When I was a young man growing up I thought
We'd overcome the horrors that our past had brought
We wouldn't stand again for the populist's drug
Cause we had learned our lessons from the graves they dug
We'd all know better than to fall for hate
Cause we had felt the pain that'd be our fate
"Us against them" is not what our world would be
Truth and real solutions is what we would see
Yet now it seems we have forgotten what it takes to be free
That it means to live together without fear is the key
To not have your neighbor see you as an enemy
Because you think a different answer yields a better destiny
Or even worse because you can't see past the color of her skin
And whitewashed history and then forgot about that sin
That lingers in the air despite the self-righteous perfume
That we all so much like to consume
It's like that virus so desirous
Eating away at society
It's like that virus so desirous
So destructive in its notoriety
It's like that virus so desirous
How hate and intolerance threaten our life
It's like that virus so desirous
Undermining the world's democracies
♪
And you shrug about the sound of lies and damn civility
Cause your tribe won't let you reason flexibly
Compromise is treason as some cynics control politics
Principles and truth don't matter to the power addicts
Always distrust those who raise tempers and emotions
Dark streaks that far too often caused explosions
Resist all opportunity to shape hate into power
Because human evil easily grows from that poisoned flower
Human evil easily grows from that poisoned flower
It's like that virus so desirous
Eating away at society
It's like that virus so desirous
So destructive in its notoriety
It's like that virus so desirous
How hate and intolerance threaten my life
It's like that virus so desirous
Undermining the world's democracies
It's like that virus so desirous
Normalizing insanity
It's like that virus so desirous
Destroying trust and legitimacy
It's like that virus so desirous
Basking in outrageous conspiracies
It's like that virus so desirous
Please protect your mind with civility
It's like that virus so desirous
Replacing facts with ideology
It's like that virus so desirous
Your ears are bleeding from hypocrisy
It's like that virus so desirous
Make deals with the devil despite the means
It's like that virus so desirous
Driving our world to autocracy
It's like that virus so desirous
Eating away at society
It's like that virus so desirous
So destructive in its notoriety
It's like that virus so desirous
How hate and intolerance threaten our life
It's like that virus so desirous
Undermining the world of democracy
It's like that virus so desirous
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh