There is an empire nobody sees
And it has everyone on their knees
Struggling to make ends meet
As people try to die on their feet
Through the beauty blogs
Or the city that the pollution smogs
But never good enough is the refrain
And you can only ever paper over the pain 
As we try to keep everything in frame 
So we can keep up with a name
That we have identified as ours
And the powers 
That be pull tight on the rein
As someone else takes the blame 
For what is beyond the pale 
You can’t buy what is not up for sale 
And I watch the horrors encompass the whole
And you may not be able to steal their soul 
But you sure can make their body hurt
Make them long for death and what’s worse
Is you do it in the name of the free
But you sure as fuck do not do it for me 
As I balk and retreat 
And admit total defeat
In a war that can’t be won
Watch a mother sacrifice her son 
For some hidden clause 
The video skips when I hit pause 
On the show 
And I cannot let go 
Of everything I’ve come to be
And a man down on one knee
Is not my salvation 
Neither is my education 
So pulverised and perfect, true 
But I didn’t do it for you 
As I let the wind go slack 
The years you waste you can’t get back