How can you stand it?

You wake up with bruises in the grim light of dawn

Spread on the makeup, so no one can see

Paste on a smile, and go through the day

Pretending you're happy, and safe, and free

What he does to you isn't love or even sex

Just a safe way for him to purge his twisted crap

You exist as his slave, as his toxic waste dump

And he goes merrily on his way, leaving you in the trap

Well I know the truth and it fills me with rage

That a so-called man could do this to you

To lock such a kind, gentle spirit in a cage

And I'm dying to help, so tell me what I can do

You say that there isn't anyone else who can love you

You say you deserve all the shit that you've gotten

You say that you're flawed, that you're bad, it's your fault

But there's nothing wrong with you, and it's his soul that's rotten

You're too damned smart to believe all his bullshit

You're too damned talented to be sealed in a cave

Too rare and too valuable to be allowed to die

There are too few like you, and you have to be saved

How can you stand it, to live like that?

To exist for his pleasure, to submerge your own soul?

You've so much to offer, but he couldn't care less

And the longer you're with him, the deeper the hole

Where do these “men” come from, from under what rock

do they all keep crawling? There are more here each day

What corruption of nature allows for their existence?

Who told them that life was for them to have their way?

They're savage little vermin, no heart and all teeth

Lacking the balls to be men on their own

So they beat you, and rape you, and leave you there broken

When where they belong is a cell built of stone

They catch you when you're young, and feel out of place

They tell you they need you, how pretty you are

They isolate you, say they're your only friend

So why are you home bleeding, while they're out at the bar?

They're just like jackals cutting weaklings from the herd

They seek out the vulnerable, the sad and the scared

They're oh so charming, when they're luring you in

By the time you realize what they are you've been snared

How can they stand it, to be like that?

They must realize that they're nothing but scum

Can they really believe what they're doing is normal?

Do they search for excuses, when they know there are none?

And you who have seen it, who know what goes on

Who have friends being raped, being beaten and abused

Yeah you, remaining silent, not getting involved

Might not be your crime, but you're still not excused

You know who you are, and you know the excuses

“I slipped on the ice”, “I walked into a door”

You know what it means, and yet you ignore it

Well your hugs and your silence aren't enough any more

If you don't try to help her, then it's partly your fault

That you're looking at her casket, standing there in the rain

I hope you can live with yourself when it's over

And he's off hunting with the pack once again

How can we all stand it, to leave them like that?

We all know about it, but we keep walking by

It's happening all around us, God damn it we know it

No one's doing anything, and I want to know why