Lyrics Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys

Chickenshit Conformist

Punk's not dead

It just deserves to die

When it becomes another stale cartoon

A close-minded, self-centered social club

Ideas don't matter

It's who you know

If the music's gotten boring

It's because of the people who want everyone to sound the same

Who drive the bright people out of our so-called scene

'Til all that's left is just a meaningless fad

Hardcore formulas are dogshit

Change and caring are what's real

Is this a state of mind

Or just another label

The joy and hope of an alternative

Have become its own cliche

A hairstyle's not a lifestyle

Imagine Sid Vicious at 35

Who needs a scene

Scared to love and to feel

Judge everythng

By loud fast rules appeal

"Who played last night?

I don't know, I forgot.

But diving off the stage Was a lot of fun."

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

Make the same old mistakes

Again and again

Chickenshit conformist like your parents

What's ripped us apart even more than drugs

Are the thieves and the god damn liars

Ripping people off when they share their stuff

When someone falls, are there any friends?

Harder-core-than-thou for a year or two

Then it's time to get a real job

Others stay home; it's no fun to go out

When the gigs are wrecked by gangs and thugs

When the thugs form bands, look who gets record deals

From New York metal labels looking to scam

Who sign the most racist queer-bashing bands they can find

To make a buck revving kids up for war

Walk tall, act small

Only as tough as gang approval

Unity is bullshit

When it's under someone's fat boot

Where's the common cause

Too many factions safely sulk in their shells

Agree with us on everything

Or we won't help with anythng

That kind of attitude

Just makes a split grow wider

Guess who's laughing while the world explodes

When we're all crybabies

Who fight best among ourselves

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

Make the same old mistakes

Again and again

Chickenshit conformist like your parents

That farty old rock and roll attitude's back

"It's competition, man, we wanna break big."

Who needs friends when the money's good

That's right, the '70s are back

Cock-rock metal's like a bad laxative

It just don't move me, ya know?

The music's OK when there's more ideas than solos

Do we really need the attitude too?

Shedding thin skin too quickly

As a fan it disappoints me

Same old stupid sexist lyrics

Or is Satan all you can think of?

Crossover is just another word

For lack of ideas

Maybe what we need

Are more trolls under the bridge

Will the metalheads finally learn something

Or will the punks throw away their education?

No one's ever the best

Once they believe their own press

"Maturing" don't mean rehashing mistakes of the past

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

Make the same old mistakes

Again and again

Chickenshit conformist like your parents

The more things change

The more they stay the same

We can't grow when we won't criticize ourselves

The '60s weren't our failure

It's the '70s that stunk

As the clock ticks we dig the same hole

Music scenes ain't real life

They won't get rid of the bomb

Won't eliminate rape

Or bring down the banks

Any kind of real change

Takes more time and work

Than changing channels on a TV set

So why are we so eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

So eager to please

Peer pressure decrees

Make the same old mistakes

Again and again

Chickenshit conformist like your parents!