After the longest break between albums of their career, the band returned to the studio with 45 songs to work with along with a new producer in Butch Vig. What emerged from those sessions was another rock opera concept album that once again saw the band hit the top of the charts. In a changing music industry, the album would also mark the last time to date that the band has sold more than 500,000 albums, eventually selling over one million in the US.
Sing us a song of the century That's louder than bombs and eternity The era of static and contraband Leading us into the promised land Tell us a story that's by candlelight Waging a war and losing the fight They're playing a song of the century Panic and promise and prosperity Tell me a story into that goodnight Sing us a song for me
(Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh) Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell A welfare child where the teamsters dwelled The last one born, and the first one to run My town was blind from refinery sun My generation is zero I never made it as a working class hero 21st century breakdown I once was lost, but never was found I think I'm losing what's left of my mind To the 20th century deadline (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh) I was made of poison and blood Condemnation is what I understood Video games through the tower's fall Homeland security could kill us all My generation is zero I never made it as a working class hero 21st century breakdown I once was lost, but never was found I think I'm losing what's left of my mind To the 20th century deadline [Part II] We are the class of, the class of '13 Born in the era of humility We are the desperate in the decline Raised by the bastards of 1969 My name is no one, the long lost son Born on the 4th of July Raised through the era of heroes and cons That left me for dead or alive I am a nation, a worker of pride (Hey!) My debt to the status quo The scars on my hands and a means to an end It's all that I have to show Hey! Hey! Hey! I swallowed my pride and I choked on my faith I've given my heart and my soul I've broken my fingers and lied through my teeth The pillar of damage control I've been to the edge and I've thrown the bouquet (Hey!) Of flowers left over the grave I sat in the waiting room wasting my time And waiting for judgement day I praise liberty The freedom to obey It's the song that strangles me Well, don't cross the line [Part III] Oh, dream, America, dream I can't even sleep from the light's early dawn Oh, scream, America, scream Believe what you see from heroes and cons
Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Violence is an energy against the enemy Well, violence is an energy, rah-eh! Bringing on the fury, the choir infantry Revolt against the honor to obey (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) Overthrow the effigy, the vast majority While burning down the foreman of control (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) And silence is an enemy against your urgency So rally up the demons of your soul (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! The insurgency will rise When the blood's been sacrificed Don't be blinded by the lies in your eyes, say! Oh-eh-oh-eh! Oh-eh-oh-eh! Well, violence is an energy (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) Well, from here to eternity (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) Well, violence is an energy (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) Well, silence is the enemy, so gimme, gimme revolution! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy, rah-eh! (Do you know the enemy?) Overthrow the effigy, the vast majority (Well, gotta know the enemy!) While burning down the foreman of control (Oh-eh-oh-eh!) (Do you know the enemy?) Silence is an enemy, against your urgency (Well, gotta know the enemy!) So rally up the demons of your soul! (Oh-eh-oh-eh!)
Hey, Gloria, are you standing close to the edge? Look out to the setting sun, the brink of your vision Eternal youth is a landscape of a lie The cracks of my skin can prove, as the years will testify Say your prayers and light a fire, we're gonna start a war Your slogan's a gun for hire, it's what we waited for Hey, Gloria, this is why we're on the edge The fight of our life's been drawn to this undying love Gloria! ¡Viva la Gloria! You blast your name in graffiti on the walls Falling in broken glass that's slashing through your spirit I can hear it like a jilted crowd! Gloria! Where are you, Gloria? You found a home in all your scars and ammunition You made your bed in salad days amongst the ruins Ashes to ashes of our youth! She smashed her knuckles into winter (Gloria!) As autumn's wind fades into black She is the saint of all the sinners (Gloria!) The one that's fallen through the cracks So don't put away your burning light! Gloria! Where are you, Gloria? Don't lose your faith to your lost naiveté Weather the storm, and don't look back on last November When your banners were burning down! Gloria! ¡Viva la Gloria! Send me your amnesty down to the broken hearted Bring us the season that we always will remember Don't let the bonfires go out! So, Gloria, send out your message of The light that shadows in the night Gloria, where's your undying love? Tell me the story of your life, your life!
