Barry II - Manifest Lyrics

Trouble with the trolley aye
I was born to Catholic parents
Blissfully unaware of
How everybody else lived their life and scared of
Change
Something that can rearrange
The structure of the life we enjoyed
I looked at boys as friends
And girls as lovers
My private school segregated both of us
Separated. My brothers
Were already close to finishing school
I looked up to them so much, I knew they were cool
And I knew they would do anything they set their studios minds to
They graduated with honours
Illuminated upon us
Beliefs they held and they taught us
What's right and what simply wasn't
I liked when they made me promise
That me and my best friend Thomas
Would never tell Mum the honest
Truth about all the things they would do
And the phrases they would use
It was simple but felt so new
So I knew that when back at school
I would tell all my friends the news
And the phrases that we let loose
Got us sent to the principal a time or two
When I was seven, I got lost at the shops
While I was there with my pops
I turned around, he walked off
I started crying was so afraid
I only just looked away
For a second, the cops
Found me, picked me and up lifted me off
To the closest service centre
Remember everything they told the vender
Felt better
When I heard the PA system call for my Pa
He came running from afar
I think that moments like that
Really shape who we are
Cause from that moment
I knew that I only wanted
To be part of the police
Help cleaning up all the streets
Advocating for peace
Standing up tall, and always be saying please
My parents liked it, my room became always clean
So when I finally got accepted in to the academy
I felt like I was expected to ace it casually
The first night I was in the trenches as people were gallantly
Laughing at the boy
Who looked like he came from the pageantry
Everybody was homophobic
And nobody talked about it
Got taught about the indigenous
But nobody learnt about it
We hated the lessons on social classes
Saw the world through our rosy glasses
But knew they would give us trophies after
We committed a felony
But would say it was order
One night I was working the border
Of the city and the suburb that connected it
I lost my shit
When these stupid kids
Ran into my hip
They apologised and said that they meant nothing by it
And as they turned, I saw they were holding hands
I quivered, I grabbed my pants
My shoulders stiffened and so I ran
I caught up to them
And as they rounded the corner to an alleyway
I was shocked when I saw the two males kissing, they must be gay
And in a fit of rage
I cocked my pistol and I
F*cking shot away
I can't explain what came over me
Emotions flying like I lost the biggest game
A story you would only read from overseas
A young cop
Who just shot
Two innocent boys in white hot
Rage
Cause at that age
You haven't learn to deal with your emotions
It's only potent
That actions turn to motions
Getting lost in the commotion
So as my partner caught up to my position
She was shocked
Didn't know that empathy was missing
She looked at the two boys that I obviously just shot
She grabbed my gun, tears balling down my eyes
I was surprised
That she tried
To help me cover it up
I knew what I had done
I needed to face the music
I knew that I shouldn't run
She got the cuffs
Reluctantly around my wrists
I was pissed
All the years of homophobia brewing led up to this
I don't expect the families to forgive
But I wrote this letter from prison
So nobody does what I did