We used to think that our ignorance is bliss
But we can't keep on thinking
That this moment doesn't exist
There's people fighting and fighting and fighting
For all that they own

It seems we twisted reality again
Looking for the opportunity for us to dig in
We're getting deeper and deeper and deeper
Into the unknown

(We've got to open up our eyes)

How long will we close our eyes to the youth?
How long until we recognize the truth?
How far will we let this go?

It’s a state of emergency
It’s time we see
There's a need to take action
This is a state of emergency
We’re too blind to see
All of these simple distractions

All our attention is directed to the mirror
We want to forget that people live in terror
We're their only way out and the time is right now
We gotta grab a hold of this moment

How far do we let it go
Before we all take control
We are the hands
We are the feet
So we gotta go
Stop waiting for someone else
To take control
(Take back the control)
We could be their last hope


All songs written by Pillar © 2008 River Oaks Music Company / Flicker USA Publishing / Fireproof Music (BMI). All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Behind the Song:
“State of Emergency,” according to Rob, “is about missions. I wrote it with a couple of organizations specifically in mind: Invisible Children and The Hands and Feet Project.” This track is meant to remind people of the reality of so many who suffer around the world right now, and of our responsibility to reach out to them and be generous with the resources we have. It calls us out of self-absorption (“All our attention is directed to the mirror/We want to forget that people live in terror”) and asks how long we’re going to stay on the sidelines (“How long will we close our eyes to the youth/How long until we recognize the truth?”). “It’s a state of emergency,” says the chorus, “It’s time to see we need to take action.” Rob also notes that the financial responsibility for missions that previous generations took for granted is one that we need to own anew today. “Back in our elders’ generations, they gave diligently every month. It was just a part of who they were.”