A tyrant is a man who allows his people no freedom Who is puffed-up by pride Driven by the lust of power Impelled by greed Provoked by thirst for fame Divided and conquered Gripped by fear Wishful thinking that it can't happen hear It's well underways but nobody knows A repeat of history That's how it goes Tell the people that they're under attack By man-eating foes from mars or iraq Mobilize outrage Muzzle dissent Send in the troops Strike the pre-empt Stars & stripes Learn how to fight We come together by the dawn of the light Oh so proudly we hail as the rockets red glare Stars & stripes Control the airwaves Fuel the reaction Use every weapon of mass-distraction Turn active people into passive consumers Feed 'em bogus polls and harebrained rumours Cut back civil rights Make no mistake Tell 'em homeland security is now at stake Whip up a frenzy keep 'em suspended Don't let 'em know that their liberty's ended Everything goes in the desperate states The veneer of democracy rapidly fades Wreak total havoc on all opposition In any event fulfill your mission Totalitarian media sensation You will give 'em domination Never mind they call you a liar and thief By now you're undisputed commander-in-chief