Fish - Emperor’s Song lyrics

What would you do if the doors were shut

And the pearls are being eaten by the swine

What would you do when the worms don't turn

There's nothing left nowhere to run

And it's looking slightly bleaker every day

Do you follow your heart, do you follow the drum

Do you follow the flag, do you shoulder the gun

Do you slow march off the edge with head held high

Do you do down gently without a fight

Do you take it on the chin and beg for more

When the sword is raised and the trumpet calls

You bow down, bow down, bow down to the Emperor's song

Did you believe in the post-war dream

Do you hate dealing with machines

And one's picking up your prayer off the phone

You followed advice, you followed the work

You followed the rules, you gave it your lot

But a younger man's just taken on your job

We've all got long term contracts with the man upstairs

But who's picking up the options on our souls

When it's one life firm and the deal is up

You bow down, bow down to the Emperor's song

What do you do when its all too much

When you're out of luck and out of touch

And you can't relate to anything they say

What you do when it gets too tough

When you want to say that enough's enough

You want to walk away and just throw in the towel

Do you go with the grain, do you go with the tide

Do you go with the crowd, do you go for the ride

Do you hang on in until the bitter end

There's a bandwagon leaving but it's not for me

I've swallowed all the hooks and want no more

But when the lights are dimmed and the curtain calls

You bow down, bow down, to the Emperor's song

(Dick/Cassidy/Boult