The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo – English Lyrics

• By: Shinedown
• Album: Planet Zero

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Not a hostage, not a scapegoat

Not a thing wrong, except you're cutthroat

So get your hands up before the boat sinks

'Cause this ain't one for all, yeah, this is groupthink

We got a ways to go, we need a stepping stone

I guess we're on our own, ain't that a bitch, though?

We got a ways to go, we need a stepping stone

I guess we're on our own, ain't that a bitch, though?

Tell me the truth or tell me a lie

Tell me what I've gotta say to get out of this room alive

Show me the answers or give me a cluе

There's not enough spacе in the miles between me and you

Oh, no, here we go

Here come the saints of violence and innuendo

So, tell me the truth, are you really surprised?

You live in a world where empathy goes to die

...

...

Kill the rich kids, shoot the sad boy

Stab the pretty girl, go buy some new toys

Not a hostage, not a scapegoat

Not a thing wrong, except you're cutthroat

We got a ways to go, we need a stepping stone

I guess we're on our own, ain't that a bitch, though?

We got a ways to go, we need a stepping stone

I guess we're on our own, ain't that a bitch, though?

Tell me the truth or tell me a lie

Tell me what I've gotta say to get out of this room alive

Show me the answers or give me a clue

There's not enough space in the miles between me and you

Oh, no, here we go

Here come the saints of violence and innuendo

So, tell me the truth, are you really surprised?

You live in a world where empathy goes to die

...

Not a hostage, not a hostage

Not a hostage, not a scapegoat

Not a scapegoat, not a scapegoat

Tell the truth, tell the truth

Tell me the truth or tell me a lie

Tell me what I've gotta say to get out of this room alive

Show me the answers or give me a clue

There's not enough space in the miles between me and you

Oh, no, here we go

Here come the saints of violence and innuendo

So, tell me the truth, are you really surprised?

You live in a world where empathy goes to die

Tell the truth, tell the truth

Tell the truth, tell the truth

...

Key Grammar Structures

• Not a hostage, not a scapegoat

  ➔ Elliptical negative noun phrase (copular verb omitted)

  ➔ The sentence drops the verb "is" – it could be expanded to "**is** not a hostage, **is** not a scapegoat".

• So get your hands up before the boat sinks

  ➔ Imperative + temporal clause with "before" + simple present for future

  ➔ The verb "**sinks**" is in the simple present, which is common after "before" to refer to a future event: "before the boat **sinks**".

• I guess we're on our own, ain't that a bitch, though?

  ➔ Tag question with colloquial contraction "ain't"

  ➔ The phrase "**ain't** that a bitch" is a negative tag question meaning "isn't it a bitch?" It adds a rhetorical confirmation.

• Tell me the truth or tell **me** a lie

  ➔ Coordinating conjunction "or" linking two imperatives

  ➔ The word "**or**" offers an alternative between two commands: "Tell me the truth **or** tell me a lie".

• Tell me what I've gotta say to get out of this room alive

  ➔ Informal "gotta" = "have got to" (modal-like necessity)

  ➔ The phrase "**gotta**" is a contraction of "have got to" meaning "must". It functions like a modal verb.

• There's not enough space in the miles between me and you

  ➔ Existential "there is/are" + negative quantifier "not enough"

  ➔ The word "**There’s**" introduces the existence of something, followed by the negative quantifier "not enough" indicating insufficiency.

• You live in a world where empathy goes to die

  ➔ Relative clause with "where" referring to a place (world)

  ➔ The word "**where**" introduces a relative clause describing "a world" – "where empathy goes to die".

• Kill the rich kids, shoot the sad boy, go buy some new toys

  ➔ Series of imperatives (parallel structure)

  ➔ Each clause begins with a verb in the base form – "**Kill**, **shoot**, **go**" – creating a rhythmic list of commands.

• Here come the saints of violence and innuendo

  ➔ Subject‑verb inversion after "here" for emphasis

  ➔ The adverb "**Here**" is fronted, causing the verb "come" to precede the subject "the saints..." – a common pattern in English for dramatic effect.