“Chronos/Kairos”

Whoa!
Whoa! The water’s awful cold here
Oh! And you know its shark infested
Oh! Well I’m drownin’ drownin’
Oh! It was clearly my intention

            Reach out from what I’m under
            ‘Cause all I do is wonder
            About all the things I used to think I wanted to be

Whoa! For 20 years I planned it
Oh! Through the fires I’ve been tested
Oh! But the tides are turning
Oh! And you know I won’t contest it

Monuments to Ambition
Glory days are in to pressure cook us thin
Fleeing from fear within
You can run you can win behind enemy lines
Where thoughts will surely die
They feed them to the crows
They don’t fly, they just grow

            Those who claim they’re on a mission
            Stop and stare at our ambition
            While they drink away their woes
            ‘Cause the monuments erected
            Honor those who were directed
            By a power not their own

Our expectations will storm and trap us in
There’s not much left to give
You can run you can live behind enemy lines
Where thoughts will surely die
They feed them to the crows
They don’t fly, they just grow

            And the facts have all been stated
            So I’ll think until I’m jaded
            Light me up so I can go
            Holding fast and holding steady
            Even though I don’t feel ready
            I’ll sing it with my foes

Hang On for Dear Life
Journeys are okay when goals are on display
But mayday we’re stuck inside the place
Where giving up is tempting
Forget what people say
It don’t mean anything
Why bother when words go through each ear?

But I’m a fool for thinking that the stars aligned this time
They torture me with thoughts of passing by the end before demise

            Well I’ve heard the tales of strife
            That teach us to hang on for dear life
            Are they set up to mislead?
            I’ve given my all and everything (but nothing’s as it seems)
            And we’re running out of steam
            Can we all live the dream?
            But with hope I’ll always be
            If they’re the last words I ever sing
            ‘Cause nothing’s as it seems

Osaka
Morning lights are still burning from the night before
Lonely are we who search all day for something more

Call it disaster it always works
The streets are still flooded
I’ve seen it worse
Sooner or later the bubble bursts

            “But I’m still alive” I heard you say
            Shreds of her doubt are floating away
            Modesty tied us down to the floor somewhere

Outer Space
Some people say nothing good can stay
But who cares anyway?
With help on the way tell them it’s okay
‘Cause we all know they’ve seen better days
We lost them in the haze
I couldn’t find my place
So I had…

            Left the comfort of home to make the family proud
            But my head’s stuck in the clouds

The fast lane had become familiar
But when did that occur?
Now it’s all a blur, was I here first?
First place is the one we all seek out
And when I’m in doubt I’ll run as fast as I’m allowed
Because I had

Wiped the dirt of my face, so I ran in the race
Then the ringers put me in my place
I set out to amaze, but it wasn’t the case
‘Cause my mind is stuck in outer space
I just want to come down, I just want to be found
I just wanted to die in steps and be carried off in a dream
Where decisions are cheap enough for me to make with ease

Suns Will Set and Rise
I’ll go on my own through the valley of your hopes
Where there’s miles of open road
And people come and go

            These days they’re still trying
            In the dark you can hear them sighing
            That town’s in hiding
            We broke the curse with smiling

So I’m going on my own
Through the depths of the unknown
Will I get back on the road
To save the town of hope?

            These days they’re all dying
            In the dark you can hear them crying
            I caught the lightening
            And clothed the sky with diamonds

                        But I can’t go back for you anymore
                        Until I know what I was put here for

            Suns will set and rise on all the things that I hold
            I can’t take anymore of my mind’s ebb and flow
            I know where I stand but am I losing control?
            Am I being undersold ‘cause I do what I’m told?

