Dear Midterms By: Brian Sauer 2015 ================================================== Born In America ================================================== C I was born in a nation of opportunity Am But the rungs on the social ladder have rotten away C Governed of the rich and by the rich and for the rich C Am G I was born in America but I don't live there today C I was born in a nation of justice Am If you killed a man then you should have to pay C But them wall street executives they still run wild and free C Am G I was born in America but I don't live there today F C Everybody knows what I'm saying F C Everybody knows we need change F C Em Am Everybody knows and yet we're still stuck in our ways C Am G I was born in America but I don't live there today C I was born in a nation of compromise Am But we fight and we divide till we get our way C We will crumble beneath the weight of our own vanity C Am G I was born in America but I don't live there today C Am G I was born in America but I don't live there today ================================================== Vicious Cycles ================================================== Bm G In a dilapidated shotgun house D F#m Em A woman holds a child in her hands Bm G She says son you can be anything you want D F#m Em You don't have to lead the life I've had Bm G And she means it now but in ten years time Bm G The hardships start to pile high Em D F#m And all those words evaporate to lies Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em A Never had a chance Bm G Now the courtroom steps are all abuzz D F#m Em But the morgue is cold and quiet where he lay Bm G And the thin disguise in the lawyer's eyes D F#m Em Can't hide the shame as he lay justice in its grave Bm G And ignorant people take the stance Bm G That if he'd had a belt and pulled up his pants Em D F#m We could have avoided this unfortunate circumstance Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em A Never had a chance Bm G D These vicious cycles got me lost and turned around Bm G A And these downward spirals keep on tumbling down Bm G D These slippery slopes don't seem to level out Bm G A Digging ourselves holes six feet underground Bm G In a corner office on Capitol Hill D F#m Em A congressman settles into a worn out chair Bm G And his greedy mind's filled with dollar signs D F#m Em But his desk is empty and no one even seems to care Bm G He's a master of the money game Bm G When kids get shot he passes blame E D F#m And strategizes for his next campaign Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em D He never had a chance Em A Never had a chance Bm G D These vicious cycles got me lost and turned around Bm G A And these downward spirals keep on tumbling down Bm G D These slippery slopes don't seem to level out Bm G A Digging ourselves holes six feet underground Bm G D These vicious cycles got me lost and turned around Bm G A And these downward spirals keep on tumbling down Bm G D These slippery slopes don't seem to level out Bm G A Digging ourselves holes six feet underground Bm G A Digging ourselves holes six feet underground ================================================== Tree of Knowledge ================================================== Dm Bb A If I had a small fortune the first thing I would buy Dm Bb A Is a couple of hundred thousand of these unsuspecting minds Dm Bb A And it really isn't hard no it really ain't that bad Dm Bb A All I need's a couple of well placed basic cable TV ads Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm No no no Dm Bb A I'll infiltrate their craniums and I'm cleverly disguised Dm Bb A My trojan horse is money and my soldiers are my lies Dm Bb A And I'll pillage and destroy every thought that I find there Dm Bb A And I'll do it so damn stealthily that they won't even care Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm No no no Dm When God gave Adam dominion of all the Birds and the fish and the creatures of the earth All He kept was fruit on a tree Because He knew how important ideas can be But then God cast out Adam and Adam cast out God Bb And now we've got the fruit but we're going to let it rot F And you can't stop me A No no no Dm Bb A I'll sow the seeds of apathy and I'll raise a mighty crop Dm Bb A And I'll home grow some voters that will take me to the top Dm Bb A I'll castrate the schools, I'll distract the poor with ease Dm Bb A And all the minds that I have purchased they will do this work for me Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm And you can't stop me Bb You can't stop me F You can't stop me A No no no Dm No no no ================================================== I'll Cry ================================================== Asus2 G In Roseburg Oregon ten people have died Asus2 G Seen it happen so much in my young life G But the politicians keep politicking G+5 The ticking timebomb keeps on ticking Em A Till the next event surprises us and why G C Because we turn away and close our eyes G C Cover our ears till it passes by G G+5 So I'll cry, I'll cry Em A All the tears the NRA can't buy G G+5 I'll cry, I'll cry Em A But these tears they won't stop this needless waste of life Asus2 G I once had a dog that always bit the mailman Asus2 G So I bought a tiger to bite the dog that bit the mailman G The mailman he got mauled to death G+5 But I had the solution yet Em A I bought a tiger to maul the tiger that mauled the mailman G C And turned away and closed my eyes G C Covered my ears till it passed on by G G+5 So I'll cry, I'll cry Em A All the tears the NRA can't buy G G+5 I'll cry, I'll cry Em A But these tears they won't stop this needless waste of life Asus2 G How long will it be till we stop pretending Asus2 G How many lives are ten too many G Because we've seen this game before G+5 And we know the final score Em A And I don't want to play out this nightmare anymore G C And turned away and close our eyes G C Cover our ears till it passes by G G+5 So I'll cry, I'll cry Em A All the tears the NRA can't buy G G+5 I'll cry, I'll cry Em A But these tears they won't stop this needless waste of life ================================================== Notes ================================================== Here's what happened in 2014: The 24 hour news cycle and Facebook feeds were filled with loud opinions of the total ineptitude of Congress, be it from failing to perform the basic function of funding the government to falling into gridlock over blind idealism. Meanwhile, Ferguson had just broken out, spewing more loud opinions from internet activists and cable news channels. People happily framed their own windows of perspective that closely resembled TV and computer monitors, and vomited whatever came in their minds to ever possible outlet. Then came the midterm elections in November. And no one voted. The cacophony of opinions and calls for change and frustrations fell silent on November 4th, 2014. And as I write this in 2015, the presidential election year a month away, I can hear the tsunami of voices approaching. The cycle continues; the circle remains unbroken. And I can't let it go.