Collateral Damage

You kept your distance by the loner’s golden rule
You hated being the laughingstock of your school
Some kids don’t play nice, don’t seem to comprehend
Being different isn’t something they should condemn

They pinned a target to your back to make sure
Your school days were miserable hell to endure
Immaturity was the catalyst for violent punishment
It makes sense that you wanted to end the torment

It will echo forever (ever)
The revenge of the loner (‘oner)
It won’t ever be forgotten (gotten)
The powder keg of the taunted (haunted)

A wistful part of you dreamt a friendship sort of dream
But being accepted can be so damn difficult to achieve
When kids are indifferent, or are too careless to attempt
to consider and correct their insolent and mean treatment

It's understandable you wanted what you saw they had
They seemed so smug when they pointed and laughed
They looked so pleased when they taunted and made fun
But who’ll be laughing now in the aftermath of your gun?

It will echo forever (ever)
The retaliation of the loner (‘oner)
It will never be forgotten (gotten)
The powder keg of the taunted (haunted)

You stored your boiling thoughts in a notebook of rage
Aggressive words hated them on each regressive page
Those insufferable teens who let their ignorance show
With speech as precise a weapon as a sniper who’s pro

It’s hard to fault you for thinking yourself a zero

They pinned a target to your heart to make sure
Each school day was a predictable hell to endure
Relentless mouths just never knew when to stop
It’s hardly a puzzle that you went out with a shot

It will echo forever (ever)
The revenge of the loner (‘oner)
It won’t ever be forgotten (gotten)
The powder keg of the taunted (haunted)

A sobering point was made, it let an entire community see
That bullying behavior should never, ever be taken lightly
But the fact is there will always be a lack of compassion
It’s better to channel rage in a more productive fashion

It’s ironic that you took out everyone on your list
It’s a shame you did it just ‘cause you didn’t fit in
It’s a crime you felt like that was your only option

It will reverberate forever (ever)
The waste of the youth no longer
It will never be forgotten (gotten)
Why didn’t they quit it? (Stop it!)

He just wanted to stop them making him feel bad
They looked so glad as they pointed and laughed
They seemed so smug when they hurt and made fun
But who's laughing now in the aftermath of his gun?

The pain of one can have a profound effect on a multitude,
If we don't address the problem with just the right attitude