A Matter Of Habit

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[Verse 1]
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Learning to kill is a matter of habit
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The more you have done it, the better you're at it
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It starts on the alleys of Sechem at night
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The borderlines blur in the evening light
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A rifle butt bangs on an old rusty door
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"Where is your father? Get down on the floor!"
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Soon it gets serious, a curfew's declared
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The city falls silent, there's death in the air
F
Cocking his weapon with shaking fingers
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Grits his teeth as he's hugging the trigger
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Young blood rushes, his heart pounds
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He knows it gets easier the next time around
                Bb
They're just objects and shadows, not women and men
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Learning to kill is a natural thing

[Verse 2]
Dm                                        Dm/C
Learning to fear is a matter of habit
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The more you have done it, the better you're at it
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News from above reach the street
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There's no hope of living, the end is so near
F
Tidings of terror, a raven's crow
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Shutter your windows, lock up your homes
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We're just a handful, a tiny country
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Surrounded by evil, they won't let us be
            Bb
They have hate in their hearts and in all that they bring
A7                                Dm
Learning to fear is a natural thing

[Interlude]
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[Verse 3]
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Cruelty is a matter of habit
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The more you've seen it, the better you're at it
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Every boy has a tyrant's desire
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Hands behind the head, legs spread wide
          Ab
These are times of danger, times of despair
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No room for compassion, a soldier can't care
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Our neighbors are vermin, they're used to the blood
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How can they feel pain when they're living in the mud?
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Through cruel routine a soldier is born
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Ignorance soon turns to evil in war
Db
Israel's land is for Israel's kin
C7                              Fm
Cruelty comes as a natural thing

[Interlude]
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Bb

[Verse 4]
Fm                         Fm/Eb
Learning to love is a natural thing
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It will find a way if you just let it in
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It will be strange at first, but then you'll see it
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That learning to love is a matter of being
 Ab
Being human is a matter of habit
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A few baby steps, then you get better at it
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To be for one minute, just now, just recall
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The opposite side of the towering walls
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But our hearts have hardened along with our skin
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We built a bubble and let no one else in
            Db
We'll be staring in wonder as the angel falls
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Then being human will be a matter of course
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Will be a matter of course