there`s an old man on a city bus
holding a candy cane,
and it isn`t even christmas,
he sees a note in the obituary that
his last friend has died,
there`s an infant clinging to
his overweight mother in the cold
as they go to shop for cigarettes,
and she spends her last dollar
on a bottle of vodka for tonight

and I guess it struck a nerve,
like I had to squint my eyes,
you can never get out of the line of sight,
like a barren winter day,
or a patch of unburned green,
like a tragic real dream,
I guess it struck a nerve

every day I wander in negative disposition,
as I`m bombarded by superlatives,
realizing very well that I`m not alone,
introverted I look to tomorrow for salvation,
but I`m thinking altruistically,
and a wave of overwhelming doubt
turns me to stone

and I guess it struck a nerve,
sent a murmur to my heart,
we just haven`t got time to crack the maze,
like a magic speeding clock,
or a cancer in our cells,
a collision in the dark,
I guess it struck a nerve

I try to close my eyes,
but I cannot ignore the stimuli,
if there`s a purpose for us all
it remains a secret to me,
don`t ask me to justify my life

-- "Struck A Nerve" Bad Religion