Spirit of Progress

No one ever told you there's a lot you can do
To stop those troubled years slipping away too soon
What's the use of dreaming dreams that never come true
You're better smoking in the lavatories or hiding out behind the tearoom
The ships come in and then the ships go out again
And somewhere in between there's a lot of man hours
and you wake up while the clock rings, waiting for the day to begin
Waiting for the day to begin
Empires come and empires go
and the queen's not a spritely young thing anymore
Flags they fly and flags they fall
No one would believe it's something young men should die for
The spirit of progress never looks back
Don't you ever get bored with football scores
or watching racehorses run round and round a circular track
Waiting for the day to begin
Your hands get hard from hammering steel
But does a heart get hard and forget how to feel
Hide away feelings like a cold, dark secret
Just night time ghosts in the smoke of a cigarette
The spirit of progress never looks back
Here's a gold watch and a cap and clock
for a lifetime spent pissing in a rich man's pocket
Waiting for the day to begin