Tell
me true tell me why was Jesus crucified
is
it for this that daddy died?
was
it for you? was it me?
did
I watch too much t.v.?
Is
that a hint of accusation in your eyes?
if
it wasn't for the nips
being
so good at building ships
the
yards would still be open on the clyde
and
it can't be much fun for them
beneath
the rising sun
with
all their kids committing suicide
what
have we done maggie what have we done
what
have we done to England
should
we shout should we scream
"what
happened to the post war dream?"
oh
Maggie Maggie what have we done?
Your Possible Pasts
They
flutter behind you your possible pasts
some
brighteyed and crazy some frightened and lost
a warning
to anyone still in command
of
their possible future to take care
in
derelict sidings the poppies entwine
with
cattle trucks lying in wait for the next time
Do you
remember me? how we used to be?
do
you think we should be closer?
She
stood in the doorway the ghost of a smile
haunting
her face like a cheap hotel sign
her
cold eyes imploring the men in their macs
for
the gold in their bags or the knives in their backs
stepping
uo boldly one put out his hand
he
said, " I was just a child then now I'm only a man"
Do you
remember me? how we used to be?
do
you think we should be closer?
By the
cold and religious we were taken in hand
shown
how to feel good and told to feel bad
tongue
tied and terrified we learned how to pray
now
our feelings run deep and cold as the clay
and
strung out behind us the banners and flags
of
our possible pasts lie in tatters and rags
Do you
remember me? how we used to be?
do
you think we should be closer?
One Of The Few
When
you're one of the few to land on your feet
what
do you do to make ends meet?
teach
make
them mad, make them sad, make them add two and two
make
them me, make them you, make them do what you want them to
make
them laugh, make them cry, make them lie down and die
The Hero's Return
Jesus,
Jesus what's it all about
trying
to clout these little ingrates into shape
when
I was their age all the lights went out
there
was no time to whine and mope about
and
even now part of me flies over
dresden
at angels one five
though
they'll never fathom it behind me
sarcasm
desperate memories lie
Sweetheart
sweetheart are you fast asleep, good
"cos
that's the only time that I can really talk to you
and
there is something that I've locked away
a memory
that is too painful
to
withstand the light of day
When
we came back from the war the banners and
flags
hung on everyones door
we
danced and we sang in the street and
the
church bells rang
but
burning in my heart
my
memory smoulders on
of
the gunners dying words on the intercom
The Gunners Dream
Floating
down through the clouds
memories
come rushing up to meet me now
in
the space between the heavens
and
in the corner os some foreign field
I had
a dream
I had
a dream
goodbye
Max
goodbye
ma
after
the service when you're walking slowly to the car
and
the silver in her hair shines in the cold november air
you
hear the tolling bell
and
touch the silk in your lapel
and
as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
you
take her frail hand
and
hold on to the dream
A place
to stay
enough
to eat
somwhere
old heroes shuffle safely down the street
where
you can speak out loud
about
your doubts and fears
and
what's more no-one ever disappears
you
never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
you
can relax on both sides of the tracks
and
maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
and
everyone has recourse to the law
and
no-one kills the children anymore
and
no-one kills the children anymore
night
after night
going
round and round my brain
his
dream is driving me insane
in
the corner of some foreign field
the
gunner sleeps tonight
whats
done is done
we
cannot just write off his final scene
take
heed of his dream
take
heed
Paranoid Eyes
Button
your lip don't let the shield slip
take
a fresh grip on your bullet proof mask
and
if they try to break down your disguise with their questions
you
can hide hide hide
behind
paranoid eyes
You
put on your brave face and slip over the road for a jar
fixing
your grin as you casually lean on the bar
laughing
too loud at the rest of the world
with
the boys in the crowd
you
hide hide hide
behind
petrified eyes
you
believed in their stories of fame fortune and glory
now
you're lost in a haze of alchohol soft middle age
the
pie in the sky turned out to be miles too high
and
you hide hide hide
behind
brown and mild eyes
Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert
Brezhnev
took afghanistan
begin
took Beirut
galtieri
took the union jack
and
maggie over lunch one day
took
a cruiser with all hands
apparently
to make him give it back
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Take
all your overgrown infants away somewhere
and
build them a home a lttle place of their own
the
fletcher memorial
home
for incurable tyrants and kings
And
they can appear tothemselves every day
on
closed circuit t.v.
to
make sure they're still real
It's
the only connection they feel
"ladies
and gentelmen, please welcome reagan and haig
mr.
