And so it came to pass that a flag flew in every window
And widows handed poppies out in the square
And squares were bashed and majors barked
And marching music laughed from the airwaves
The waves were there to rule again
We had the ambition. We had the ammunition
A mission in the name of God
In the name of "democracy", demo-crazy.
Die down!
Lie down!
You forfeited your right to survive
I clutched at your sleeve and we danced in the fire
Just a pair of spastic swingers on a melting plastic floor
But you crumbled in my hands as I fumbled in your blouse
Slipping through my fingers to my feet.
It felt like mustard -- hot like custard.
And in the dust that was once an arm
A crazy wrote the 13th Psalm
The final gesture -- He did it with calm precision
He dotted every eye
A lullaby for lovers on the last day.
Paying last respects with cups of poison
Pointed passive at the blood sky
Lying lifeless at their doors
Clawing craters in the shelters
Helter-skelter in the lift shafts, blasting brains out in the dark
LIE DOWN!!
Lie down!
"Crime is crime is crime"
A dog defaced a baby; knawed a rattle, smashed a pram
He was yelping wildly in a vacuum -- no one really gave a damn
They were thinking only of themselves... yes, they searched for a release.
They hid in cupboards, under tables; they cabled Jesus, called the police
And the radio screams out, "We're winning!"
And about how the loss was minimal
And how the gallant sacrifice will live on in memorials
And how we'll respect again
We're no playground anymore
You cannot keep this country down for long
Because we win so many fucking wars