Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
I don't want to face
the killer instinct --
face it in your or me
We carry a sensitive cargo
below the waterline --
ticking like a time bomb
with a primitive design
Behind the finer feelings --
this civilized veneer --
the heart of a lonely hunter
guards a dangerous frontier
The balance can sometimes fail --
strong emotions can tip the scale --
Don't want to silence
a desperate voice
for the sake of security
no one wants to make
a terrible choice
on the price of being free
i don't want to face
the killer instinct --
face it in you or me
so we keep it under lock and key...
It's not a matter of mercy
it's not a matter of laws
plenty of people will kill you
for some fanatical cause
It's not a matter of conscience --
a search for probable cause
it's just a matter of instinct --
a matter of fatal flaws
No reward for resistance
no assistance --
no applause...
We don't want to be victims
on that we all agree
so we lock up the killer instinct --
and throw away the key...