[Verse 1]
He was seventeen when he crossed state lines
Not enough to drink, barely old enough to drive
A youth self-deputized, he took the lives
Of two
But he won't be remembered for domesticated terror
It don't fit the agenda if your skin can get no fairer, blue
The colour of his eyes and the lives he's sworn onto

[Chorus]
You were once a child too
Make no mistakе, make no excuse
From thе highest branch down to the roots
Dig up the seeds we've sown
Hatred has always been homegrown

[Verse 2]
We publicize the names of the slayer not the slain
And illuminate the way for more from where he came
False gods on a network wage that are never gonna pay the cost

[Chorus]
Who were once just children too
Make no mistake, make no excuse
From the highest branch down to the roots
Dig up the seeds we've sown
Hatred has always been homegrown
[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
We view an execution from the comfort of our homes
Due process rendered useless on the curbside of a road
Hear pleas for humanity to a brute with an iron knee

[Chorus]
But he was once a child too
Make no mistake, make no excuse
From the highest branch down to the roots
Dig up the seeds we've sown
Hatred has always been homegrown