Content advisory: This song begins by discussing communication and conflict resolution challenges in a society which privileges dominant masculine voices at the expense of true gender equality. Non-graphic references to sexual assault and victim-blaming are included.

[Verse 1: Gradient]
The hardest realization that I’ve faced in all my years
Came when patiently gazing upon her face and fallen tears
I felt my world end, she knew not what to say to me
I became aware my girlfriend was afraid of me
It all started when we had our first argument
Swallowing her thoughts, she’s afraid to claim agency
And I’d never try to harm her but she’d always hide her trauma
‘Cause in times of drama I didn’t make her feel safe with me
To gain her faith in me there’s nothing I could say to her
When she was emulating what had always been displayed to her
Played the roles perfectly, way before we ever dated
It’s a shame that we perpetuate the things we’re inundated with
When I was young they taught me, “Take what’s yours.
Dominate with force. Don’t hesitate, just do it.
Quit acting like a girl, man, display your masculinity.”
Fuck the way you’re pinning me; I’ll claim my own identity

[Chorus]
One, my nerves flash
Two, I heard that
Try to blame the victim but nobody deserves that
Let’s acknowledge this
From neighborhoods to colleges
Take responsibility ‘cause this affects all of us
One is one too many
Two is far more
We can’t ignore a problem when it’s pounding our door

[Chorus ending 1]
I’m enraged at the state of this
Patriarchal relationship
Ashamed that I’ve perpetuated it

[Verse 2: Guante]
The hardest realization that I’ve faced in my life
Is I’m a part of a system that isn’t one that I like
And it’s not as easy as just peacin’ out of prime time TV
Or even speakin’ our minds against these lies like
Unplugging the WiFi doesn’t stop the signal like
Bein’ a nice guy doesn’t mean she owes you a nice time
That sense of entitlement’s so toxic
And it’s past time we lost it
I don’t believe in nice guys, good guys, heroes or allies
I only believe in actions
In fact every interaction we have is an opportunity
To deconstruct the tongue we’ve been taught to speak fluently
Yo, because it’s not the stranger in the bushes
It’s the boyfriend, the girlfriend, the best friend
It doesn’t take a villain to be a bystander
And it doesn’t take a hero to put this to an end like

[Chorus]

[Chorus ending 2]
We complacently claim that we’re not who’s to blame
But you can’t be neutral when you’re on a moving train

[Verse 3: Gradient]
Every second, every minute, man I swear that she been livin’
In a world where women have to constantly be vigilant
The privilege that I’m given isn’t equally distributed
And if I don’t resist then to the problem I’ve contributed
I’m not saying that men are never victims
We got some issues too but you should check on the statistics
I’m not surprised that one in five women are affected
‘Cause I’ve heard the way my fellow guys talk to each other about sex
Like it’s a prize to be won; “Yeah, she wants it”
As if it’s what you do to her, and not something that’s mutual
And how we make excuses, I see why it’s scary
Cause often she reports the crime and people wanna ask what she was wearing
“She’s gotta give it up if you provide her with commodities,
just buy her some jewelry, ‘cause women like property”
They say I’m sensitive and that’s a womanlike property
I say we need to stop treating women like property

[Chorus]

[Chorus ending 3]
It’s so toxic, it happens so commonly
But we need to stop treating women like property