autobiography of a nation

write these words back down inside, we have burned their villages and all the people in them died, we adopt their customs and everything they say we steal, all the dreams they had we kill, still we all sleep sound tonight, is this what you wanted to hear?, we erased all their images and dance, and replaced them with borders and flags, at the top of this timeline you'll remember, this is the lipstick on the collar, and in my own life i've seen it in the mirror, sometimes at the cost of others hopes, so write these words back down inside, that's where you need it the most, and without conviction of heart you will never feel it at all, yeah, we all dance to the same beat when we we're marching, yeah, the tv tells us everythign we need to know, and this scene is painting in all the fashions of the moment, and history is all the same, everything you say you stole, every dream you dream you bought