Belligerent
From Distance Not Safety
Belligerent
Whatever comfort ‘Cat’s Claw’ offered in communal harmony, ‘Belligerent’ burns it down at a punishing pace. The verse simmers with a coiled, clean-guitar tension before the chorus detonates into full-band fury, and that dynamic whiplash is the whole point. In sequence, this is the album’s most confrontational moment, and it hits harder because the preceding tracks have built enough trust to make the outburst feel earned rather than cheap. The lyric ‘who the hell am I yelling for’ does the song’s real work, turning a rant about outrage culture back on the ranter with enough self-awareness to keep it from being preachy. At just over three minutes, 4Castle don’t overstay their welcome, and ‘raise the stakes, raise the choir’ is built for a crowd to throw back at the stage. The sing-along is the release valve the album needed at track seven.
Lyrics
Fists clenched, veins tight Dog's curled up, sleeping through the fight Shouting at the screen, got my lines rehearsed This world's a mess, I'm making it worse Got my coffee, got my cause Gotta take a stand, gotta drop my jaws Pick a villain, pick a side Who needs peace when hate's a ride
Is it power, is it fear Is the noise all you can hear Every fight, every flame Does it make you feel the same
Living in an age of outrage Every day's a brand-new war Got my dog and my frustration Who the hell am I yelling for Living in an age of outrage Flip the channel, fuel the fire Take a stand, take a punch Raise the stakes, Raise the choir Belligerent
TV shouts, I shout back Ain't nobody listening, that's a fact Double tap, lock and load Another hot take, another episode Gotta fight, gotta win Gotta sink my teeth into the spin What's the point? Don't ask me I just need an enemy
You scream, you shake your fist But the world won't notice this Dog don't care, TV lies Does it matter? Do you mind
Living in an age of outrage Every day's a brand-new war Got my dog and my frustration Who the hell am I yelling for Living in an age of outrage Flip the channel, fuel the fire Take a stand, take a punch Raise the stakes, raise the choir Belligerent
Every war you start alone Just a king without a throne The fire burns, the fight is fun But tell me, what have you won
Don't ask questions, don't slow down Let's burn another city down Got my dog, got my rage Ain't no cure for this new age Belligerent Belligerent Belligerent