Emperor's Song Lyrics - Singles - Fish

What would you do if it all broke up 

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)