Dreaming, I was only dreaming Of another place and time, where my family's from Singing, I can hear them singing When the rain had washed away all these scattered dreams Dying, everyone's reminded Hearts are washed in misery, drenched in gasoline Laughter, there is no more laughter Songs of yesterday now live in the underground (Ooh, ooh-ooh) Life before the lobotomy Christian sang the eulogy Signed, "My love," a lost memory From the end of the century Well, it's enough to make you sick To cast a stone and throw a brick But when the sky is falling down You burned your dreams into the ground Christian's lesson's what he's been sold (Hey!) We are normal and self-controlled (Hey!) Remember to learn to forget (Hey!) Whiskey shots and cheap cigarettes Well, I'm not stoned, I'm just fucked up I got so high I can't stand up Well, I'm not cursed 'cause I've been blessed I'm not in love, 'cause I'm a mess Like refugees (Ooh) We're lost like refugees (Ooh) Like refugees (Ooh) We're lost like refugees (Ooh) The brutality of reality Is the freedom that keeps me from Dreaming, I was only dreaming Of another place and time, where my family's from Singing, I can hear them singing When the rain had washed away all these scattered dreams Dying, everyone's reminded Hearts are washed in misery, drenched in gasoline Laughter, there is no more laughter Songs of yesterday now live in the underground
I got under the grip between this modern hell I got the rejection letter in the mail and it was already ripped to shreds Seasons in ruin and this bitter pill is chased in blood There's fire in my veins and it's pouring out like a flood Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha This diabolic state is gracing my existence Like a catastrophic baby, baby, maybe you're the chemical reaction I am the atom bomb, I am your chosen one Toxin your reservoir and then return man to ape Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno Whoa-oh, Christian's inferno
I text a postcard sent to you Did it go through? Sending all my love to you You are the moonlight of my life Every night Giving all my love to you My beating heart belongs to you I walked for miles 'til I found you I'm here to honor you If I lose everything in the fire I'm sending all my love to you With every breath that I am worth Here on Earth I'm sending all my love to you So if you dare to second-guess You can rest Assured that all my love's for you My beating heart belongs to you I walked for miles 'til I found you I'm here to honor you If I lose everything in the fire I'm sending all my love to you My beating heart belongs to you I walked for miles 'til I found you I'm here to honor you If I lose everything in the fire Did I ever make it through?
"Reberu rajio!" "¡La última noche!" "And we will see how Godless a nation we have become." (...em sseug dnoceS) ...em tset t'noD Raise your hands now to testify Your confession will be crucified You're a sacrificial suicide Like a dog that's been sodomized, well (Stand up!) All the white boys (Sit down!) And the black girls (Stand up!) You're the soldiers (Sit down!) Of the new world Put your faith in a miracle And it's non-denominational Join the choir, we'll be singing In the church of wishful thinking A fire burns today Of blasphemy and genocide The sirens of decay Will infiltrate the faith fanatics Oh, bless me, Lord, for I have sinned It's been a lifetime since I last confessed I threw my crutches in "the river of a shadow of doubt" And I'll be dressed up in my Sunday best Say a prayer for the family Drop a coin for humanity Ain't this uniform so flattering? I never asked you a goddamn thing! A fire burns today Of blasphemy and genocide The sirens of decay Will infiltrate the faith fanatics Don't test me Second-guess me Protest me You will disappear I want to know who's allowed to breed All the dogs who never learned to read The missionary politicians And the cops of the new religion! A fire burns today Of blasphemy and genocide The sirens of decay Will infiltrate the inside Yeah!
One, two, three, four! Well, I've got a fever, a non-believer, I'm in a state of grace For I am the Caesar, I'm gonna seize the day (Ay, ay-ay) Well, call of the banshee, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey As God as my witness, the infidels are gonna pay Well, call the assassin, the orgasm, a spasm of love and hate For what will divide us? The righteous and the meek (Ay, ay-ay) Well, call of the wild, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey Well, death to the girl at the end of the serenade Vendetta, sweet vendetta This Beretta of the night This fire and the desire Well, shots ringing out on the holy parasite Well, I am a killjoy from Detroit, I drink from a well of rage I feed off the weakness with all my love (Ah, ah-ah) Well, call up the captain, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey Well, death to the lover that you were dreaming of Well, this is a stand-off, a Molotov cocktail's on the house You thought I was a write-off, you better think again (Ay, ay-ay) Well, call the peacemaker, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey I'm gonna send you back to the place where it all began Vendetta, sweet vendetta This Beretta of the night This fire and the desire Well, shots ringing out on the holy parasite Well, now the caretaker's the undertaker So I'm gonna go out and get a peacemaker This is a Neo Saint Valentine's massacre (Ah, ah-ah) Well, call up the Gaza, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey Well, death to the ones at the end of the serenade Well, death to the ones at the end of the serenade Well, death to the ones at the end of the serenade Well, death to the ones at the end of the serenade
