I met Vanessa right in front of her building
She was vague in taste and drowning
She says she's got a new man and he's in a new band
And they've got a new sound

Yeah, well, hardcore's in the eye of the beholder
I've got a broken heart from 1989
I was holding my head in my hands from the heat
And there were elbows in my eyes

Vanessa said that there's threads that connect us
Flags and wars that we should never accept
Angelo said that there's snakes in the smoke
From the cigarettes

Ivan isn't all that concerned
He said it's mostly about what you wear to the shows
I think the scene's gonna fall apart pretty soon
I heard a song that I liked on the radio

If things change quickly
Just remember I still love you
And I'll circle 'round the block tonight
Between 9 and 10 o'clock tonight

If you're still standing here, I'll take that as a sign
That you agree it was a sucker punch
Punk is not a fair fight
It's never been a fair fight
We said there weren't any rules
But there were so many goddamn rules
We said that they'd be cool
But there were so many goddamn rules

Some industrial vampire
Had it scratched into his skin
Someone got something from the store down the street
Someone got their head kicked in

If the cops shut down the show
Just remember that we tried
And I'll meet you at the place we crashed
In 1999

If you're still staying there
I'll take that as a sign
That the drugs, they all ganged up on you
It's never been a fair fight

It's never been a fair fight
It's never been a fair fight

Yeah, I went to the service
No, I didn't know what to say
Everybody's talking about his joie de vivre
Guess I didn't see it that way
I saw him snap off the filters
I guess he liked how it burned
Everybody's talking about his song and his laughter
I guess I'm still not sure

Yeah, I knew he was hurting
I was not exactly walking in bright lights
Yeah, I knew it could happen
It's never been a fair fight
It's never been a fair fight