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LYRICS My Own Prison Torn Peace is what they tell me Love am I unholy Lies are what they tell me Despise you that control me (chorus) The peace is dead in my soul I have blamed the reason for my intentions poor Yes I'm the one who the only one who Would carry on this far Torn, I'm filthy Born in my own misery Stole all that you gave me Control you claim you save me (chorus) Ode Hang me watch awhile Let me see you smile as I die Take me as my body burns Let me see you yearn while I cry (chorus) One step on your own and you walk all over me One head in the clouds you won't let go your to proud One light to the blind and they see One touch on the head we believe Adore me as I drift away let me hear you say I'm fine You cry as my body dies all that you despised is gone away (chorus) My Own Prison A court is in session A verdict is in No appeal on the docket today, just my own sin The walls are cold and pale the cage made of steel Screams fill the room alone I drop and kneel Silence now the sound my breath the only motion around Demons cluttering around my face showing no emotion Shackled by my sentence expecting no return Here there is no penance my skin begins to burn (chorus) So I held my head up high hiding hate that burns inside which only fuels there selfish pride We're all held captive out from the sun A sun that shines on only some We the meek are all in one I hear a thunder in the distance see a vision of a cross I feel the pain that was given on that sad day of loss A lion roars in the darkness only he holds the key A light to free me from my burden and grant me life eternally Should have been dead on a Sunday morning banging my head no time for mourning ain't got no time (chorus) I cry out to God seeking only his decision Gabriel stands and confirms I've created my own prison Pity for a Dime An artificial season covered by summer rain losing all my reason cause there's nothing left to blame Shadows paint the sidewalk a living picture in a frame See the sea of people all their faces look the same (chorus) So I sat down for a while forcing a smile in a state of self denial is it worth while Sell my pity for a dime, just one dime Sell my pity for a dime, just one dime Plain talk can be the easy way Signs of losing my faith (chorus) In America Only in America we're slaves to be free Only in America we kill the unborn to make ends meet Only in America sexuality is democracy Only in America we stamp our god In God we trust (chorus) What is right or wrong I don't know who to believe in My soul sings a different song In America Church bells ringing pass the plate around The choir is singing as their leader falls to the ground Please Mr prophet man tell me which way to go I gave my last dollar, can I still come to your show (chorus) I am right and you are wrong I am right and you are wrong I am right and you are wrong No one's right and no one's wrong In America Illusion The sun rises to another day My constitution keeps changing till it sleeps away So I lie awake and stare My mind thinking, just wondering is anybody there (chorus) Should I stay or go Should I sleep or stay awake Am I really happy or is it all Just an Illusion Sitting in my room now Hiding thoughts, just hoping one day I'll get out I hear a voice call my name Breaking trance so silent, so I can stay the same (chorus) Wait now many things left unsaid This life remains the same but I change I try to force myself in believing Things are going to get better, But life goes on (chorus) Unforgiven I kept up with the prophecy you spoke I kept up with the message inside Lost sight of the Irony of twisted faith Lost sight of my soul and it's void (chorus) Think I, Think I'm unforgiven to this world Think I, Think I'm unforgiven to this world Think I'm Unforgiven Took a chance at deceiving myself To share in the consequence of lies Childish with my reasoning and pride Godless to the extent that I died (chorus) Step inside the light and see the fear of God burn inside of me The gold was put to flame to kill to burn to mold it's purity Sister Caught up in the middle had no choice had no choice Birthright forgotten so silent, no voice (chorus) I see you You know who Little girl, little girl Now realize little girl over looked little girl Bottled up and empty holding back At loss your forgotten getting back get back Expectations of another Love given to the younger Broken father, Broken brother Emptiness feeds the hunger (chorus) change change change What's This Life For? Hurray for a child that makes it through If there's any way, because the answer lies in you Their laid to rest, before they know just what to do Their souls are lost, because they could never find What's this life for I see your soul it's kind of gray I see your heart, you look away You see my wrist, I know your pain I know your purpose on your plane Don't say a last prayer, because you could never find What's this life for But they ain't here anymore Don't have to settle the score Cause we all live under the reign of one king One Affirmative