Recidivism

from No Budget by Half Bad

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lyrics

The rain is startin' as he walks out the door
Into a morning air that makes him feel older
He's thinkin' to himself it feels kind of strange
In his imagination it was much warmer
He doesn't feel so free, he's still bein' watched
His independence undermined by surveillance
And though he's out the cage he's still on a leash
Can't shake the nagging fear that nothing will change

I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die without a sound
I don't want to be caught and kept down
You can't take me, you can't take me
I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die without a sound
I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die

The balance is the system's symbol of justice
And yet he's suffocating hung from the scales
The other side is stacked with indifference
He tries to plant his feet but can't touch the ground
And finding honest work's a difficult task when
Not even minimum wage jobs call you back
They say, "Behave yourself," as if to a pet
If dignity is lost then what else is left?

I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die without a sound
I don't want to be caught and kept down
You can't take me, you can't take me
I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die without a sound
I don't want to be caught and kept down
I won't die

The disapproval drawn on everyone's face
Compels his memory to view his abuser
Those cold eyes glare, condemning lips condescend
"You had a chance, kid, but you threw it away"

credits

from No Budget, released September 3, 2015

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Half Bad Quincy, Massachusetts

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