The snakes and arrows a child is heir to Are enough to leave a thousand cuts We build our defenses, a place of safety And leave the darker places unexplored Sometimes the fortress is too strong Or the love is too weak What should have been our armor Becomes a sharp and angry sword Our better natures seek elevation A refuge for the coming night No one gets to their heaven without a fight No one We hold beliefs as a consolation A way to take us out of ourselves Meditation, or medication A comfort, or a promised reward Sometimes that spirit is too strong Or the flesh is too weak Sometimes the need is just too great For the solace we seek The suit of shining armor Becomes a keen and bloody sword No one gets to their heaven without a fight A refuge for the coming night A future of eternal light No one gets to their heaven without a fight No one Confused alarms of struggle and flight Blood is drained of color By the flashes of artillery light No one gets to their heaven without a fight The battle flags are flown At the feet of a god unknown No one gets to their heaven, heaven No one gets to their heaven without a fight Sometimes the damage is too great Or the will is too weak What should have been our armor Becomes a sharp and burning sword No one gets to their heaven without a fight A refuge for the coming night A future of eternal light No one gets to their heaven without a fight No one No one gets to their heaven without a fight

Well, you can stake that claim Good work is the key to good fortune Winners take that praise Losers seldom take that blame If they don't take that game And sometimes the winner takes nothing We draw our own designs Fortune has to make that frame We go out in the world and take our chances Fate is just the weight of circumstances That's the way that lady luck dances So roll the bones Roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen, because it happens Roll the bones, roll the bones Faith is cold as ice Why are little ones born only to suffer For the want of immunity or a bowl of rice? Well, who would hold a price On the heads of the innocent children If there's some immortal power to control the dice? We come into the world and take our chances Fate is just the weight of circumstances That's the way that lady luck dances Roll the bones Roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen, because it happens Roll the bones, roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen? Jack relax, get busy with the facts No zodiacs or almanacs, no maniacs in polyester slacks Just the facts gonna kick some gluteus max It's a parallax, you dig? You move around, the small gets big, it's a rig It's action, reaction, random interaction So who's afraid of a little abstraction? Can't get no satisfaction from the facts? You better run, boy A fact's a fact, from Nome to Rome, boy What's the deal, spin the wheel If the dice are hot, take a shot Play your cards, show us what you got What you're holding, if the cards are cold don't go folding Luck is golden, she favors the bold, that's cold Stop throwing stones, the night has a thousand saxophones So get out there and rock and roll the bones, get busy Roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen, because it happens Roll the bones, roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen, because it happens Roll the bones, roll the bones Why does it happen, because it happens Roll the bones, roll the bones Why are we here, because we're here Roll the bones Because we're here