may be justified take from one give to another The goal is to be unified take my hand be my brother The payment silenced the masses sanctified by oppression Unity took a back seat sliding further in regression (chorus) One oh One the only way is One I feel angry I feel helpless, want to change the world I feel violent I feel alone, don't try and change my mind Society blind by color why hold down one to raise another Discrimination now on both sides seeds of hate blossom further The world is heading for mutiny, when all we want is unity We may rise and fall, but in the end we meet our fate together (chorus) Human Clay Are You Ready? Hey, Mr. Seeker Hold on to this advice If you keep seeking you will find Don't want to follow Down roads been walked before It's so hard to find unopened doors Are you ready? Are you ready? Hey, Mr. Hero Walking a thin, fine line Under the microscope of life Remember your roots, my friend They're right down below 'Cause heroes come and heroes go Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one Count down to the change in life that's soon to come Your life has just begun What If I can't find the rhyme in all my reason I've lost sense of time and all seasons I feel I've been beaten down By the words of men who have no grounds I can't sleep beneath the trees of wisdom When your ax has cut the roots that feed them Forked tongues in bitter mouths Can drive a man to bleed from inside out What if you did? What if you lied? What if I avenge? What if eye for an eye? I've seen the wicked fruit of your vine Destroy the man who lacks a strong mind Human pride sings a vengeful song Inspired by the times you've been walked on My stage is shared by many millions Who lift their hands up high because they feel this We are one We are strong The more you hold us down the more we press on What if you did? What if you lied? What if I avenge? What if eye for an eye? I know I can't hold the hate inside my mind 'Cause what consumes your thoughts controls your life So I'll just ask a question What if? What if your words could be judged like a crime? Beautiful She wears a coat of color Loved by some, feared by others She's immortalized in young men's eyes Lust she breeds in the eyes of brothers Violent sons make bitter mothers So close your eyes, here's your surprise Beautiful is empty Beautiful is free Beautiful loves no one Beautiful stripped me In your mind she's your companion Vile instincts often candid Your regret is all that's left She told me where I'm going And it's far away from home I think I'll go there on my own Say I The dust has finally settled on the field of human clay Just enough light has shown through To tell the night from the day We are incomplete and hollow For our maker has gone away Who is to blame? We'll surely melt in the rain Say I The stillness is so lifeless with no spirit in your soul Like children with no vision do exactly what they're told Being led into the desert For your strength will surely fade Who is to blame? We'll surely melt in the rain Say I Frantic, faction, focus The world breathes And out forms this misconception we call man But I don't know him No, I don't know him Because he lies Say I Wrong Way What makes you touch? What makes you feel? What makes you stop and smell the roses in an open field? What makes you unclean? Yeah, Yeah What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What makes our youth run From the thought that we might die? What makes you bleed? Somebody told me the wrong way What if I died? What did I give? I hope it was an answer so you might live I hope I helped you live I hope I helped you live Somebody told me the wrong way Faceless Man I spent a day by the river It was quiet and the wind stood still I spent some time with nature To remind me of all that's real It's funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone And remember that you feel Again I stand against the Faceless Man Now I saw a face on the water It looked humble but willing to fight I saw the will of a warrior His yoke is easy and His burden is light He looked me right in the eyes Direct and concise to remind me To always do what's right Again I stand against the Faceless Man 'Cause if the face inside can't see the light I know I'll have to walk alone And if I walk alone to the other side I know I might not make it home Again I stand against the Faceless Man Next time I see this face I'll say I choose to live for always So won't you come inside And never go away Never Die Hands on a window pane Watching some children laugh and play They're running in circles With candy canes and French braids Inspired to question What makes us grown-ups anyway? Let's search for the moment When youth betrayed itself to age So let the children play Inside your heart always And death you will defy 'Cause your youth will never die In searching for substance We're clouded by struggle's haze Remember the meaning Of playing out in the rain We swim in the fountain Of youth's timeless maze If you drink the water Your youth will never fade Never die I won't let go of that youthful