Consequence
Lying in the rain, and here I’m calling out your name
Going against the grain and trying to be the same

            How could anybody say I should live it out that way
            When there’s a consequence to pay for all the wasted days
            Take it all away from me ‘cause finally I see where I’m going

Reaching always seemed far too dangerous for me

Time Spent Elsewhere
Well the news on the wire calmed right down
Thought it was time to leave this town
‘Cause I’m in constant need of new sights and sounds
Then I strolled up into your neighborhood
Conveyor belts never looked so good
But I’ve to move on
‘Cause I’m just passing through

            Yeah I barely know you
            And I know you can’t remember my name
            Most of the time
            But oh we’re on a course
That’s shooting up to the stars
We’ll remain in that dimension where we’re found

Oh Mitsuye I know we’re all the same
But do you really feel that way
Have you nothing to say?
Or are we playing games?
Well I’d be league MVP and that’s for sure
If only bad timing was a sport
There’s a lesson I’m told to take away from here

American Riot
We’re giving in early our target’s locked in
“Come on get with the times” they say “We’re marching!”

We are the riot, we’re looting stores
As long as there are people there’ll be more

            Tough to think when there’s bloodstains on the floor
            We want more
            And the power it’s like candy for your soul
            And your soul is rotting slowly

A modern day coliseum worked in
To the day to day lives of people watching

American Riot knocking down doors
As long as there are people there’ll be more

            Still we sing when bodies wash up on the shore
            On the shore keeping score
            And the blasts we’re attracted to its glow
            And it flows through your soul slowly

Canons of Devotion
All the canons of devotion stand the test of time
So I’ll invest with no emotion and pass it down the line

I never said I’d stay for anyone
I’m going to carve a place in history myself
Time don’t wait for anyone
So I won’t wait for anybody else

Desperate times and desperate measures make a man go blind
To common sense and earthly treasures
And soon you’ll lose your mind

            I’d never slave away for anyone
            Well problems don’t just take care of themselves
            Time don’t wait for anyone
            So I won’t wait for anybody else

The Never Beginning Story

Sailors trading stories
All the chemicals we ate and the regrets of past mistakes
They dissipate
And the wars all seem okay when I can barely stand up straight
I live so close to my grave when all we need is just another day to play
And today it seems okay ‘cause I can barely stand up straight

But I’ll come around

I hope I never leave this place
But up above is where I’ll occupy the space
A solution that I’ve found, just as long as you’re around I’m okay

We’ll be alright

So drink it up and drink it in
Soak it up and soak it in

Perfect
The path laid out before you
Makes eminence seem so much less appealing
No running two-inch hurdles
When your dreams at night are bursting through the ceiling

From way up here it all seems clear to me why he saved
The brightest start for last
Wait for the night to smile back

You know you’re something special
And everyone can testify to it
Why would you need to prove it?
It doesn’t matter ‘cause to me you’re perfect

Progress forward, forget the past
It’s all over. Look around—the sun it rises
Moonlight bounces, stars they shine
The night it smiles for you

Promise to Remember
Meaningless words have found their way
Into my mentality
So I’ll take them away ‘cause you mean more to me
Than anything thing I’d ever said
If only this would never end
Well I’ll see you again
Only God knows when

The time is right
We will be right on time

I’m sorry that it’s better this way
I hope that He works fast so we can carry on
Just like before
Times have changed and people drift
But I’ll carry you around forever in memories
If you promise to remember

Tonight
A holiness that few can take
A righteousness most can fake
Waiting for something always
Going through motions like a bug
With a less fortunate end
Waiting for something always

Wake me up inside
How much longer from you can I hide?

Words and actions that have become merely habits
Are now clouding up my eyes
I’ll put aside all the things I try to be because
To be close to you is all I want to be tonight

Last Place
It’s never too late to carry out the works you hesitate
Is there an action too great?
A stand that forces us to separate
Here comes my big break
A chance that only fools would never take
To prove that I’m not fake
A claim to fame that wasn’t mine to stake

Fall behind the schemes
I devised to rescue me
But you take me as I am
And you know honestly I’d rather you didn’t

It’s calling me by name
Of course I’ll let it pass you’d do the same
A no limit game
I gave up everything to show I’m not playing
Here comes my big break
A chance that only fools would never take
To prove that I’m not fake
Never would I make the same mistake

They say that nice guys finish last
But the last shall be first

The Summer Breeze
Late at night when I’m alone I feel you near
Back and forth I’m sure you’ve had it up to here
In all my weakness I see a need for the thorn in my neck
Looking back the call was close
Hung on every word you said

