Verse 1
The contracts are signed in a fountain of gold
But the ink is the blood of the souls that they sold
They hover in helicopters over the hill
Waiting for the momentum to take its first spill
They didn't write the riff, they didn't bleed on the stage
But they’re looking for the keys to your ivory cage
A suit and a tie and a grin like a ghost
The ones who do nothing always brag the most!
Pre-Chorus
They’re circling the tour bus, they’re sniffing the air
They can smell the success through the smoke and the glare
They don't want the music, they don't want the art
They just want the pieces of your breaking heart!
Chorus
Chrome Vulture! Sweeping down from the sky
Chrome Vulture! With a dollar-sign eye
You’re soaring on wings made of static and greed
Picking the pockets of the brothers who bleed
Keep your talons off the rhythm, keep your beak off the beat
We’re leaving you starving in the middle of the street!
Verse 2
"I’ll make you a legend, I’ll put you in lights"
Then he robs you of your days and he steals all your nights
He’s counting the merch while you’re sweating the heat
Then he leaves you the crumbs while he eats all the meat
The lawyers are nesting in the tall marble towers
Feeding on the dreams of the midnight hours
But you can’t cage the thunder, you can’t brand the flame
We’re more than a number, we’re more than a name!
Bridge
(Guitar Solo: Dual-harmony guitars in a spiraling, descending pattern, followed by a frantic, high-pitched "shred" section that mimics the sound of a bird of prey.)
SHADOWS ON THE CEILING!
SHADOWS ON THE WALL!
WE’RE STANDING ON THE EDGE...
BUT WE’RE NEVER GONNA FALL!
FLY AWAY!
FLY AWAY!
Chorus
Chrome Vulture! Sweeping down from the sky
Chrome Vulture! With a dollar-sign eye
You’re soaring on wings made of static and greed
Picking the pockets of the brothers who bleed
Keep your talons off the rhythm, keep your beak off the beat
We’re leaving you starving in the middle of the street!
Outro
You’re nothing but a scavenger!
Get your hands off my guitar!
We see you...
(The music stops abruptly, leaving only a haunting, distorted guitar echo)
(Vocalist whispers): I see you circling.
(Final explosive drum crack)
Goz
