Written by John Mellencamp



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, your 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 they're parental carving knife

Go on, let 'em run your lives

Are you too young to see

Or just to 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 authoritites

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



(*Repeat)





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 stil