STUDIO ALBUM
AMUSED TO DEATH
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The Ballad of Bill Hubbard
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What God Wants, Part I
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Perfect Sense, Part I
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Perfect Sense, Part II
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The Bravery of Being Out of Range
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Late Home Tonight, Part I
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Late Home Tonight, Part II
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Too Much Rope
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What God Wants, Part II
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What God Wants, Part III
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Watching TV
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Three Wishes
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It's a Miracle
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Amused to Death
ROGER WATERS- Voice, Bass and Keyboards
PRODUCER - Roger Waters and Patrick Leonard
ENGINEER - Hayden Bendall, Jerry Jordan and Stephen McLaughlan
STUDIOS - The Billiard Room, Olympic Studios,. CTS Studios, Angel Studios, Abbey Road, Compass Point Studios, Devonshire Studios, Ameraycan Studios Evergreen Recording and Visual Studios
Posted on September 7, 1992
THE BALLAD OF BILL HUBBARD (Waters)
[Alf Razzell:] "Two things that have haunted me most are the days when I
had to collect the paybooks; and when I left Bill Hubbard in
no-man's-land.
"I was picked up and taken into their trench. And I'd not
sooner taken two or three steps down the trench when I heard a
call, 'Hello Razz, I'm glad to see you. This is my second night
here,' and he said 'I'm feeling bad,' and it was Bill Hubbard,
one of the men we'd trained in England, one of the original
battalion. I had a look at his wound, rolled him over; I could
see it was probably a fatal wound. You could imagine what pain
he was in, he was dripping with sweat; and after I'd gone about
three shellholes, traversed that, had it been...had there been a
path or a road I could have done better. He pummeled me, 'Put
put me down, put me down, I'd rather die, I'd rather die, put me down
down.' I was hoping he would faint. He said 'I can't go any
further, let me die.' I said 'If I leave you here Bill you won't
be found, let's have another go.' He said 'All right then.' and
the same thing happened; he couldn't stand it any more, and I had
to leave him there, in no-man's-land.
(Girl) "I don't mind about the war, that's one of the things I
_like_ to watch, if it's a war going on, 'cause then I know if
our side's winning, if our side's losing..."
(Alf Razell:) "I remember two things, the days when I had to go and pick up
the payroll books and when I left Bill Hubbard in "no man's land."
I was picked up and taken to his trench, and I hadn't even taken 2 or 3 steps
in it when I heard "Gee, hi Raz, nice to see you. This is my
second night here, I feel bad." It was Bill Hubbard, one of the
men we had trained in England, from the initial Battalion.
I took a look at his wound, turned it over and saw that it was probably
it was deadly. You can't imagine the pain I felt. I was dripping
sweat, and when we had gone about three bomb holes, and
traversed what had been..., had been a path, or a highway
or anything, said "Put me down, put me down, I'd rather die, I'd rather die,
put me down!" I was afraid she might faint. She said, "I can't go on, let me
die!" I told him, "If I leave you here they won't find you. Let's go another
little." He said "Okay." But the same thing happened, I couldn't take it anymore,
and I had to leave it there, in no man's land."
(girl) "I don't care about the war, that's one of the things that
I would like to see, if it is a war, because then I know if
winner on her side, loser on our side..."
WHAT GOD WANTS PART 1 (Waters)
What God wants God gets God help us all
What God wants God gets
The kid in the corner looked at the priest
And fingered his pale blue Japanese guitar
The priest said
God wants goodness
god wants light
god wants mayhem
God wants a clean fight
What God wants God gets
Don't look so surprised
It's only dogma
The alien prophet cried
The beetle and the springbok
Took the Bible from its hook
The monkey in the corner
Wrote the lesson in his book
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants peace
god wants war
God wants famine
god wants chain stores
What God wants God gets
god wants sedition
god wants sex
God wants freedom
god wants semtex
What God wants God gets
Don't look so surprised
I'm only joking
The alien comic cried
The jackass and hyena
Took the feather from its hook
The monkey in the corner
Wrote the joke down in his book
What God wants God gets
God wants boarders
god wants crack
God Wants Rainfall
god wants wetbacks
What God wants God gets
god wants voodoo
God wants shrines
god wants law
God wants organized crime
god wants crusade
god wants jihad
God wants good
god wants bad
What God wants God gets.
