I was the future in 1995
I watched the flashbulbs burst whenever I'd arrive
I'd tape my knuckles up, cinched and tight for the ring
Just beneath the gloves, clenching white for the swing
I was a sellout before a sellout crowd
I threw the fight in my head, before the fat lady bowed
You want a tip-off, some good advice for the brawl?
Just wear a mouth-guard, to keep your teeth when you fall
And when you quit
Make sure that you can wash your hands of it

Chorus:
Armed to the teeth, score one for treachery
I am a mercenary
There's more lies here than we can all bury
I am a mercenary

I've seen the headlines swarming thick with flies
I've seen the Billboard charts, I've heard them spitting lies
Here's to your lame award, your phony Nobel Prize
Here's to the suckers lining up to see us compromise
Let's light a campfire, we'll have a singalong
I'll burn some bridges, you'll bring the crappy songs
And when you quit
Make sure that you can wash your hands of it

Chorus

Bridge:
There's a part of me I've compromised
Buried somewhere under ghosts of lies
Make it quick, make it sick
Turn the crank and just play the greatest hits
Sigh
There's a part of me that I despise
Pull the curtain back and see what dies
Emerald spires of the near profound
Let's burn this lousy city down