You carried all my pain
The seasons never change for you and me
We’ll always be eternally
In the summer breeze

Being apart for days leaves others in suspense
Windows to your heart through my head make a mess
With all my secrets I see need for the thorn in my neck
Looking back the call was close
Hung on every word you said

            See the light of day
            Through showers early May
            For you and me will always be
            In the summer breeze

Someday
Skies of grey and seas of black
No such thing as turning back
While I still have strength to stand
Beaten back into the ground
Never good enough I’ve found
But I never made a sound

            Someday I’ll come back to you
            And everything will seem to be made brand new
            And I’ll walk the streets with my head held up high
            Singing Hallelujah

Waiting in the dark at will
No longer be at a standstill
I will soon be on my way
Staring up at all the clouds
Never good enough I’ve found
Maybe one day they’ll be proud

            And the angels sing glory over me
            Singing Hallelujah
            And the world will see the glory shining through
            In all I do

Stained Glass
Fast paced progress towards a bitter end
Of condemnation logic
Glass stained with nothing more than wasted time
Who knew that it would haunt me now?

Now I’ve come to a conclusion
Down a road that trails off and
‘Round the clock we’d wait expecting
Out the way I came eludes me now

Walls claimed for unity they now divide
And push for separation
Last days could prove to be as dreadful
How we slipped through cracks escapes me now

Time has spoken again we stand corrected
Sounds of guns are fast approaching
We conclude that the story’s nearly ending
Sounds of drums are fast approaching
That was a fast party
Someone please help out this poor kid
I think he’s dying
Our hope has run out of sight
He is no masochist
Despite the things he’s trying
Distant as the dreams he dreams at night

I wanted to follow
The bar was too high

Let the light shine where there is darkness
It’d be so if you work for the oppressed
You know you missed your opportunity
When all you see are remnants of
The discontentment in your broken veins
Rise up before you turn and run

Thirty-eight years have now gone by
So should I weight more?
Can’t even put up a fight
It wouldn’t bother me
‘Cause you get what you pay for
Trading my blindness for sight

Deception at its best
The first time that I met you
We both knew how this would end
And now that it’s all over I still feel
A bit regretful

“Stay” is what I used to say
I’d buy a couple hours before you’d turn away
Wait—is what I’d do all day                                   
Never questioned why I chose to carry all the weight

                                               
            Storming through the door
            There’s fire in your eyes
            Try to communicate
            See through the lies
            Deception at its best
            For the rest of my life
            I’ll try to separate
            But I can’t stay (away)

The last time that I saw you
I aimed to please as we played pretend
And now that it’s all over I still feel
A bit resentfull

            I know we never meant to complicate
            But this couldn’t last
            At the lowest of all lows
            I turned to the Lord
            To try to validate
            But I fell short again

Just a Dream
Staring up through the trees to space
On the full moon I swore I saw your face
Uh oh, c’mon now
The light came down and it spoke to me
Said don’t you worry I know just what you need

Honesty is commonly mistaken
For stumbling down a path that’s hardly taken
Grew up thinking I would be forsaken
But take it from me

It was just a dream

Sitting out by the big greenlake
‘Cause I don’t think that there’s much more that I can take
Uh oh, ‘cmon now
The light came down and it said to me
Calm yourself I’m seeing what you see

Hours to days, months to years
Before we’d decide to conquer fears
It’s colder inside, chilled to the bone
A promise you made to take me home
We could make plans to sell all our things
“Devoted to you” all together we’ll sing
Never afraid, never alone
A promise you made to take me home today

The Finish Line
The night sky was so dark I shut my eyes for days
Blood tears shed on my face had froze to red haze
The sun came and washed it away
I soaked in its rays
But I said that I would be fine on my own

I swear I won’t let go this time
A promise was made
“I’ve been here since the dawn of time”

The sunlight was so bright I shut my eyes for days
But I’d stay awake all night just to see your face
And your voice echoed for hours inside my head
But I said that I would be fine on my own

I swear I won’t let go this time
A promise was made
“I’m with you ‘til we cross the line”

And all throughout the night
I shook in spite of all you said
I swear I won’t let go this time