lyrics
You say: "both sides"
I say: "hold on"
You say: "all things matter"
But I know you're wrong
One event
Many stories
Not enough?
I worry
(Ooh... ooh... ooh...)
(Ooh... ooh... ooh...)
Looking for opposites
Making things up
Being a contrarian
You ain't giving up
You say: "both sides"
I say: "no way"
Truth gets lost
When the facts go astray
Spin that coin
Let it roll and roll
But I know the weight
Of a wounded soul
"Both sides"
"Both sides"
That's how it goes
But one side's bleeding
And everyone should know
You say: "calm down"
I say: "wake up"
They call it noise
But I call their bluff
When the line's drawn crooked
They say: "it's fine"
But you can't heal a fracture
By blurring red lines
They build high fences
Out of whatabouts
Turn real people's pain
Into pundits' shouts
Say "let's be neutral"
Like it's some crown
But standing in the middle
Still keeps people down
You say: "both sides"
I say: "no way"
Truth gets lost
When the facts go astray
Spin that coin
Let it roll and roll
But I know the weight
Of a wounded soul
"Both sides"
"Both sides"
The story goes
But one side's bleeding
And everyone should know
You say: "who can tell?"
I say: "we can"
Just follow the money
You'll find blood on hands
They'll flood the airwaves
Rewrite the frame
Call it a debate
While they fix the game
Say "it's complicated"
Sure, that's true
But they weaponize doubt
Just to silence you
When the smoke screen rises
Don't look away
'Cause picking no position
Still decides the day
If every fire's
Just heat on both sides
Who counts the bodies?
Who buries the lies?
When balance means
Weighing truth with spin
The scale breaks down
And the bad ones win
You say: "both sides"
I say: "no way"
Truth gets lost
When the facts go astray
Spin that coin
Let it roll and roll
But I know the weight
Of a wounded soul
"Both sides"
"Both sides"
That's how it goes
(Ooh...)
But one side's bleeding
And everyone should know
And everyone should know
You say: "both sides"
I say: "look close"
Follow the hurt
To the ones disposed
They'll call it a tie
In a rigged-up show
But the side that's lying
Is the side you know
story
This song is lyric- and story-heavy. A country-esque piece, it levels a heavy criticism at the notion of false equivalence — prompting the listener to think beyond binaries, and to contemplate the possibility that sometimes circumstances, good or bad, can exist on their own: without contrast, and without balance.