soul Despite body and mind my youth will never die With Arms Wide Open Well I just heard the news today It seems my life is going to change I closed my eyes, begin to pray Then tears of joy stream down my face With arms wide open Under the sunlight Welcome to this place I'll show you everything With arms wide open Well I don't know if I'm ready To be the man I have to be I'll take a breath, take her by my side We stand in awe, we've created life With arms wide open Under the sunlight Welcome to this place I'll show you everything With arms wide open Now everything has changed I'll show you love I'll show you everything With arms wide open If I had just one wish Only one demand I hope he's not like me I hope he understands That he can take this life And hold it by the hand And he can greet the world With arms wide open... Higher When dreaming I'm guided through another world Time and time again At sunrise I fight to stay asleep 'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place 'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape From the life I live when I'm awake So let's go there Let's make our escape Come on, let's go there Let's ask can we stay? Can you take me higher? To the place where blind men see Can you take me higher? To the place with golden streets Although I would like our world to change It helps me to appreciate Those nights and those dreams But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same The only difference is To let love replace all our hate So let's go there Let's make our escape Come on, let's go there Let's ask can we stay? Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time Up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams And make them mine Wash Away Those Years She came calling One early morning She showed her crown of thorns She whispered softly To tell a story About how she had been wronged As she lay lifeless He stole her innocence And this is how she carried on Well I guess she closed her eyes And just imagined everything's alright But she could not hide her tears 'Cause they were sent to wash away those years They were sent to wash away those years My anger's violent But still I'm silent When tragedy strikes at home I know this decadence Is shared by millions Remember you're not alone For we have crossed many oceans And we labor in between In life there are many quotients And I hope I find the mean Inside Us All When I'm all alone And no one else is there Waiting by the phone To remind me I'm still here When shadows paint the scenes Where spotlights used to fall And I'm left wondering Is it really worth it all? There's a peace inside us all Let it be your friend It will help you carry on In the end There's a peace inside us all Life can hold you down When you're not looking up Can't you hear the sound? Hearts beating out loud Although the names change Inside we're all the same Why can't we tear down these walls? To show the scars we're covering There's a peace There's a peace inside us all Let it be Oh, can't it be your friend?
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It's not easy to find a success story as genuine as Creed's in popular culture these days, with all the carefully scripted rises to glory and the falls that inevitably follow careers built on hype. If any band in recent years can claim to have ascended strictly on its own merits, it's Creed. This Florida-bred band went from zero to sixty, (or, more accurately, from zero to selling more than fifteen million albums) by virtue of a combination of finger-on-the-pulse songs and powerful live performances, rather than a raft of hype. "With My Own Prison, I knew we had the talent to get a record deal and I knew we had songs good enough to get played on the radio, but I never had any expectations of reaching this many people," says Creed's dynamic frontman, Scott Stapp. Nonetheless, the band's success has been truly phenomenal. Creed was the first band in history to have four Number One Rock Radio singles from a debut album -- a feat even more impressive in these days of love-'em-and-leave-'em, one-hit wonders. On the strength of their singles, including the crushing title track and the more pensive "What's This Life For," Creed topped countless year-end charts and was recognized as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1998 Music Awards. Their debut album was also the #1-selling Hard Music album for 1998 on SoundScan's Hard Music chart and to date has sold more than five million copies. Since the release of their second album, Human Clay, Creed has upped the ante yet again. "Higher," the first single from their already 10x Platinum sophomore release, broke the Active and Mainstream Rock airplay records for the most consecutive weeks at number one, holding the coveted spot for eighteen weeks. Furthermore, Creed was recognized once again as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1999 Music Awards. "We're the type of band that functions really well under pressure, and there was definitely a pressure to try to top ourselves this time," says