Zack Hemsey - 'At War With Me'

Track 5 off the album Empty Room.

Music composed, orchestrated, and mixed by Zack Hemsey.
Audio mastered by Lou Hemsey @ Lou Hemsey Music and Film.
Artwork & Design by Omead Afshari.

[Mace.]

There is no greater boss fight than fighting yourself.

[Dust]

I hope you all understand the gravity of this song. I especially hope you understand the first minute or two. Tragic what goes on in the world, the things the average person does nothing about.

[bigstabby]

Actually people saying this song isn't about "gangs". It very much can be. Not the gangs you see on television or rap videos, but the gangs in West Africa and Southeast Asia and to a lesser extent, the gangs in places like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Memphis. It's a song about a boy swept up in the currents of violent conflict. It's pretty universal.

[swed]

commented on this video like 5 years ago, there was barely 1k views on this, and now i see some of his videos at nearly 2 million views!

[anasazijames]

Still my fav., whether it's lyrics or instrumental.

[GatekeeperOni]

Goosebumps....That is all I can say. Goosebumps.

[seeking_the_sun]

Only notions he considers are hollowed and lost thoughts
Visions that confer only sorrow that time's caught
A ghost upon a body so shoddy and scared soft
A mind so terrified it's resigned and it's shut off
But that's to be expected when a boy has been selected
In his hands is placed a weapon as a soldier then directs him
Shoot upon your father
To refuse you'll burn in horror
No pursuit of pride and honor
He just stands immersed in sweat
Family eyes connect
He holds his rifle to his chest
His heart is heavy with regret as he unloads with his offense
And "in the name of freedom" is chanted to loud applause
While planted in his brain is an image of Hell crossed
Sobbing in his spirit and fearing the holocaust
He must compose himself or risk being the next lost
Now every shadow hides a face he's shot or blown to dust
With every day he's dying and getting more out of touch
And every night he dreams he ends the death machine
And finds a way to run from his stranger and this regime
As morning leaves him choking and full of grief
He's hoping today will be the day that brings him a reprieve
If only we could find the fortune
Instead of misfortune
Would be see it's out of proportion
Or have we cut off our feet
No way to retreat
In nothing but defeat
But if we can get us lost
And try to take it off
Could we clean up this distortion
Try to make it soften
Are we all orphans now
Have we exhausted now
And I never loathed a life
But now I lead this war with me
I suspect my calm's Manchurian in nature
Just a matter of some time before she makes me waste 'em
Yet I possess no fury toward this stranger
No I just feel allured by coming danger
Change her I wouldn't
I want to ride the current of her storm
Nourish on her sword
And let my soul absorb
And he of pure mind, let him to me accord
Benevolence to ward off temptation that I have stored
'Cause lord knows the craving in me grows
With every step I took I knew the devil in me rose
Waiting on a precipice so delicately posed
A long and lovely fall no will or fire can oppose
But the beauty of her form brings violence
And I succumb to dancing with this siren
And I can feel the weight of this unload
Perception has been altered now I see what she's bestowed
The wrath in me explodes and the sins of men are found
The power of her sound reveals malevolence abound
To he who sees no heaven amongst the clouds
The reckoning is coming, get ready for buried ground
Yet I can feel such impurity within
I must expel the fiend and let its hole cave in
And so to singe this evil now I pull the pin
But clutch it to my heart to end the journey of my twin
If only we could find the fortune
Instead of misfortune
Would be see it's out of proportion
Or have we cut off our feet
No way to retreat
In nothing but defeat
But if we can get us lost
And try to take it off
Could we clean up this distortion
Try to make it soften
Are we all orphans now
Have we exhausted now
And I never loathed a life
But now I lead this war with me

[dergelbevonderelbe]

This is great!
I love the chorus. Thanks for the lyrics!

[christosantonopoulos]

I've been at war with myself for quite some time now.

[ton]

And I never loathed my life, but now I lead this war with me. SOO ÜBER EPIC

[TheFPSmachine]

Mainstream rap are more on f*ck, sex and booty. Glad I run into Zack Hemsey.

[felixjahn]

i thanke god for you, you are a f***cking music-genie

[wessnyder]

This should have been used on a Splinter Cell video.

[jbird]

Mike Tyson think he’s slick. I’ve been listening to this music for years and I can tell it’s him. I’m watching you mike…… I’m watching you.

[ashishkatredo]

I never loathed a life, but now I lead this war with

[pratikchaudhry]

Why people don't like these kind of music.
Are they still in war with themselves?

[BlackWater]

I literally fainted once I started to hear the rap

[dasgute]

I must admit ive listened to this song several times now and the begining of the second part if the song still confuses me. I dont know if its a rough transition or if im just not clicking with it.

[flipmybit]

THIS IS SO FUCKING UNDERRATED!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE FOR FUCK SAKE.