Flowers in concrete

Like flowers growing in concrete
There's only so far we can reach (let me tell ya now!)

Over the years we've pulled together
Looked at our options and stayed clever
And watched many directions taken
And a mountain of integrity forsaken

Constant changes all around us
Do we just mirror the society that surrounds us?
As we draw strength from each other
With this spirit that we have discovered

CHORUS:
We had to change the game - change the game
It's not jsut more of the same - more of the same

Some laugh and leave their sinking ship
Part of an iceberg of ignorance - the visible tip
That hits us hard and we escape at best
But when that ice has melted it drifts out with the rest

CHORUS

But like flowers in concrete
There's only so far we can reach
Do the best with what we've got
Because a foothold is never a lot (that's right - it's not)

We have to realise who we are
We can only grow and go so far
And don't fool yourself otherwise
'Cos in time you'll realise (the reasons why)

We've reached the stage
Where just a small percentage
Can see how things really stand
But it's hard to turn concrete into sand (no room to expand)

So we stay on underground
With this spirit we've found
And our goals are in sight
But change won't happen over night (unless we make it right)

Sometimes I get so sick of the hopeless idealism and insular dogma that this plastic bubble that's called the hardcore scene often instigates. But when I distance myself from it I can still see, despite all the obvious limitations that possibilities for some kind of limited social change. People often say hardcore is dead, generic or stagnant, but half of the time it's themselves that are stagnant and are looking for a scapegoat to legitimize musical regression, so they can concentrate only on the music or happening on what's gone before. There's still many people around who are trying hard to create something that's interesting and informative. The "concrete" is always going to be around (at least in the forseeable future), it's up to us to make sure the "flowers" still keep rearing their heads and don't wither away.