She puts her makeup on like graffiti on the walls of the heartland She's got her little book of conspiracies right in her hand She is paranoid, endangered species headed into extinction She is one of a kind, well she's the last of the American girls She wears her overcoat for the coming of the nuclear winter She is riding her bike like the fugitive of Critical Mass She's on a hunger strike for the ones who won't make it for dinner She makes enough to survive for a holiday of working class She's a runaway of the establishment incorporated She won't cooperate, well she's the last of the American girls She plays her vinyl records, singing songs on the eve of destruction She's a sucker for all the criminals breaking the laws She will come in first for the end of western civilization She's an endless war, she's a hero for the lost cause Like a hurricane in the heart of the devastation She's a natural disaster, she's the last of the American girls She puts her makeup on like graffiti on the walls of the heartland She's got her little book of conspiracies right in her hand She will come in first for the end of western civilization She's a natural disaster, she's the last of the American girls Aw, yeah Alright Aw, yeah
Desperate but not hopeless I feel so useless in the murder city Desperate but not helpless The clock strikes midnight in the murder city I'm wide awake after the riots This demonstration of our anguish This empty laughter has no reason Like a bottle of your favourite poison We are the last call and we're so pathetic Desperate but not hopeless I feel so useless in the murder city Desperate but not helpless The clock strikes midnight in the murder city Christian's crying in the bathroom And I just want to bum a cigarette We've come so far, we've been so wasted It's written all over our faces We are the last call and we're so pathetic Desperate but not hopeless I feel so useless in the murder city Desperate but not helpless The clock strikes midnight in the murder city Desperate but not hopeless I feel so useless in the murder city Desperate but not helpless The clock strikes midnight in the...
Little girl, little girl, why are you cryin'? Inside your restless soul, your heart is dyin' Little one, little one, your soul is purgin' Of love and razor blades, your blood is surgin' Run away from the river to the street And find yourself with your face in the gutter You're a stray for the Salvation Army There is no place like home when you got no place to go Little girl, little girl, your life is callin' The charlatans and saints of your abandon Little one, little one, the sky is fallin' Your lifeboat of deception is now sailin' In the wake (All the way!) All the way, no rhyme or reason Your bloodshot eyes will show your heart of treason Little girl, little girl, you dirty liar You're just a junkie preaching to the choir Run away from the river to the street And find yourself with your face in the gutter You're a stray for the Salvation Army There is no place like home when you got no place to go The traces of blood always follow you home Like the mascara tears from your getaway (Gloria!) You're walking with blisters and running with shears So unholy, sister of grace Run away from the river to the street And find yourself with your face in the gutter You're a stray from the Salvation Army There is no place like home
I've got a really bad disease It's got me begging on my hands and knees So, take me to emergency 'Cause something seems to be missing Somebody, take the pain away It's like an ulcer bleeding in my brain So send me to the pharmacy so I can lose my memory I'm elated, medicated Lord knows I tried to find a way to run away I think they found another cure For broken hearts and feeling insecure You'd be surprised what I endure What makes you feel so self-assured? I need to find a place to hide You never know what could be waiting outside The accidents that you could find It's like some kind of suicide So what ails you, is what impales you I feel like I've been crucified to be satisfied I'm a victim of my symptom I am my own worst enemy You're a victim of your symptom You are your own worst enemy Know your enemy I'm elated, medicated I am my own worst enemy So what ails you is what impales you You are your own worst enemy You're a victim of the system You are your own worst enemy You're a victim of the system You are your own worst enemy
One, two, three, four! I'm not fucking around I think I'm coming out All the deceivers and cheaters I think we've got a bleeder right now Want you to slap me around? Want you to knock me out? Well, you missed me, kissed me Now you better kick me down Maybe you're the runner-up But the first one to lose the race Almost only really counts in Horseshoes and handgrenades I'm gonna burn it all down I'm gonna rip it out Well, everything you employ Was meant for me to destroy To the ground now So don't you fuck me around Because I'll shoot you down I'm gonna drink, fight and fuck And I'm pushing my luck All the time now Maybe you're the runner-up But the first one to lose the race Almost only really counts in Horseshoes and handgrenades Demolition, self-destruction Want to annihilate this age-old contradiction Demolition, self-destruction Want to annihilate this age-old contradiction Demolition, self-destruction Want to annihilate this old age I'm not fucking around I think I'm coming out Well, I'm a hater, a traitor In a pair of Chuck Taylors right now I'm not fucking around G-L-O-R-I-A! G-L-O-R-I-A! G-L-O-R-I-A! G-L-O-R-I-A!
