bad joke

“Sticks and stones,” they used to say  
But words were the ones that carved the clay  
Laughed it off, passed it down  
Hatred wrapped in a circus clown  

 
They called it humor, called it light  
But it taught a child how to spite  
Behind the punchline, behind the grin  
Was a seed of shame planted deep within  


It’s a bad joke — and it ain’t funny  
It’s poison passed off like sweet honey  
Every laugh was a loaded gun  
Teaching kids how hate is spun  
It’s a bad joke — and we all knew  
But silence made it feel like truth  
Now we’re choking on the smoke  
Of every bad, bad joke  


Lunchroom echoes, locker talk  
“Just kidding” carved into the chalk  
But every slur, every cruel jest  
Left a bruise beneath the vest  


Words don’t break bones, they break trust  
They turn hearts bitter, turn love to dust  
And when the joke becomes the norm  
The storm don’t need a uniform  

 
It’s a bad joke — passed like tradition  
A mask for hate, a quiet admission  
We laughed, we flinched, we looked away  
But the pain still learned to stay  
It’s a bad joke — and it’s time to speak  
To break the cycle, to lift the weak  
No more laughing just to cope  
We bury every bad, bad joke  

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rap, calming, rock, male