[Silence]
[Instrumental, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Organ, Synth]
[Intro]
[Instrumental Intro: Slow-Burning Electric Guitar, Deep Bass, Rolling Toms, Hammond Organ, Atmospheric Analog Synth]
[Spoken Vocal]
After all…
What did we build?
What did we leave behind?
And when the dust settles…
Will we heed the call?
Or will we fall?
[Verse 1]
Brick by brick
We built the wall
Higher, higher
Till we couldn’t see at all
Steel and glass
Across the land
Progress written
In the palm of our hand
We learned to fly
We learned to burn
We learned the lesson
But forgot to learn
What is progress
If we lose
What we need
To choose?
[Refrain]
After all…
(Will we rise or fall)
Up or down
(King or clown)
Come to the realization
(About civilization)
[Chorus]
Rise!
(Rise!)
Or fall!
(Fall!)
What are we
After all?
Build!
(Build!)
Or break!
(Break!)
How much more
Can we take?
King or clown
(Crown or ground)
Up or down
(Round and round)
[Verse 2]
We measured wealth
In things we own
Measured power
By the deeds we’d blown
[Instrumental]
[Electric Guitar Solo: Expansive Blues-Rock Lead, Sustained Notes, Hammond Organ, Rising Synth, Heavy Tom Drums]
[Bridge]
Realization!
(Realization!)
Civilization!
(Civilization!)
[Rap Vocal Break]
Look at the numbers
Look at the trend
Look at the road
We’re willing to bend
More consumption
More extraction
More pressure
More reaction
Change the signal
Change the plan
Start with what
A person can
Dollar!
(Dollar!)
Choice!
(Choice!)
Voice!
(Voice!)
[Breakdown]
[Music Drops to Acoustic Guitar, Bass and Sparse Piano]
After all…
Will we rise or fall?
Up or down…
King or clown…
[Whispered]
Come to the realization…
About civilization.
[Final Refrain]
After all…
(Will we rise or fall)
Up or down
(King or clown)
Come to the realization
(About civilization)
[Final Chorus]
Rise!
(Rise!)
Or fall!
(Fall!)
The future
Calls us all
King or clown
(Crown or ground)
Up or down
(We turn around)
Civilization
(Our creation)
Is the realization
(If we arrive alive)
[Outro]
[Instrumental Outro: Full Band Rising Into a Massive Guitar-and-Synth Crescendo, Then Abruptly Falling to a Single Piano Note]
Rise…
Or fall…
Up…
Or down…
[Spoken, fading]
King…
Or clown…
The choice…
Raise your voice.
From the album “Demand Destruction“