the new wild west

you see the ghosts of the buffalo

moving both fierce and slow

like glittering prophesies

on the edge of the horizon

as you drive glittering highways

and beaten-up by-ways

that straddle and girdle

a great and many-faced nation

there are lambs in the ghettos

who worship their gapettos

believing in

though never seeing

the strings they think bind them

so you write to our congressmen

with bleeding pens

of the sorrow within

and in return they just send

tickets to the latest tom hanks show

welcome to the new wild west

each man for himself

a nation of civilized steeples

and lonely people

welcome to the new wild west

there are so many fractions

and cue-card reactions

it's hard to keep clear

the possibilities here

'cause there's no force to unite them

privilege has ruled for thousands of years

wars have been fought with bibles and tears

yet liberation can't deny the temptation

and soon becomes the oppressor

show me a leader who's fit to lead

who don't sew his seed in anything

wounded enough to breed

because after all what fun is power

if you can't act like a rock star?

see me

i've been cruel

i've been petty and unkind

but i know my own mind

and since it seems clear

there's no one leading us here

the only thing left it appears

is to task ourselves to be better each time

then those before us

we'll be an army of theives

of self-freed slaves

of mild-mannered maids

we'll fight with whispers and blades

so get ready

a new day is dawning