King’s X’s self-titled album from 1992 was perhaps an uneven package, though it still contains enough gems to justify owning. The one-two punch of “The World Around Me” and this song is one of my favorite opening pairs to an album.
This is one of the catchier songs, and a cautionary tale of sorts. It reminds us of the slavery many of us still carry inside. Yes, we are fortunate enough to live in a free country, yet slavery exists. Elements in your life that control you, and not the other way around. And you bend over backwards to accommodate them — employment, addiction, relationships — you feel that you need to bend, you need to distort who you are, because you need these things. Prisoner, prisoner, choosing death for life.
If money
If love was in your life
‘Ifs’ run out
Gotta realize it’s timeConfusion Delusion
Alive in destitutionIn your mind
If it could only be different
In your heart
If only you could run away from itPrisoner, prisoner
Choosing death for life
Prisoner, prisoner
Smiling executioner