50cc engine won't take me far

riding the storm surge out to sea
50cc engine won't take me far
i've come to realize that
the city i'm in is where i could be
asleep yet awake in the same breath.

there's a smoldering heat,
and a heavy haze in the air
what's the talk here among the elite?
image, status, riches, and selfish ends
what about the rural migrants selling lottery tickets,
or the man with the burnt face and missing limbs,
or the children forced to work on the streets,
or human beings being sold in broad daylight?

this is the arm of the machine
enjoy this exotic splendor they say
life here is cheap
get rich, worry later
work the system they say
for we are things not people.

riding the storm surge out to sea
50cc engine won't take me far
but i've got to get away from all this indifference
to a place where i know it could be different
where what i do matters so much more,
where people are not as exploited,
where life and death don't occur in the same breath.