I was listening to this song and realized some of the great lines in it. My question is, did Mike write the entire song, or are some of the lines he used quotes said by people?
I'd say the band helped him write it, mainly Chester, but I'm not sure if he used quotes, I think the "when the rich wage war it's the poor who die" line is probably a quote though.
I think Mike wrote all the lyrics. I remember after one performance of the song Chester talked about how they're some of the best that he's ever done. But I believe the idea for the song and the instrumentals were made up by Brad.
Inspirational for me in it came at a time when I felt a kick in the interest of political science. One of the songs which has a line which I would not object to getting it tattooed on me, "With hands held high into a sky so blue as the ocean opens up to swallow you."