Masks Off

Lyrics

i can't tell you what's worse
the message was terse
outright white supremecists
or america first
i think they both sell merch
the whole place seems a little bit cursed
it's like somebody might have been
living here first

incels in cellars from a long line of failures
underneath rumble umbrellas daily wire'ing with the fellas
chromag maga hate cave dwellers
the tale is older than the tellers
the tail is older than old yeller

the internet is incarnate
manifested, given birth
there's some spillage in a village
near where i'm living here on earth
it's a disgrace to the natural state
there ain't much that ain't
hey bill
hey billy
hey Sarah
hey tom
hey mike

everything is constantly unlike anything you've ever seen before
everything is greater than it's ever been before
pardon the progress
hate is part of the process
catastrophic nostalgia
and delusions of freedom
i think we ate the last apple
in the garden eden

all the masks are off and they don't even try
they know that you know that they know
and they don't even mind it
all the masks are off
and they're getting lazy
they think yer so damn stupid
they think yer so damn crazy

killing people from a distance in an instant
at the insistence of a president
with a black mail gun to his head for the fun that he had in the dark ages
pages and pages and pages and pages
they thought they'd get away with it
the minimum wage is outraged with it
they're gonna burn somebody at the stake for it
fruit of the doom
oranges and grapists
hold on to yer vapes kids
icicles and alligators
and blood traitors
and purveyors of strange behaviors
and masqueraders and masked invaders
layers and layers and layers
be good to yer god
and be good to yer bayer
take yer aspirin and yer roundup
and say all yer prayers

the loogie of factions that the nation has hacked
is boiling and festering and stabbing itself in the back
who here is surprised by that
who here is blown aghast
if you wanna know the future
simply look into the past

all the masks are off and they don't even try
they know that you know that they know
and they don't even mind it
all the masks are off
and they're getting lazy
they think yer so damn stupid
they think yer so damn crazy

Annotations and Notes on Lyrics

Masks Off seems to be about the moment when political, cultural, and institutional “masks” are no longer worn. Beliefs that once hid behind civility, euphemism, or respectability are now expressed openly and without apology. It compares modern politics as branding. Ideology is marketed, monetized, and worn as identity. Outrage functions like merchandise, and belief is often signaled through slogans rather than reflection.

MAGA (Make America Great Again) is used as shorthand for nostalgia-driven nationalism — a desire to return to a mythic past while ignoring the harm embedded in that history. The song suggests this mindset no longer hides its exclusions. By placing white supremacists next to phrases like “America First,” the song questions whether the difference is substance or presentation. Extremism can be repackaged in softer language without changing its intent.

The internet is portrayed as an active force rather than a neutral tool. It incubates grievance, amplifies resentment, and rewards outrage, allowing alienation to harden into ideology. References to incels and online subcultures point to personal failure and isolation being redirected into political anger, often finding purpose through resentment rather than growth.

Violence and war are depicted as distant and abstract — killing done remotely, justified by authority, and stripped of moral immediacy.

Economic anxiety underlies much of the anger, and rather than addressing structural causes, society turns frustration into scapegoating and ritualized outrage.

Bayer and Roundup reference corporate power and trust. Bayer’s ownership of Monsanto and its products points to a world where people are told to rely on chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and institutions while individuals bear the risks, many times unknowingly.

Religion appears alongside corporate products and political loyalty, showing belief is often used to encourage obedience rather than reflection.

“Grapists” is intentional wordplay, blending everyday imagery with violence to highlight how language can obscure harm and normalize the grotesque.

Surreal images throughout the song reflect a culture where absurdity, contradiction, and crisis have become normal.

The future can be understood by looking at the past — these patterns are not new, only more visible.

Masks Off is not about subtlety. It observes that the pretending has ended, and power no longer feels the need to disguise itself.

Total Times Played
4
Days Since Last Played
11 days
Play history

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One thought on “Masks Off

  1. Thanks for publishing this. When I heard it I was simply amazed and struck with the sudden realization that there was no way I was going to be able to figure out all those words even if I listen to it a hundred more times. Jesse is the musical Shakespeare of our time.

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