CHORUS:
So your 13 and there's a silent scream out there,
And you can hear it
Just your basic protest song
Now your 16 and there's a danger in the air,
And you can see it
Just your basic protest song
Turnin' 20 and it's around you everywhere,
And you can feel it
Just your basic protest song
Now your 30 and it's to late now to care,
And you can taste it
Just your basic protest song

Well, I just turned 13 don't know what I wanna be,
I don't have much experience but I'll tell you what I see
When I hear the record sing and baby, baby I love you,
It seems to me we all got so much lovin left to do
And at 16 I don't know to much but I'll tell you what I do know,
If you do not give a damn I'll tell you where to go
There is something truly crazy with our patriotic song,
We know to wave the flag round the week begins a strong
CHORUS
Oh now that I am 20 got my first full time job,
My boss, upstanding citizen, finds legal ways to ro
They say forget what you believe forget what you have seen,
But I know I lost the best of me when I forgot my dreams
I'm passin' on through 30 got two kids of my own,
Got a wife, house, a car, and dog but still I am alone
And I'm tired of only selling cause it's myself that I sell,
I'm glad of always buying cause I can't buy it ourselves
I know none of us is perfect I can see myself to well,
If we can't push for paradise we're settled in for hell
CHORUS