Stapp. "Not so much what we sell, because we don't really care about that. We wanted to make a really great record. The band's goal has always been to make records that are solid from start to finish; records that take you through an entire range of emotions." Those sentiments come across loud and clear during stretches of Human Clay. On "What If," Stapp's baritone turns fierce when addressing those he feels have judged him unfairly over the years -- a pitch that's matched by the searing guitar lines that Tremonti turns out. The intensity comes through in more subtle ways as well, as in the plaintive tone of the album's first single, "Higher," which finds Stapp seeking refuge from the rigors of the outside world, as his bandmates erect a majestic wall of riffs to ring his discourse. Throughout Human Clay, the entire band is on a quest to explore different sonic territories, ranging from the Led Zeppelin-styled eastern modalities of the album's first track "Are You Ready?" to the lush balladry of "Wash Away Those Years." While Stapp grants that the band's increased resources had some impact on the structure of Human Clay - the first album was recorded for a mere $6,000 -- it's clear that Creed's evolution is far more than just a matter of dollars and cents. For Human Clay, Creed once again turned to longtime friend and producer John Kurzweg to ensure that they captured the anthemic guitars, dramatic vocals and bold lyrics that made Creed's brawny-yet-intimate sound a radio staple for two solid years. Together with Kurzweg, the band recorded the new album in a studio they constructed in a house just outside of Tallahassee. On Human Clay, Stapp contemplates how responsibilities, choices and actions impact people. The album's songs explore fears of growing up and letting go of youth ("Never Die") conscience ("Faceless Man") and betrayal ("Beautiful") among other topics. Creed challenges their listeners to think without preaching or pretending to have all the answers. Balancing Human Clay's hard rock sensibilities is "With Arms Wide Open," a deeply personal song that Stapp wrote when he learned he was going to become a father. "I think my songwriting is very direct and understandable," says Stapp. "People can relate to that, so that's something I didn't want to move away from. At the same time, we're a little bit older and more mature now and we've been through a lot in the past two years, so we were looking to put things across in a way that reflected that." In many ways, Creed has been evolving gradually since the band played its first dates together five years ago. After high school, teenage acquaintances Stapp and fellow songwriter Tremonti took different routes, but both ended up in Tallahassee, where they recruited bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips to form Creed. Within a few months, they had meshed their wide-ranging influences to create the band's rich musical texture. Creed's reputation for dynamic, passionate live performances has led to consistently sold-out shows. During the past two years the band has played to more than two million fans worldwide, not including the enormous crowd who witnessed their awesome performance at Woodstock '99. Creed gave fans something special to remember the festival by when they invited Robby Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, to join them during their performance on the main stage. When Stapp introduced Krieger, the crowd of approximately 200,000 erupted in cheers and shouted along to Doors favorites "Roadhouse Blues" and "Riders On The Storm." Krieger also stayed on to play slide guitar on Creed's "What's This Life For." "We were out on tour for a long time, and wherever we went, there were people telling me how much certain songs meant to them and how they felt so close to them," says Stapp. "That means more to me than any other kind of attention. It's important to feel as if you're doing something worthwhile, and in this band, I feel like I am." It will only take a few listens to Human Clay to see that they are. DISCOGRAPHY Albums: My Own Prison -- August 1997 | Human Clay -- September 1999 | Weathered -- November 2001 Singles: "My Sacrifice" - October 2001 "My Own Prison" - August 1997 "Torn" - January 1998 "Whats This Life For" - May 1998 "One" - December 1998 "Higher" - August 1999 "What If" - January 2000 "With Arms Wide Open" - April 2000 "Are You Ready" - August 2000 Soundtracks: "Bound & Tied" (from the Dead Man On Campus soundtrack) - August 1998 "Im Eighteen" (from The Faculty soundtrack) - December 1998 "Wrong Way" (from the End of Days soundtrack) - November 1999 "Is This The End" (from Scream3 The Album) - January 2000 (served as Executive Soundtrack Producers) "Pity For A Dime" - April 2000 (from the Jailbait soundtrack) Other: "My Own Prison" (acoustic version) - November 1998 (from the WBCN "98 Naked CD") "Roadhouse Blues" - February 2000 (from Woodstock Vol. 1 - The Red Album) "Riders On The Storm" - November 2000 (from Stoned Immaculate: The Music Of The Doors)
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