Explained Away

Someone told a story about a man who'd lived through Hell
 And stumbled, orphaned, to his home, to find the servants living well
 And how they welcomed him like family as they plotted out some deed
 To kill him in his sleep and stay to satisfy their greed
 I thought of who it is whose story gets remembered in the end
 And through how many careful tellings does one practice their defense
 Some nuances the narrator selectively omits
 A once collective memory is destined to forget
 Yeah we make decisions that account for the worlds that we live in
 We make explanations that amount to the ones we envision
 It isn't just the horror of the way he killed those kids
 But the way the tale was told explained away the deed he did
 You know that everybody needs a place to live
 You show your willfulness to ignorance with the council that you give
 The testimonial performances belie the lies you've lived
 Another actor on the podium feels slighted by the ways
 And abstractions been amended on some broken, bygone days
 Yeah but these politics have victims, they get stuck there in the space
 Between the weight of great ideals and the narratives they shape
 It wasn't you there with the handgun, but your fax machine and pen
 Your personal computer, and your business acumen
 Appeal to a notion that we all deserve what we can reach for
 That what sits in your sight is a God-given right
 Yes in spite of the slights you can't speak for
 Sees fairness as a function of the rules that you can't bend
 Takes action over nothing but the naked will to win