What God wants he gets, God help us
What God wants he gets
The little boy in the corner looked at the priest
And he strummed his pale blue Japanese guitar
The priest said
God wants goodness
God wants the light
God wants slaughter
God wants a fair fight
What God wants he gets
Don't be so surprised
It is only a dogma
Shouted the alien prophet
The beetle and the gazelle
They took the Bible from the hanger
The monkey in the corner
He wrote the lesson in his book
What God wants he gets, God help us
God wants peace
God wants war
God wants hunger
God wants department stores
What God wants he gets
God wants sedition
God wants sex
God wants freedom
God willing semtex
What God wants he gets
Don't be so surprised
I'm just kidding
The alien comic lied
The donkey and the hyena
They took the pen from the hanger
The corner monkey
He wrote the joke in his book
What God wants he gets
God wants guests
God willing crack
God wants rain
God wants illegal immigrants
What God wants he gets
God wants voodoo
God wants sanctuaries
God wants the law
God wants organized crime
God wants the crusade
God wants holy war
God wants good
God wants evil
What God wants he gets.
PERFECT SENSE PART 1 (Waters)
The monkey sat on a pile of stones
And stared at the broken bone in his hand
And the stains of a Viennese quartet
Ran out across the land
The monkey looked up at the stars
And thought to himself
Memory is a stranger
History is for fools
And he cleaned his hands
In a pool of holy writing
Turned his back on the garden
And set out for the nearest town
Hold on hold on soldier
When you add it all up
The tears and the marrowbone
There's an ounce of gold
And an ounce of pride in each ledger
And the Germans killed the Jews
And the Jews killed the Arabs
And the Arabs killed the hostages
And that is the news
And is it any wonder
That the monkey's confused
He said Mama Mama
The President's a fool
Why do I have to keep reading
These technical manuals
And the joint chiefs of staff
And the brokers on Wall Street said
Don't make us laugh
You're a smart kid
time is linear
Memory is a stranger
History is for fools
Man is a tool in the hands
Of the great God Almighty
And they gave him command
Of a nuclear submarine
And sent him back in search of
The Garden of Eden.
The monkey sat on a pile of stones
And he contemplated the broken bone in his hand
And the bars of a Viennese quartet
They spread throughout the area
The monkey looked at the stars
And he thought to himself
The memory is unknown
History is for fools
And he washed his hands
At the source of the Holy Scriptures
He turned his back to the garden
And he went to the nearest town
Resist, resist soldier
When you take everything into account
Tears and marrow
You discover a pinch of gold
And a pinch of pride in each record
And the Germans killed Jews
And the Jews killed Arabs
And the Arabs killed hostages
And that's the news
And is it surprising
Is the monkey confused?
Said mom, mom
The president is crazy
Why do I have to continue reading
These technical manuals?
And the joint chiefs of staff
And Wall Street brokers said
"Don't make us laugh
You are a clever boy
Time is linear
The memory is unknown
History is for fools
Man is a tool in the hands
From the great Almighty God”
And they gave him command
From a nuclear submarine
And they sent him again in search of
From the Garden of Eden.
PERFECT SENSE PART 2 (Waters)
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Little black soul departs in perfect focus
Prime time fodder for the News at Nine
Darling is the child warm in the bed tonight
Hi everybody I'm Marv Albert
And welcome to our telecast
Coming to you live from Memorial Stadium
It's a beautiful day
And today we expect a sensational matchup
But first our global anthem
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
And here come the players
As I speak to you now the captain
Has his cross hairs zeroed in on the oil rig
It looks to me like he's going to attack
By the way did you know that a submarine
Captain earns 200,000 dollars a year
Oh that's less tax Marv yeah less tax
Uh thank you Emery you're welcome
Now back to the game he fires one yes
There goes two both fish are running
The rig is going into a prevent defense
Will they make it I don't think so
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense.
