Cicada - Song for John Butler Train Lyrics

He offers me a beer
"Good on ya *man*
Can't wait to hear what you get outta this one
I'm sure that you can use it"
And--with the kind of the kind of confidence you only get
With middle age and a paid-off mortgage--says
"At least we'll get fantastic protest music"

And I'd love to say
"I really hate to be the bearer of bad news
But a song ain't helping no-one sunshine
(well no-one but you)"
But I just bite my tongue and smile along
Get asked to "play that Phil Ochs one"
When I'm no Phil Ochs and no-one's dodging any drafts
I'm just watching-my-friends-kill-themselves-whilst-owning-a-guitar
But I could get there yeah I reckon I could fit into those clothes
I could fight and sing for progress and wind up failed and alone
You say "the world's gone mad!" to save time I guess I'll just agree
But all your "silver linings" sound like tarnished shit to me

When "this sucks" is all there is to say
For all the change it's making anyway
(And change isn't even really what you want)

I heard my younger self declare
Something 'bout "revolution in the air"
"A better world in birth" some worn-out bullshit
And--with the kind of hope you can only hold
As a Marxist-Leninist sixteen-year-old--
Something about how this is "f*cking useless"

And I don't know that I've really changed
Just know I can't quite fight the same
I've lost the certainty of smartness that stupidity inspires
Or the Folk-Punk braves to say I'm singing for the barricades
I'm scared of heights and crowds and loud noise man
There's no-one I'd inspire
And I'm not myself on most days
(certainly not myself from those ones)
I've not changed my views that much I've just stopped thinking that they'll catch on
If I can trap you in a room like this and yell at you in song
If I can find one person listening so I can tell you why you're wrong

"This sucks" is all there is to say
I'm a poser sellout anyway
I never even did heroin once