Portrait of Authority Songtext

von Bad Religion

Nothing more nothing less
An icon on the wall
Decoration and duress
That which many strive to be
It's the marble statue standing over me
And nobody has the will to tear it down
It determines wrong and right
But to me it's just a stereotype
And it makes us lose our sight

The portrait of authority
You tell me that's what I'm supposed to be
(it embodies what he cannot be)
Portrait of authority
You tell me that's what I'm spuposed to be
(it's what he cannot be)

Another time another man
An oppressive intrusion
And a plague across his land
And it haunts him every day
It tells him that he has no chance
His hopes just fade away
And he lives his life
Prepared to tear it down
But he can't muster the support
And to him it's just a stereotype
Of his life-long fight