I think we must have all gone mad
We're being right turned over
They promised us the earth
Instead we got the great depression
Now you're free and easy with a phrase
You blame your brothers and sisters
I'm alright Jack so sod the rest
Is the new dissension

Into the abyss
Backwards and forwards
It's always downwards
A desperate war
You try to climb yourself out
You don't care who you stab, or stoop to help them out
Hey hey well that's not the way

No sense or reason in your fussing and fighting
And your violent obsession
who's ever really left feeling fine
After the great depression?
No sense of purpose in the competition
Keeping up with the Jones's
You buy a house,
You buy a car
You buy a marriage and a bed of roses

Into the abyss
Backwards and forwards
It's always downwards
A desperate crawl
You try to climb yourself out
You don't care who you stab, or screw to help them out

Hey hey well that's not the way


Lyrics submitted by planetearth, edited by pyoxall

The Great Depression Lyrics as written by Paul Weller

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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The Great Depression song meanings
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    General Comment

    It's another song about how they were promised lots of good things but instead got the shaft. There's no sense of purpose in having good things in life when everything around you has gone to pot. A cliche of the time was "You have to fight tooth and nail just to get the basics in life." Paul is suggesting that this isn't the way one should go.

    quampon January 02, 2020   Link

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