What We Worked For by Against Me! Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I lost the confidence to write a song
So i found three simple chords
And I held them together with my weak voice
On an out-of-tune guitar my father gave to me

And may Elvis turn in his grave
And Les Paul curse my dirty calloused fingers
And may the likes of this song never make one fucking dollar
Leave it for a demo tape to be played until it's broken
Then remembered only for what it was

[Chorus]
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell

That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell

[Verse 2]
To my friends and enemies who could have been anything
Titans and heroes who found survival in cause and effect
Behind counters, behind windows, striving just to be people
With bitter ideals of justice
Do we only need to keep working because it pays rent?
Sleeping under plastic stars glued to a ceiling
Muscles burning alcohol and nicotine every morning

[Chorus]
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell

That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell

[Verse 3]
There's a height beyond skyscrapers
There's a distance beyond the freeway
More than pictures in a magazine
More than tragedy in a rock and roll song

It's more than the actions you know it's safe to make
It's more than money could ever buy
Are we living to work and die in american cities
Working to live and die in american cities
And dying for what we worked

[Chorus]
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell
That we gave 'em hell