Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
In all the movies I watched with my friends
The killing and capturing never ends
The heroes triumph with their guns and knives
And then go home to beat their wives
Gotta hold my own without any help
Never appear small, weak or frail
To do so is to lose all standing
In others’ eyes as seen through mine
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
Make others feel stupid at every turn
There is nothing that I should have to learn
Just stepping on others to get ahead
If I’m not proving, might as well be dead
It’s all about the pecking order
Who gets to cross whose border
Although I almost always feel safe
Most guys easily put me in my place
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
If I can’t be the last one on top
Then I don’t deserve to play at all
If I can’t be the very best
I guess I’m just one of the rest
From loins to guns bigger is better
From lies to profits better is bigger
There’s no end to the shenanigans
“The one who dies with the most toys wins”
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
A concoction of artificial ingredients
When dissected it makes absolutely no sense
Dies, preservatives, stuff made just to be sold
Conveniently available in a (limited) variety of molds
Pursuing images and false identity
Power, control and self-righteous destiny
Toying with upward mobility
Taking my just place in society
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
Self-made men in money and build
There’s no limit to the power they yield
If I can find favor or emulate
There might be a place for me in their state
Control over others is my god-given right
If not through coercion, then through simple might
Throughout the world, there are customs and rules
To hide the fact that I’m out of control
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
War is raged across the earth and sea
In schoolrooms, boardrooms, bedrooms, t.v.
All of it upheld by man-made laws
Religion and science provide just cause
A constant fluctuation between saviordom and impotence
Lashing out in confused and violent fits
All the while maintaining the social order
Designed to accommodate this bi-polar disorder
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
Detachment from others is the social norm
Independence is an imperative storm
Lost in an emotionless realm
The price for my place at the helm
For 10,000 years I’ve ruled the world
Never acknowledging there was something before
Now lost and alone, surrounded by others
I’ve come to realize, I miss our fore-mothers
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
Chasing power, ignoring responsibility
Living in dreamscapes, shirking reality
Weary and worn from endless competition
By whose orders, this confusing mission
To always be right, even when I’m wrong
To never remove the mask I’ve donned
Wracked with unspoken fears
Trying desperately not to hear
The sadness and pain pent up for years
And terrified to release the tears
Masculinity’s killing me
Not just me, but the collective we
By letting go, we can find real power
In patriarchy’s final hour
