I only wanted such a little thing, only simplicity,
And now that I am who I was taught to be, you have abandoned me.

But I held so tightly to every word you said - that's the price of the respect you've always demanded,
And all those things I've gathered through the years have no value here.

I need to find a place where I can breathe,
Somewhere high above this empty wasteland, where the air is clear,
And I need to find it while I still can.

In a world like this, how can you wonder at my sadness'
Now I hope for something beautiful, but I feel trapped under your waves of wreckage,
And, if I cannot claw my own way through, I fear one day I will be just like you.

I need to find a place where I can breathe,
Somewhere high above this empty wasteland, where the air is clear,
And I need to find it while I still can.

In this land of vacant stars, in the backseats of desperate cars, in single-mother topless bars, we ache for something more,
Your sons and your daughters are unwilling martyrs to the devils, priests, and other thieves, and their wars and rumours of war,
I need a handgun and a hand grenade to protect me from those who keep me safe,
And yet I remember you straight face: "Someday this will all be yours."

I need to find a place where I can breathe,
Somewhere high above this empty wasteland, where the air is clear,
And, while I still can, I need to find a place where I can breathe,
Somewhere high above this empty wasteland, where the air is clear,
And I need to find it while I still can, while I still can.