When you're crowded out by freedom's price
And you take a shred of bad advice
The system knows but you're kept underground
When you can't afford a flight to Mars
When you're never born to touch the stars
The endless maze of concrete wears you down
Can you theorize our better lives
Where the grass is green on the other side
We'd compromise and find a way to thrive
If you're scared of being left behind
Then you'd be so disturbed with dreams like mine
The realization that our world's alive

Control comes cheap
But nothing is fair
They wake you from sleep
But nobody's there
You walk among sheep
And that's why you're scared
You'll never be the man in the chair

Take your medicine and swallow down
All the bitterness that built this town
Don't let him hear you start to criticize
You know this array was rigged to fail
When you fall apart then you can't bail
To find a place of safety in the sky
Light a signal flare and find a way
Out of coerced androids on parade
Assimilation comes or else we die
When we worry still and break the rules
Then our consciences will make us fools
And you always end up the system's slave

Control comes cheap
But nothing is fair
They wake you from sleep
But nobody's there
You walk among sheep
And that's why you're scared
You'll never be the man in the chair

When you are not enough to make it
They've taken off and left you naked
Like they did long ago to me
But now I'm free
They cut you out and tore the sutures
Out of the cinematic future
To shine with or without
To silence doubt
You know the shadows like I do
We're driven by what we've been through
And now we fall on the sword
We'll never be the chosen kings
We'll never know the finer things
But we can open up the door

Control comes cheap
But nothing is fair
They wake you from sleep
But nobody's there
You walk among sheep
And that's why you're scared
You'll never be the man in the chair
Control comes cheap
But nothing is fair
They wake you from sleep
But nobody's there
You walk among sheep
And that's why you're scared
You'll never be the man in the chair