "madness". Not only would he, but many others hopefully as well until the problem is resolved.

-> "Shadows of a doubt cast reluctance and depravity, There's got to be a way to overcome this grim reality" The "shadows of a doubt" part before the comma is frankly simple, it says how people are reluctant to help and provide their services to aid, because of fear that the higher power would crush them down in their attempts. And the second part after the comma means that together as one we can find a way to get over the fact that the higher power cant keep our mouths shut, our heads low, or our ideas for a better life in our heads. We have to join together to make this change everyone hears about, singers sing about, and politicians "preach" about.

-> "There's a signpost on the corner and it keeps everybody safe" Signposts on corners often mean "yield", "Children at play", etc.

The rest is understandable and can be interpreted in very easy ways.

My compliments to Securitron5k, chiefhky29, and to johanvanwyk for actually depicting what the message was behind the song.

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

I think the second line should be:

"Mass paranoia is a mode not a malady."

Lyric Correction

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Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

You've got a lotta catching up to do sapphire, Theyve been around for over 240 months

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

If u listen, on the second chorous, instead of saying "no sense and no guide" he says "no sense and no god", quite interesting. I think it's a song about how people can feel depressed in society today, but not to give up, just defend yourself from it.

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

i believe the (?) you're referring to is "no plan"

also i dont think he's saying it isn't beautiful to be alive, he's mocking everyone for not appreciating what we have.

also, the song as a whole i think he really typical in content for bad religion, not in a bad way though. he's bsaically saying how easy it is to br driven crazy by our surroundings

"we trace the mortal edge with no defense" that line is great lyric. its open for interpretation too. i mean i guess the "mortal edge" would be death obviously. and with no defense meaning theres nothing we can do to escape death. i don't no waht he means by "tracing" death with no defense though. anyone?

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

although i guess he says I'll construct this sound defense" meaning means of defense from the crazy world is through sound. like writing music, which as we've seen is obviously true.

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

this song requires alot of internalization; and I have to say some of you have a long way to go in understanding it..

a point in life you reach; where you realize the severity and the sharpness of the minds edge internally... that comes with thinking along these lines so many walk along and others cant see.. its hard to put it into words

trying to discern from the clusterfuck of the world what your being told and bombarded with and take on this unbearable weight on yourself.. the means of intelligence...

eventually if your smart enough you realize its you against Hell...

The Defense.. is you.

Cover art for The Defense lyrics by Bad Religion

Im not gonna comment on this song - mainly bcoz it would require atleast 2-3pages of writing... All things saids brilliant song (like all their songs). I would like to comment on chiefhky29's post in regards to his open question about "we trace the mortal edge with no defense":

Trace - a surviving mark, sign, or evidence of the former existence, influence, or action of some agent or event; vestige: "traces of an advanced civilization among the ruins."

Mainly i think the song goes about how everthing in sosciety is being kept up by rules and how anything is done to keep ppl from abying to those rules. So i think "we trace the mortal edge with no defense" means that they are trying to find some sign of any mortality in todays life with no specific "hiden" reason and then backs it by saying "To State the obvious, This world is perilous for us" (aka there is no more morality).

Bad Religion ftw.

Alrighty then, FIRST! This website is for posting what you think the song means, not if you like it compared to other songs Bad Religion has made, or if you like it in general. Its great that you think their songs are great, but if you didn't and or don't like them, why would you go look it up, and comment it, right? Its okay that you write it, but I'm more than positive people come here to read about a meaning rather than: "I love this song! This band is the best!" ,or, "Ugh! This band sucks." whichever way you see it. Thanks, now with that out of the...

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