Can't you see?
That everything makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds, shillings and pence?
Can't you see?
It all makes perfect sense
The perfectly focused little black soul
At the best hour on the nine o'clock news
Dear, is the baby warm in bed today?
Hi everyone, I'm Marv Albert
And welcome to our broadcast
Live from Memorial Stadium
It's a beautiful day
And we hope there will be a sensational meeting
But first our global anthem
Can't you see?
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds, shillings and pence?
Can't you see?
It all makes perfect sense
And here are the players
As I speak to you, the captain
direct the sight cross against the derrick
It seems to me like it is going to attack
By the way, did you know that a captain
As a submariner, he earns $200,000 a year?
Oh that's tax free Marv tax free
Uh, thanks Emery, you're welcome.
Now let's get back to the game, shoot one, yeah
There are two, both torpedoes have gone out
The tower adopts a preventive defense
Do you think they will get it? I don't think so
Can't you see?
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds, shillings and pence?
Can you see?
Don't you realize?
THE BRAVERY OF BEING OUT OF RANGE (Waters)
You have a natural tendency
To squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties
You wear the right masks
You're old but you still
Like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change
You're at home on the range
You opened your suitcase
Behind the old workings
To show off the magnum
You deafened the canyon
A comfort a friend
Only upstaged in the end
By the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you
Remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a US Marine in a pile of debris
I swam in your pools
And lay under your palm trees
I looked in the eyes of the Indian
Who lay on the Federal Building steps
And through the range finder over the hill
I saw the front line boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find
On their desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
Hey bartender over here
two more shots
and two more beers
Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
for righting wrongs
you hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range.
You have a natural tendency
To speed up your luck
You are fun at parties
You wear the correct costume
You are old but still
You like to show off in the locker room
You can't afford to change
You say you feel comfortable on the battlefield
You opened your briefcase
Behind the factory
To show off the "magnum"
You thundered the canyon
A pleasure that only a friend
It improved at the end
With a pistol Uzi
Doesn't it remind you of the recoil...?
Doesn't it remind you of sex?
Old man, what the hell are you going to kill now?
Old man, who are you going to kill now?
I looked behind Jordan and what did I see
I saw a "US Marine" in a pile of rubble
I swam in your pools
And I lay down under your palm trees
I looked into the eyes of the Indians
Lying on the steps of the Federal Building
And by the cable car to the hill
I saw the guys in the front taking out their pills
Sick by the ranch that eat
In its desert environment
And the courage to be out of reach
Yes, the issue is cumbersome
Old man what the hell are you going to kill now?
Old man, who are you going to kill now?
Hey, waiter, here
Two more drinks
And two beers
Sir, turn up the volume on the television
The war has begun on land
I love those laser-guided bombs
They are magnificent
To end the abuses
You hit the target
And you win the game
From a bar 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the courage to be out of reach
We kill them and mutilate them
With the courage to be out of reach
We bombed the train
With the courage to be out of reach
We gain ground
With the courage to be out of reach
We play the game
With the courage to be out of reach.
LATE HOME TONIGHT PART 1 (Waters)
standing at the window
A farmer's wife in Oxfordshire
Glances at the clock it's nearly time for tea
She doesn't see
The phantom in the hedgerow dip its wings
Doesn't hear the engine sing
But in the cockpit's techno glow
Behind the Ray Ban(R) shine
The kid from Cleveland
In the comfort of routine
Scans his dials and smiles
Secure in the beauty of military life
There is no right or wrong
Only tin cans and cordite and white cliffs
And blue skies and flight flight flight
The beauty of military life
No questions only orders and flight only flight
What a beautiful sight in his wild blue dream
The eternal child leaves through his
War magazine
And his kind Uncle Sam feeds ten trillion in
Change into total entertainment
combat video game
And up here in the stands
The fans are going wild
The cheerleaders flip
When you wiggle your hip
And we all like the bit when you take
The jeans from the refrigerator and
Then the bad guy gets hit
And were you struck by the satisfying
Way the swimsuit sticks to her skin
Like BB gun days
When knives pierce autumn leaves
But that's okay see the children bleed
It'll look great on the TV
And in Tripoli another ordinary wife
Stares at the dripping her old man hadn't
Time to fix
Too busy mixing politics and rhythm
In the street below.
