Track 3 of the stellar “In Rock We Trust” album. The intro gets me playing air guitar.

It’s such a dirty game
That it fills you with rage
There’s only kings and queens
And you’re a pawn in their game

So much truth in these words.

Money, security and relationships are keeping us up at night. If we borrow money, we become even a bigger pawn in the game. The decks are stacked against hard work. They’ve always been.

Of masters and slaves
We’re divided that way
Are you a master or slave?
Do you rule or obey?

We are born, our parents rule and we obey.

We go to school and our teachers rule, while we obey.

We go to work and the boss rules, while we obey.

We get married, and the other partner rules while we obey.

If we want to participate in society, we need to play by its rules of working to get paid and taking out loans for property and so forth.

When they tell you it’s the home of the free
Well, they must be insane

Who would have thought that living in a free country would be so expensive?

And who would have thought that living in a free country, that we would be under so much surveillance than a communist nation ever did, all in the name of safety.

‘Cause it’s dog eat dog from morning ’till night
And only the strongest survive
It’s the law of the jungle, only winners have rights
The losers relinquish their lives

There is no story about the losers. Only the winners. And they re-write history to suit their point of view.

So, you think you’re made it
When you have your fortune and fames
But don’t you realize
Oh, someone’s running the game

These lyrics reference life, experience, skin in the game. It’s not all about being a red hot live wire, wanting to feel the noise.

How many artists lost all the money they made when their career and the public acceptance of their music started to fade and their trusted label, manager and publisher ripped em off.