[Verse 1]
Like a shot without a warning
Lies a life that's left behind
And though I try, it's something I just can't unsee
It's burned into my mind
And I wake up in the morning
News keeps flashing on my eyes
These dying streets are bruised and beaten
And riot flags are waving
Poor and weak, we extend this streak
These lives we could be saving
Life is cheap, I sit and weep
'Cause there's just no mistaking
Oh, this is not utopia

[Chorus]
The roots, the roots, the roots of America
The roots, the roots, the roots of hysteria
Thе roots, the roots, the rules don't mattеr anymore
This is not utopia
The roots, the roots, the roots of America
The roots, the roots, the roots of hysteria
And you, and you, and you don't matter anymore

[Verse 2]
The better angels of our nature
Well, they've gone away to hide
Brutality I can't unsee
These pictures are just burned into my mind
It's commotion in slow motion
It's humanity denied
A violent race, punch in the face
With all this hate, how can we all survive?
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, and if a change is coming
What makes it take so long?
And if a change is coming
Why sing the same old song?
This is not utopia

[Chorus]
The roots, the roots, the roots of America
The roots, the roots, the roots of hysteria
The roots, the roots, the rules don't matter anymore
This is not utopia
The roots, the roots, the roots of America
The roots, the roots, the roots of hysteria
And you, and you, and you don't matter anymore

[Post-Chorus]
This is not utopia
The roots, the roots, the roots of America
The roots, the roots, the roots of hysteria
And you, and you, and you don't matter anymore
This is not utopia

[Outro]
Now how long must we wait
Until love conquers hate?
And heal these hearts
'Cause it all starts right here