Standing by the window
An Oxfordshire farmer's wife
Take a look at the clock, it's almost time for tea
No ve
Al Phantom dip his wings over the fence
Can't hear the noise of the engine
But in the technological environment of the cockpit
Behind his shiny Ray Ban©
The boy from Cleveland
In the comfort of routine
Check the watches and smile
Military life beauty insurance
There is no right or wrong
Just tin and cordite and white cliffs
And blue skies and fly, fly and fly
The beauty of military life
No questions, just orders and fly just fly
What a wonderful sight in your blue dream
The eternal child leafs through his
war magazine
And the nice Uncle Sam invests ten trillion in
Cash in combat video game
From total entertainment
And here in the stands
Fans go crazy
Cheerleaders jump
When you wiggle your hips
And we enjoy every moment when you take out
Your jeans from the fridge y
Then they hit the bad guy
And if you were impressed how stupendously
that the swimsuit sticks to your skin
Like in the days of compressed air weapons
When razors pierced the autumn leaves
But that's good, look how the boys bleed
It will look good on TV
And in Tripoli any other wife
She contemplates how the faucet that her husband did not have drips
Time to fix
Too busy mixing politics and rhythm
Down in the street.
LATE HOME TONIGHT PART 2 (Waters)
Hark the wire service sing
Clear the satellite link
Check the fax machine
Hold the lead story boys
There's some great pictures coming in
Now the pilot's heartbeat slows
Palms dry out
No questions only orders
And the F-1 glides in nose-up
Through the cloudbase and the
Ground crew cheers as he puts down
his landing gear
Hey boy you're a hero take this cigarette
Back home in Cleveland
All the papers and local TV stations
Will be calling your ma
And the farmer's wife
Shoos the cat off the chair
She says sit down my dear
Was the milking all right
Our American friends are late home tonight.
Listen to the telegraph
Cancel the link with the satellite
Check the fax
I counted the boys on the front page
Some great photographs arrive
Now the pilot heartbeat is dimmed
The palms dry up
No questions, just orders
And the F-1 glides from the nose
Through the clouds and the
Ground crew provides according to baja
Your landing gear
Hey boy you are a hero take this cigar
And back in Cleveland
All local newspapers and stations TV
They will call your mom
And the farmer's wife
Scare the cat from the chair
It says sit down dear
Was the milking okay?
Our American friends are coming home late.
TOO MUCH ROPE (Waters)
When the sleigh is heavy
And the timber wolves are getting bold
You look at your companions
And test the water of their friendship
with your toes
They significantly edge
Closer to the gold
Each man has his price Bob
And yours was pretty low
History is short the sun is just a minor star
The poor man sells his kidneys
In some colonial bazaar
What will be will be
Is that your new Ferrari car
Nice but I think I'll wait for the F50
You don't have to be a Jew
To disapprove of murder
Tears burn our eyes
Moslem or Christian Mullah or Pope
Preacher or poet who was it wrote
Give any one species too much rope
And they'll fuck it up
And last night on TV
to vietnam vet
Takes his beard and his pain
And his alienation twenty years
Back to Asia again
See the monsters they made
In formaldehyde floating 'round
Meets a gook on a bike
A good little tyke
A nice enough guy
With the same soldier's eyes
Tears burn my eyes
what does it mean
This tearjerking scene
Beamed into my home
That it moves me so much
why all the fuss
It's only two humans being
It's only two humans being
Tears burn my eyes
what does it mean
This tender TV
This tearjerking scene
Beamed into my home
You don't have to be a Jew
To disapprove of murder
Tears burn in our eyes
Moslem or Christian Mullah or Pope
Preacher or poet who was it wrote
Give any one species too much rope
And they'll fuck it up.
When the sled weighs
And the gray wolves become reckless
You look at your companions
And you put their friendship to the test
At your expense
They clearly prefer
for gold
Every man has his price Bob
And yours was pretty low
The story is short, the sun is just a
minor star
The poor man sells his kidneys
In some colonial bazaar
What has to be will be
Is that your new Ferrari?
Great but I think I'll wait for F50
You don't need to be Jewish
To disapprove of the murder
Tears flood our eyes
Muslim or Christian, Mullaidin or Pope
Preacher or poet, someone wrote...
“Give any species too much rope
And they will screw it up”
And last night on TV
A Vietnam Veteran
He bears his challenge and his pain
And its disposal from twenty years ago
Back to Asia
See the monsters that created
Floating around in formaldehyde
Find a buddy on a motorcycle
A good rogue
Pretty nice guy
With the same soldier's eyes
Tears flood my eyes
What does that mean?
This tearful scene
Invading my home
What moves me so much?
Why so much noise?
They are only two human beings
They are only two human beings
Tears flood my eyes
What does this mean?
This tender television
This tear-jerking scene
Invading my home
You don't need to be Jewish
To disapprove of the murder
Tears flood my eyes
Muslim or Christian, Mullaidin or Pope
Preacher or poet, someone wrote...
Give any species too much rope
And they'll screw it up.
WHAT GOD WANTS PART 2 (Waters)
Do you believe in a better day
Do you have faith in a golden way
If you do then we must come together this day
Come together as one united
Television audience
Brought together by the sound of my voice
United united financially united socially
United spiritually and all possible ways
Through the power of money
And the power of prayers
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants dollars
God wants cents
God wants pounds shillings and pence
god wants guilders
God wants Kroner
God wants Swiss French
God wants French francs
Oui il veut des francs francais
god wants shields
God wants pesetas
Don't send lyre
God don't want small potatoes
God wants small towns
god wants pain
God wants clean up rock campaigns
god wants windows
God wants solutions
god wants tv
God wants contributions
What God wants God gets God help us all
god wants silver
God wants gold
God wants his secret
Never to be told
god wants gigolos
god wants giraffes
God wants politics
God wants a good laugh
What God wants God gets God help us all
god wants friendship
god wants fame
God wants credit
God wants to blame
God wants poverty
god wants wealth
God wants insurance
God wants to cover himself
What God wants God gets God help us all.
Do you believe in better days?
Do you have faith in a golden path?
If so, we should meet today
Let us come together as one
Television audience
Gathered by the sound of my voice
United, financially and socially united
United spiritually, in every possible way
For the power of money
And the power of money
And the power of your prayers...
What God wants he gets, God help us
God wants dollars
God wants cents
God wills pounds, shillings and pence
God willing guilders
God wants crowns
God wants Swiss francs
God wants French francs
Yes he wants french francs
God wants shields
God wants pesetas
Do not send liras
God does not want crumbs
God wants small towns
God wants pain
God wants cleanliness in the campaigns of rock
God wants widows
God wants solutions
God wants television
God wants contributions
What God wants he gets, God help us
God wants the money
God wants gold
God wants your secret
Never disclose
God wants gigolos
God wants giraffes
God wants politicians
God wants to laugh
What God wants he gets, God help us
God wants friendship
God wants fame
God wants credit
God wants the guilt
God wants poverty
God wants wealth
God wants insurance
God wants to protect himself
What God wants he gets, God help us.
WHAT GOD WANTS PART 3 (Waters)
Don't be afraid it's only business
The alien prophet sighed
The vulture and the magpie took
The cash box from its hook
The monkey in the corner wrote
The figures in his book
Crazed the checkout lady's fingers
Flash across the till
The captain posts
The menu for the day
And in banks across the world
Christians Muslims Hindus Jews
And people of all
Race creed color tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog
Neatly make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
Christ it's freezing inside
The veteran breeds
The hyenas break cover
And stream through the meadow
And the fog rolls in
Though his bottle of gin
So he picks up a stone
That looks like a bone
And the bullets fly
And the rivers run dry
And the fat girls sing
And the network anchor persons lie
And the soldier's alone
In the video zone
But the monkey's not watching
He's slipped out to the kitchen
To pile up the dishes
And answer the phone.
