Affliction's lyrics to me seem to take a very message-driven approach. Songs like Cruel World (originally from Purge), Blood In The River and Nowhere Now all convey a message of degenerative society.
Musically it is a step back from the "full-tilt" Purge, while still being edgy and experimental. Emotional Stain is a good example of this experimentation...an essentialy blues song given that certain "industrial edge". For me this album represents the sign of things to come.
2. Blunt
3. Wicked
4. Emotional Stain
5. Close
6. Blood In The River
7. Cruel World
8. Lost
9. Slug
10. Sycophant
11. Affliction
21 miles to go, teeth grinding
Cold coffee and a cigarette
Strung out, hung out, driving
I'm not ready to quit yet
Oh, I'm not ready to lose
Oh, I'm tired of crawling back to you
I can
Feel it...slipping away, slipping away
Ooh yeah...slipping away, slipping away
Boiling hot burning chrome
Neon shining on the world below
Here in this devil's pit
The world I've come to know
Oh, I've seen better days
The pain of these memories
I cannot drive away
Nowhere to go from here
Nothing to lose, my dear
Nowhere to go from here
We're nowhere now
Nowhere now
Broken down and alone
There's nothing I can do
No excuse I can use
Deep inside this hole
Deep inside of you
Blunt
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing...
You say you're gonna kick it today
Crawl out from all your dirty walls
And make your escape
Today you're gonna face the rage
The cage
The prison you're in
Hypocrisies and lies, I am
Terrified inside, I am
Oh, I can feel nothing
Dependant on my acts of sin
I'm swimming in this decadence
Oh, I can feel nothing
Oh you'll never let me escape
I am your prisoner
Something's gotta take me away
I am a prisoner
Can't take it for another day
All the contradictions
The indifference in me
Today I'm gonna face the rage
The cage
The prison I'm in
Wicked
I am here, in silent fear
Waiting for you
No one can see, the hurt I feel
It pulls, it tears my soul
You don't feel
You don't care
You're so wicked
Take away, take away
This cross I bear
This burden shared, won't pull me down
Won't hold me down
Smile she said, turn your head
Walk away
It's in your hands, your hands
Your hands
Emotional Stain
Me...I'm misunderstood
I'm not who you thought I was
See...I'm on the outside
Staring at the world that you live in
You will, you won't, demand, provoke
Just wait, and hope I'll save you
I will, I won't, I fall, I'm not
Here to entertain you
Nothing is sacred
You're so empty and vain
An emotional stain
Strange how you pollute me
Fill me with your rhetoric and shame
Now, I see it clearly
Everything, everything was a lie
Empty and vain
An emotional stain
You're everything, you're empathy, you're sympathy
This was not for me, this was for you
You're everything, you're empathy, you're sympathy
An emotional stain
Close
Shadows dance lazily
Across this dim-lit room
Are you my enemy, my lover, my ruin?
Warm and shallow are
The waters of your soul
It's my difference, my hurt
That makes you whole
You lift me up
Drag me down
And here I am, alone
Searching for serenity
In the halls of discontent
Pieces of my sanity, my will
My hope have left
I don't understand where this all began
Are you my enemy, my lover, my ruin?
You are so far away...
You lift me up, you drag me down
You leave me so alone
I watch you turn away
I watch you
I watch you turn away
Crying
Blood In The River
I feel strangely nervous and cold again my friend
And it's time this conversation ends
I weigh my will against the steel
In the palm of my hand
And it looks like you'll see
My reality
And it looks like you'll feel
The pain
Oh, save my soul
Save my soul
Did you take me for a fool my friend?
Think that you'd be laughing?
I don't ever forgive
I don't ever forgive
Blood in, blood in, blood in, blood in the river...
Save my soul
I'm not here cause I wanna be
I'm not here to be free
In this broken society
Corrupt and empty
You made me
You made me
Cruel World
Don't judge me with your prejudice
Your church and god
Tell me what the hell you've got
That I want
You can't save us all
The journey of the sick
Was never very long
In your cruel world
Don't trust me
Comfort me with sentiment you dont mean
Dont flood me
In rivers of medicine, I can't swim
Hold me accountable for all I've done
As I will hold you
Lost
Black...all lost...get lost
Give me pleasure, give me pain
All the things to make it fade
Take me where I wanna go
I am, I am lost
Yeah! I won't crawl
Yeah!
You just take and take from me...
Sell me pictures black and white
Sell me dreams of paradise
Make it all look so damn good
I am, I am no fool
Slug
Drag me down
Pull me under deep
Smother me with your hate
Tell you what, I've heard it all before
Tell you I don't give a damn
I can see, I can see, I can see you...
Hold me close
Whisper in my ear
Promise me, no more
I won't scream, I won't beg and plead
I'm here at your mercy again
Kicking and crawling
You're begging to get more
Slipping and falling
You're dragging me down
I want more, I want more...
Tell you what, I've heard it all before
Tell you I don't give a damn
Drag me down
Pull me under deep
Smother me with your hate
Sycophant
Someone shoot the messenger
Dig me a grave
I can't take another minute of this poser's charade
Give me radio evolution
Give me public execution
Burn the flag and join the looters
Plug your ears to stop the endless stream of lies
Lies
Lies lies lies lies...
You're standing on the top
Dont know how you got there
You think you know it all
Never known, you never will
They're coming up to get you
They're coming up to get you
Knock you down
Momentary fashion
The passing of a phase
Calculated drivel from an empty soul parade
Pabulum for the masses
You can't dig the grave
All you ever wanted was a little piece of fame
On your lies
Lies
Affliction
There I'm on the edge
Of something more than what I knew
I've traded my burdens, for habits I can't cure
Gather up my enemies
Bring them to the feast
Dancing in a circle as they crucify me
Falling down again, don't be late
It's my time of reckoning
Misery my friend
I'm spending all my time with you
Reflection in the mirror
Someone I once know
Take me to the gallery
Push me to my knees
Begging for forgiveness
As the chorus judge me
Falling down again, don't be late
It's my time of reckoning
You've taken everything
Oh, you never get enough
Intimidate, you violate, humiliate me
You just can't let it be
You're coming back for me
Push me down, push me down
And hurt me again
You crawl in me, exist to feed
You watch me bleed, you're punishing
Consumed with greed, you empty me
Oh no, no, no, no, no...
Drive it deeper, go on
Just push it in
Fill me with infection, your affliction in me
Oh, your sadistic need
You're coming back for me
Push me down, push me down
And hurt me again
You crawl in me, exist to feed
You watch me bleed, you're punishing
Consumed with greed, you empty me
Oh no, no, no, no, no...