The Delgados - Ballad of Accounting текст песни

In the morning we built the city
In the afternoon walked through its streets
Evening saw us leaving:

We wandered through our days as if they would never end,
All of us imagined we had endless time to spend,
We hardly saw the crossroads and small attention gave,
To landmarks on the journey from the cradle to the grave
Cradle to the grave, cradle to the grave.

Did you learn to dream in the morning?
Abandon dreams in the afternoon?
Wait without hope in the evening?
Did you stand there in the traces and let'em feed you lies?
Did you trail along behind'em wearing blinkers on your eyes?
Did you kiss the foot that kicked you?
Did you thank'em for their scorn?
Did you ask for their forgiveness for the act of being born?
Act of being born, act of being born?

Did you alter the face of this city?
Did you make any change in the world you found?
Or did you observe all the warnings?
Did you read this trespass notice, did you keep off the grass?
Did you shuffle off the pavement just to let your betters pass?
Did you learn to keep your mouth shut, were you seen and never heard?
Did you learn to be obedient and jump to at a word?
Jump to at a word, jump to at a word?

Did you ever demand any answers,
The who and the what and the reason why?
Did you ever question the set-up?
Did you stand aside and let'em choose while you took second best?
Did you let'em skim the cream off and then give to you the rest?
Did you settle for the shoddy and did you think it right?
To let'em rob right and left and never make a fight?
Never make a fight, never make a fight?

What did you learn in the morning?
How much did you know in the afternoon?
Were you content in the evening?
Did they teach you how to question when you were at the school?
Did the factory help you grow, were you to maker or the tool?
Did the place where you were living enrich your life, and then -
Did you reach some understanding of all your fellow man?
All your fellow man, all your fellow man?