Hear Them Talking

Yo, I hear them talking
Yo, I hear them talking
Things are quiet now, it was making me insane
Do my best with the details, forget about my name
It was chance, I'm no man to be admired
I just took a stance, wouldn't say I was inspired
Kept to myself in every situation prior
Used to work with computers but was forced to retire
Fled my homeland in a swift act of bravery
For now, we'll say the full story is escaping me
Either way it came to be
Caught a plane to the states free, so it's plain to see
I don't need attention, I try to be neighborly
But this guy across the hall is making it hard
I hear dishes being broken, doors being slammed
The screams carry through the walls, the echoes expand
His wife and her son, and that half of a man
Then there's me, feeling powerless, creating a plan

Yo, I hear them talking
The voice in my head, is saying use caution
These walls are too thin, they leave me no option
Now I hear them yelling
Fend for themselves, well there's no telling
God help us, maybe I can help them

One day in the hallway, here's where the story's from
In a zone, sitting all alone is the son
A look of hope from the code that he talks about
I could tell that he knows that he's found his way out
We spent months online showing all the tricks I knew
From SQL injection to overflows and roots
And exploit development, encrypted tunnels too
The kid was a natural, he knew just what to do
The student passed the teacher, admiring his hacks
Formed a common bond, he confided in our chats
He told me he would run if he had no other way
And that he got hit for anything, even bad grades
So he stayed, he endured things people shouldn't
Stayed safe in his brain with his bones beaten crooked
No idea how he took it, and he just played along
I'll always remember, their son's name was John

Yo, I hear them talking
The voice in my head, is saying use caution
These walls are too thin, they leave me no option
Now I hear them screaming
Continued in the morning what had started in the evening
Everybody trapped, meaning nobody's leaving

Now, on that day, there's no return from school
Turn the TV on and there's John on the news
He and two friends got caught up in their haste
To attack the school's database and get grades replaced
John's friends took their sentence from the state
But the judge thought he was lenient in giving John his fate
They gave him house arrest in the verdict that was published
But John was well aware of the extent that he'd be punished
His parents took custody, basically a curse
After that he disappeared, had me fearing for the worst
The father was the suspect, convicted in the end
Saddened and assumed we'd never hear of John again
Months turned to years and the odds grew further slim
Then yesterday I got a note, I knew it was from him
The normal stack of mail but this one card differed
It had two words and they said: Thanks Viktor

Yo, I hear them talking
The voice in my head is saying use caution
These walls are too thin, they leave me no option
Now I'm hearing nothing
The burden of the silence and the memories it summons
Another satellite liberated by a Russian

If you ever ask why
If you never say die
Please let me see you put your fist up
When determined not to give up
I gotta make them proud
Out when I'm waving to the crowd
Let me hear you say it now
Please let me see you put your fist up
Always farewell when determined not to give up