The Old Man Smiled Lyrics

Lyric discussion by thunderperfectmind 

Cover art for The Old Man Smiled lyrics by Throbbing Gristle

"That's the way the world ends / With a whimper" is a variation on TS Eliot's "The Hollow Men."

Also, this site http://userpages.umbc.edu/~vijay/TG/lyrics/can_the_world_be_as_sad_as_it_seems.html Claims that "Can the world be as sad as it seems' is a line by Charles Manson. The plot is taken from a short story by William S. Burroughs."