begin and friends mrs. thatcher and paisley
mr.
brezhnev and party
the
gost of mccarthy
the
memories of nixon
and
now adding colour a group of anonymous latin-
american
meat packing glitterati"
did they expect us to treat them with any respect
they
can polish their medals and sharpen their
smiles,
and amuse themselves playing games for a while
boom
boom, bang bang, lie down you're dead
safe
in the permanent gaze of a gold glass eye
with
their favourite toys
they'll
be good girls and boys
in
the fletcher memorial home for colonial
wasters
of life and limb
is everyone
in?
are
you having a nice time?
now
the final solution can be applied
Southampton Dock
They
disembarked in 45
and
no one spoke and no one smiled
there
were too many spaces in the line
gathered
at the centaph
all
agreed with the hand on heart
to
sheath the sacrificial knifes
but
now
she
stands upon southampton dock
with
her handkerchief
and
her summer frock clings
to
her wet body in the rain
in
quiet desperation knuckles
white
upon the slippery reins
she
bravely waves the boys goodbye again
and
still the dark stain spreads between
his
shoulder blades
a mute
reminder of the poppy fields and graves
and
when the fight was over
we
spent what they had made
but
in the bottom of our hearts
we
felt the final cut
The Final Cut
Through
the fish eyed lens of tear stained eyes
I can
barely define the shape of this moment in time
and
far from flying high in clear blue skies
I'm
spiralling down to the hole in the ground where I hide
If you
negotiate the minefield in the drive
and
beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes
and
if you make it past the shotgun in the hall
dial
the combination open the priesthole
and
if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall
There's
a kid who had a big hallucination
making
love to girls in magazines
he
wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith
could
anybody love him
or
is it just a grazy dream
And
if I show you my dark side
will
you still hold me tonight
and
if I open my heart to you
and
show you my weak side
what
would you do
would
you sell your story to rolling stone
would
you take the children away
and
leave me alone
and
smile in reassurance
as
you whisper down the phone
would
you send me packing
or
would you take me home
Thought
I oughta bare my naked feelings
Thought
I oughta tear the curtain down
I held
the blade in trembling hands
prepared
to make it but just then the phone rang
I never
had the nerve to make the final cut
Not Now John
Fuck
all that we've got to get on with these
got
to compete with the whily japanese
there's
too many home fires burning
and
not enough trees
so
fuck all that
we've
got to get on with these
Can't
stop lose job mind gone sillicon
wath
bomb get away pay day make hay
break
down need fix big six
clickity
click hold on oh no brrrrrrrrrrrring bingo
make
em laugh make me cry make em dance in the aisles
make
em pay make em stay make em feel ok
not
nah John
we've
got to get on with the film show
hollywood
waits at the end of the rainbow
who
cares what it's about
as
long as the kids go
not
now John
got
to get on with the show
hang
on John
we've
got to get on with this
I don't
know what it is
but
it fits on her like..............
come
at the end of the shift
we'll
go and get pissed
but
now now John
I've
got to get on with this
hold
on John
I think
there's something good on
I used
to read books but............
it
could be the news
or
some other abuse
or
it could be reusable shows
fuck
all that we've got to get on with these
got
to compete with the wily japanese
no
need to worry about the vietnamese
got
to bring the russian bear to his knees
well,
maybe not the russian bear
maybe
the swedes
we
showed argentina
now
let's go and show these
make
us feel tough
and
wouldn't maggie be pleased
nah
nah nah nah nah nah!
s'cusi
dove il bar
se
para collo pou eine toe bar
s'il
vous plait ou est le bar
oi'
where's the fucking bar John!
Two Suns In The Sunset
In my
rear view mirror the sun is going down
sinking
behind bridges in the road
and
I think of all the good things
that
we have left undone
and
I suffer premonitions
confirm
suspicions
of
the holocaust to come
the
wire that holds the cork
that
keeps the anger in
gives
way
and
suddenly it's day again
the
sun is in the east
even
though the day is done
two
suns in the sunset
hmmmmmmmmm
could
be the human race is run
like
the moment when the brakes lock
and
you slide towards the big truck
you
stretch the frozen moments with your fear
and
you'll never hear their voices
and
you'll never see their faces
you
have no recourse to the law anymore
and
as the windshield melts
my
tears evaporate
leaving
only charcoal to defend
finally
I understand
the
feelings of the few
ashes
and diamonds
foe
and friend
we
were all equal in the end