"Let It Burn"

Knowledge is key.
You can never know too much.

Well I won't let them
Keep me from learning all I can.
Public schools just stand up.
The system feeds our minds.

Did the system tell you about democracy?
The same system that supported slavery?

When we try to make a change
To lock us up and throw away the key.

I won't let you
Play me for a fool

But I cant pray in school.
Make a decision for yourself
Don't bother with any trends
Open up a book
And share the knowledge with your friends.

Did the system tell you about democracy?
The same system that created slavery?

When we try to make a change
To lock us up and throw away the key.

"You Need A Hug"

maybe you should work for "sick of it all"
or get a job with the l.a.p.d.
did someone switch your ritalin with ephedrine?
Just don't take your fucking problems out on me.

I'd buy you a little fuzzy bunny
I'd put you on my x-mas card list
if you'd promise not to take your job so seriously
and realize you don't have to be so pissed.

life ain't all that bad. life ain't all that bad.
even if henry rollins is your dad.
life ain't all that bad. life ain't all that bad.
buck up little camper, don't be sad.

maybe you could go hunting with ted nugent
and see how many animals you could kill.
I'd pay all of my friends just to hang out with you
and take you out to sizzler for a meal.

I'd take you to my favorite karoke bar
and you sing "let the sunshine in".
you could stomp my ass into oblivion
but that doesn't mean I'll put up with your shit.

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

Got out of bed today.
I'm in love, what can I say?
I'm really happy to be
somewhere with someone who makes me happy
I took the bus downtown.
All day long I walked around.
I looked at all the sights
And thought about how lucky I am now.

I was sick of being down
So I gave it all away.
2000 miles from all I know.
So much better off today.

I'm still waiting for the world
To come crashing down ahead.
And I'm still waiting for someone
to call me up and tell me "You're dead."
Sometimes I wonder what was going through your head.
Hey, I don't know,
But I won't go there again.

You make me smile so wide
When I look into your eyes
And when you're not around
You know you're somewhere stuck inside my mind.

I was sick of being down
So I gave it all away.
2000 miles from all I know.
So much better off today.

And I'm still waiting for the world
To come crashing down ahead.
And I'm still waiting for someone
to call me up and tell me "You're dead."
Sometimes I wonder what was going through your head.

Hey I don't know,
But, I won't go there again
No I won't go there again.

"Teenage Riot"

3 years gone by and still everyone screws up our name
no matter what you do still some things never change
seen a lot of the world, met a lot of friends
got a lot of fond memories
there's nothing like playing a basement show
on a saturday night in pennsylvania.

start the show, here we go
jumping in the crowd
we've gotta tear this building down.

the cops show up as usual
to try and ruin our fun.
it's time to show 'em all
just how its done.

gonna have a teenage riot.
they'll never understand
what it's like to be a kid today.
gonna have a teenage riot.
let's blow 'em all away.

another night we'll be
staying in some crack hotel
and sneaking everyone in
through the bathroom window.

gonna blow up everything in sight
and get chased away into the night
by some crazy bastard with a
shotgun in his hand.

start the show, here we go
jumping in the crowd
we've gotta tear this building down.
the cops show up as usual
and try to ruin our fun.
its time to tell them all to fuck off!

"Song 13"

The time has come to say goodbye
To all our past regrets. i'm sorry to inform you
But i doubt you'll really ever understand.

Friendships aren't built on false promises
I've failed without defeat.
In this game of disrespect
I'm a victim-a small town tragedy.

Here's the difference between you and i
I'll tell the truth and count my blessings
So thanks for all you've done
But i won't let you get the best of me.

You think i'm just a kid but
You don't fucking get it.
I'm strong in my convictions
And don't you forget it.

So many things are left unsaid
But i won't even waste my time
For us to go our separate ways
I hope you miss me when i'm gone.

Friendships aren't built on false promises.
I've failed without defeat.
In this game of disrespect
I'm a victim of small town rivalry.

Farewell to all my friends
With self respect intact.
Nothing will last forever
Never looking back.

End is forever.

"Hello & Goodbye"

so long my friend, don't say goodbye
just give me one last kiss beneath this glowing sky.
we'll go walking through the park
and hang out in the rain.
tell a joke and watch me smile
as we drink away the day.

and know the next time that you
make a wish upon a star
I'll be wishing on the same one that you do
and every night I'm all alone
in some burn out highway town
I'll be thinking of the day that I met you.

hello again, it's been to long.
what happened to our love
since the last time I was gone?

I detach myself again
and lose something everytime.
the solutions in the problem
temporarily alright.

and know the next time that you
make a wish upon a star
that sometimes it might actually come true.
our conversation can't consist of hello and goodbye
and the silence between saying I love you.
and sometimes I wonder 'bout that too.

"So Long, Astoria"

It was the first snow of the season
i can almost see you breathin
in the middle of that empty street

Sometimes i still see myself
in that lonesome bedroom
playin my guitar
and singing songs of hope
for a better future

life is
only
as good as the memories we make
and i'm taking back what belongs to me
polaroids of classrooms unattended
these relics of remembrance
are just like shipwrecks
only theyre gone faster
than the smell after it rains

last night while everyone was sleepin
i drove through my old neighborhood
and resurrected memories from ashes

we said that we would never fit in
we were really just like them
does rebellion ever make a difference

life is
only
as good as the memories we make
and im taking back what belongs to me
polaroids of classrooms unattended
these relics of remembrance
are just like shipwrecks
only theyre gone faster
than the smell after it rains

So long astoria
i found a map to buried treasure
and even if we come home empty handed
well still have our stories
of battle scars, pirate ships and wounded hearts,
broken bones, and all the best of friendships

and when this hourglass
has filtered out
its final grain of sand
i raise my glass to the memories we had
this is my wish
this is my wish
im takin back
im takin them all back

"Takeoffs And Landings"

On this coldest of January nights
We drive out past the runway and watch the planes go flying by
The runway lights are the deepest blue like the colors of your eyes
So close them tight and kiss me one last time

If you could go anywhere right now
Where would you go?
And would you miss me when you get there?
There's no place that I would rather be
Please don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from here

Passport, customs, carry on, remember
To shut off all of your electronic devices
Fell asleep on Tuesday woke up Monday afternoon
I slept right through your International Date Line

If you could go anywhere right now
Where would you go?
And would you miss me when you get there?
There's no place that I would rather be
Please don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from here

Please don't let me go falling from the sky
The "fasten seatbelt" sign just needs to go out
If only you could be right here by my side
Home wouldn't seem so far from here

"In This Diary"

Here in this diary,
I write you visions of my summer.
It was the best I ever had.
There were choruses and sing-alongs,
And that unspoken feeling of knowing
Right now is all that matters
All the nights we stayed up talking
and listening to 80's songs;
quoting lines from all those movies that we love.
It still brings a smile to my face.
I guess when it comes down to it...

Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up:
These are the best days of our lives.
The only thing that matters
is just following your heart
and eventually you'll finally get it right.

Breaking into hotel swimming pools,
and wreaking havoc on our world.
Hanging out at truck stops just to pass the time.
The black top's singing me to sleep.
Lighting fireworks in parking lots,
illuminate the blackest nights.
Cherry cokes under this moonlight summer sky.
2015 Riverside, it's time to say, "goodbye."
Get on the bus, it's time to go.

Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up:
These are the best days of our lives.
The only thing that matters
is just following your heart,
and eventually you'll finally get it right.

"My Reply"

I got your letter and the poetry you sent me
Postmarked in december of last year
I really hope you're doing better
All of your friends close by your side
One step closer to recovery

I wish there was something i could say
To erase each and every page that you've been through
Even though its not my place to save you

I appreciate but can't accept this thank-you note
Thats sealed with your last breath
I won't stand aside and listen to you give up

If you'll just hold on for one more second
Just hold on to what you have
If you'll just hold on, just hold on
You will wake up tommorrow

These arms remain stretched out to you
Maybe someday you'll accept them
Or maybe its too late to save a young girls heart that's long stopped beating

Wake up, wake up you've gotta believe
Wake up, wake up you cant give up
Time keeps going on without us
Long after we're dead and gone

I wish there was something i could say
To erase each and every page
You've been through
Even though its not my place to save you

I appreciate but can't accept this thank-you note
Thats sealed with your last breath
I won't stand aside and listen to you give up

If you'll just hold on for one more second
Just hold on to what you have
If you'll just hold on, just hold on
You will wake up tommorrow