Every Game Needs Rules

When the owners write laws just to win That ain’t freedom — that’s the end

They call it freedom…
But the game’s already fixed.

[Verse 1]
If the richest team could buy more men
Put twelve on the field, let the others pretend
We’d call it cheating, clear as day
We’d walk out the stadium, turn away

But change the field to jobs and pay
Change the ball to rent you can’t delay
Suddenly the rules don’t matter anymore
They call it “the market,” slam the door

[Chorus – strong, slow, memorable]
Every game needs rules to survive
Every field needs lines to keep it alive
When the owners write laws just to win
That ain’t freedom — that’s the end

[Verse 2]
They say pull yourself up, don’t complain
While they tilt the field and own the chain
Draft picks stolen, refs bought clean
They swear the loss is on your “work ethic”

Football knows what they deny
Without the rules, the game just dies
No fans, no dreams, no fair fight
Just rich men winning every night

[Chorus – repeat, slightly louder]
Every game needs rules to survive
Every field needs lines to keep it alive
When the owners write laws just to win
That ain’t freedom — that’s the end

[Bridge – drop guitar to light picking, dramatic pause]
They scream “socialism” like it’s a curse
But the fairest games came first
You don’t hate rules — you hate losing control
When the game belongs to more than the gold

[Final Chorus – full voice, last line held]
Every game needs rules to survive
That’s how you build a fighting chance at life
When the rules work for more than the few
That’s what freedom’s always been meant to do

[Outro – spoken, guitar ring out]
If the rules only serve the owners…
The rest of us ain’t players anymore.