Manifesto (Live)

Let's get one thing straight:

Bob Dylan never played here

Joni Mitchell never sang here

Dr. King never preached here

This is a new stage

This is a new space

And even if they had

What would it matter anyway?

'Cause the ghosts of the past

Cannot bring me any luck

All that matters is tonight

All that matters is tonight

And tonight all that matters

Is whether or not I suck

'Cause it doesn't matter all the hype you heard

Or the fact that you may or may not have heard any hype

It doesn't matter what record label I'm on

Or the fact that I may or may not be on a record label at all

It doesn't matter what the paper said

Or the fact that the papers may have been defeated

And it doesn't matter what Twitter said, oh

'Cause the revolution will not be tweeted, yeah

All that matters is right here

All that matters is right now

All that matters is right here

And I might be sleeping on your couch tonight

I'm not sure if they told you yet

I know you want me to be more famous than that

Ah, but fame ain't got nothing to do with it

'Cause I'd rather sleep on your couch and eat your cookies

Than sleep alone in some hotel room and not have any cookies at all

I came here to meet you

I came here to sing to you

I came here to meet you

So let's get one thing straight:

Bob Dylan never played here

Leonard Cohen never sang here

Woody Guthrie never preached here

This is a new stage

This is a new scene

And if my generation is going to make any impact at all

There's one thing we need to believe:

We need to believe that the songs that we write can be better

Than the songs that were written by the legends of our past

We have to believe that the music that we make

Has the potential to be better than the music that was made

By the legends of our past

Otherwise what's the point?

And I hope it's okay that I said that

I hope the older generation ain't pissed

It's just that I want a summer of love too

I want a renaissance

I want ours to be the best

I know this town's conceited as hell

I know it sounds like blasphemy to say

That we could be better than the Beatles, and Dylan, and Beethoven

Oh I'm not saying that it's me

All I'm saying's that I'm trying

Me and my friends we are trying

Every night we are trying

Thanks for coming and watching me try