The Lion Inside

(album: An Obelisk - 2019)

There are certain times I feel like a human being
There are other times I just don't know
There are often times when some kind of other thing
Makes itself known and takes control

I am an animal — I am in an experiment
I'm a wild beast — I'm on a leash that chokes
I'm choking by the throat and I know it's evident
They're going to poke me until I croak
They're going to beat me until I'm broke

I am an animal that they have tried to civilize
But being civilized means keeping quiet
They might be lying when they're trying to sympathize
Still, I strive to keep the lion inside
We all got to fight the violent side

That lion's eyes are shining brightly in the night
And the prey in his sights, he is a spineless fool
Down inside, I'm simply terrified to be alive
And I'm like you

When the lion is loose, I gotta try to calm it down
And that's a lot to swallow, even with my big mouth
Oh lord, I think that I'm about to vomit now
But that little lion needs his whip
He needs his whip and he needs it quick

That lion inside, he is a kind of friend to me
That lion and I, we got a kind of groove
That lion inside, he is the kind of enemy
That is so hard to remove
He's always got something to prove
And I do too