Can you hear the sound of the static noise blasting out in stereo? Cater to the class and the paranoid music to my nervous system Advertising love and religion, murder on the airwaves Slogans on the brink of corruption Visions of blasphemy, war and peace Oh, screaming at you I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age Billboard on the rise in the dawn's landscape, working your insanity Tragic á la madness and concrete Coca-Cola execution Conscience on a cross and your heart's in a vice Squeezing out your state of mind Are what you own that you cannot buy What a fucking tragedy, strategy Oh, screaming at you I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age Hey, hey, it's the static age Well, this is how the west was won Hey, hey, it's the static age millennium All I want to know is a god damned thing Not what's in the medicine All I want to do is I want to breathe Batteries are not included What's the latest way that a man can die? Screaming "Hallelujah" (Hallelujah) Singing out "the dawn's early light" The silence of the rotten, forgotten Oh, screaming at you I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age I can't see a thing in the video I can't hear a sound on the radio In stereo in the static age The static age
Do you know what's worth fighting for When it's not worth dying for? Does it take your breath away And you feel yourself suffocating Does the pain weigh out the pride? And you look for a place to hide Did someone break your heart inside You're in ruins One, 21 Guns Lay down your arms Give up the fight One, 21 Guns Throw up your arms into the sky You and I When you're at the end of the road And you lost all sense of control And your thoughts have taken their toll When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul Your faith walks on broken glass And the hangover doesn't pass Nothing's ever built to last You're in ruins One, 21 Guns Lay down your arms Give up the fight One, 21 Guns Throw up your arms into the sky You and I Did you try to live on your own When you burned down the house and home? Did you stand too close to the fire Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone? When it's time to live and let die And you can't get another try Something inside this heart has died You're in ruins One, 21 Guns Lay down your arms Give up the fight One, 21 Guns Throw up your arms into the sky One, 21 Guns Lay down your arms Give up the fight One, 21 Guns Throw up your arms into the sky You and I
[Part 1: American Eulogy] Sing us the song of the century It sings like American eulogy The dawn of my love and conspiracy Of forgotten hope and the class of '13 Tell me a story into that goodnight Sing us a song for me [Part 2: Mass Hysteria] Hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria Red alert is the color of panic Elevated to the point of static Beating into the hearts of the fanatics And the neighborhood's a loaded gun Idle thought leads to full-throttle screaming And the wealth is asphyxiating Mass confusion is all the new rage And it's creating a feeding ground for the bottom feeders of Hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria True sounds of maniacal laughter And the deaf mute's misleading the choir The punchline is a natural disaster And it's sung by the unemployed Fight fire with a riot The class war is hanging on a wire Because the martyr is a compulsive liar When he said, "It's just a bunch of niggers throwing gas into the..." Hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria Mass hysteria There's a disturbance on the oceanside They tapped into the reserve The static response is so unclear now "Mayday, this is not a test" As the neighborhood burns America is falling Vigilantes warning ya Calling Christian and Gloria! [Part 3: Modern World] I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world Well, I'm the class of '13 in the era of dissent A hostage of the soul on a strike to pay the rent The last of the rebels without a common ground I'm gonna light a fire into the underground, well I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I am a nation without bureaucratic ties Deny the allegation as it's written, fucking lies Well, I wanna take a ride to the great divide Beyond the "up to date" and the neo-gentrified The high definition for the low resident Where the value of your mind is not held in contempt I can hear the sound of a beating heart That bleeds beyond a system that is falling apart With money to burn on a minimum wage Well, I don't give a shit about the modern age I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria) I don't wanna live in the modern world (Mass hysteria...) I don't wanna live in the modern world
Well I crossed the river Fell into the sea Where the non-believers go beyond belief Then I scratched the surface In the mouth of hell Running out of service in the blood I fell Well I, I just want to see the light And I, I don't want to lose my sight Well I, I just want to see the light And I need to know what's worth the fight Well I've been wasted Pills and alcohol And I've been chasing Down the pool halls Then I drank the water from a hurricane And I set a fire just to see the flame Well I, I just want to see the light And I, I don't want to lose my sight Well I, I just want to see the light And I need to know what's worth the fight Well I crossed the desert Reaching higher ground Then I pound the pavement to take the liars down But it's gone forever, but never too late Where the ever after is in the hands of fate Well I, I just want to see the light And I, I don't want to lose my sight Well I, I just want to see the light And I need to know what's worth the fight