Text: John Mellencamp. Let Them Run Your Lives.

Hello girls and boys
As you sit in your carpeted bedrooms
With your stereos on and on

Playin' with those hundred dollar toys
Built to occupy your minds
So you don't notice your future's are gone

And as you race on through the streets tonight
Lookin' for some lonely lover to hold you tight
You think that the world is alright

Well, you're out of touch, you're out of time
You're gonna crack, you're fragile regulated minds
As you're headin' on to no kind of conclusion

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Watch 'em as they cut your throat
With their parental carving knife

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Are you too young to see
Or just too old to fight?

They've taken the energy away from you
They haven't taught you enough to deal
With the ordeal you must be goin' through

Yeah, but look at this now

They've left you the schools
They've left you the government but they're all fallin' down
Don't forget to make the past due payments

And in this world of uncertainties, you can be certain that
You must kiss the ass of the authorities
And kiss you will if you want to survive

You don't have to look too hard to see
That there just ain't no free rides
Hell it takes a real man to survive

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Watch 'em as they cut your throat
With their parental carving knife

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Are you too young to see
Or just too old to fight?

Well, Jay Dee is locked in his soul, some kinda hotel
Well, he's burnin' inside
He shakes shakes shakes, all through the night

And little Ruda Juda is passed out on the floor
She's just so damn stupid, won't somebody
Take away her gun and show her the door
Show her the door, show her that door's open

And me I'm so misunderstood, but I'm still alive
And my eyes are open wide to the fact
That the world just will lie and it'll kick you right in the face

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Watch 'em as they cut your throat
With their parental carving knife

Go on, let 'em run your lives
Are you too young to see
Or just too old to fight?

Hey, are you too young to see
Or just too old to fight?
Do we have to fight the rest of our lives?