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The Punishment of Happiness

from Criteria For Being by Scott Steven Erickson

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lyrics

The punishment of happiness
Those later feelings of regret
Obliviousness at the time
Toward seeing that your life was fine
So now your current circumstance
Seems inferior to the past
Those better days were wasted on
The fool whose joy has been forgone

I think the secret lies within the balance
Of reaching for the stars and gratitude
Feeling that this is enough
Conversely never giving up
On pursuing a life full of meaning

The punishment of desire
To realize that you’re a liar
When you say “this is enough”
But desperation calls your bluff
Fantasies of the ideal
Unlikely ever become real
To see your passions unfulfilled
Mediocrity distilled

I think the secret lies within the balance
Of reaching for the stars and keeping one foot on the ground
Feeling that this is enough
Conversely never giving up
On pursuing a life full of meaning

The punishment of gratitude
Those ambitions have been subdued
The punishment of compassion
Self-defeating inaction
The punishment of aptitude
Responsibilities accrued
The punishment of virtue
Bound to only speak the truth
The punishment of desire
To realize that you’re a liar
The punishment of happiness
Those later feelings of regret

I think the secret lies within the balance
Of reaching for the stars and keeping one foot on the ground
Feeling that this is enough
Conversely never giving up
On pursuing a life full of meaning
Or at least one worth redeeming

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from Criteria For Being, released September 29, 2018

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Scott Steven Erickson Olympia, Washington

Upbeat, quirky, and just a tad bit nihilistic.

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