Fear not, it's just business
The alien prophet sighed
The vulture and the magpie caught
The piggy bank on the hanger
The monkey in the corner wrote
The numbers in his book
The crazed fingers of the cashier
Twinkle for the box
And the captain sends
The menu of the day
And in banks around the world
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews
And every other
Race, creed, color, hue or tone
They kneel and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog
Cleverly they become purses
But the monkey in the corner
Well he slowly gets out of reach
Christ, it's freezing inside
The veteran screams
Hyenas break cover
And they spread across the meadow
And the fog appears
Through his bottle of gin
So take a stone
That looks like a bone
And the bullets fly
And the rivers dry up
And the fat girls sigh
And the people in the chain lie
And the soldier is alone
In the video area
But the monkey does not look
Escapes to the kitchen
To stack the dishes
And answer the phone.
WATCHING TV (Waters)
We were watching
In Tiananmen Square
Lost my baby there
my yellow rose
In her bloodstained clothes
She was a short order pastry chef
In a Dim Sum dive on the Yangtze tideway
She had shiny hair
She was the daughter of an engineer
Won't you shed a tear
for my yellow rose
my yellow rose
In her bloodstained clothes
She had perfect breasts
She had high hopes
She had almond eyes
She had yellow thighs
She was a student of philosophy
Won't you grieve with me
for my yellow rose
Shed a tear
For her bloodstained clothes
She had shiny hair
She had perfect breasts
She had high hopes
She had almond eyes
She had yellow thighs
She was the daughter of an engineer
So get out your pistols
Get out your stones
Get out your knives
Cut them to the bone
They are the lackeys of the grocer's machine
They built the dark satanic mills
That manufacture hell on earth
They bought the front row seats on Calvary
They are irrelevant to me
But I grieve for my sister
People of China
Don't forget, don't forget
The children who died for you
Long live the Republic
Did we do anything after this
I've a feeling we did
We were watching TV
Watch TV
We were watching TV
Watch TV
She wore a white bandanna that said
freedom now
She thought the Great Wall of China
Would come tumbling down
She was a student
Her father was an engineer
Won't you shed a tear
for my yellow rose
my yellow rose
In her bloodstained clothes
Her grandpa fought old Chiang Kai-shek
That no-good low-down dirty rat
Who used to order his troops
To fire on the women and children
imagine that imagine that
And in the spring of '48
Mao Tse-tung got quite irate
And he kicked that old dictator Chiang
Out of the state of China
Chiang Kai-shek came down in Formosa
And they armed the island of Quemoy
And the shells were flying across the China Sea
And they turned Formosa into a shoe factory
Called Taiwan
And she is different from Cro-Magnon man
She's different from Anne Boleyn
She is different from the Rosenbergs
And from the unknown Jew
She is different from the unknown Nicaraguan
Half superstar half victim
She's a victor star conceptually new
And she is different from the Dodo
And from the Kankanbono
She is different from the Aztec
And from the Cherokee
She's everybody's sister
She's symbolic of our failure
She's the one in fifty million
Who can help us to be free
Because she died on TV
And I grieve for my sister.
We were watching TV
In Tiananmen Square
I lost my girl there
My yellow rose
In his bloody clothes
She was a pasta cook
In a restaurant (Dim Sum) on the banks of the Yangtze
He had shiny hair
She was the daughter of a machinist
Won't you shed a tear
For my yellow rose?
My yellow rose
In his bloody clothes
She had perfect breasts
I had high hopes
He had almond shaped eyes
He had yellow thighs
I was a philosophy student
Won't you grieve with me
For my yellow rose?
Shed a tear
For his bloody clothes
He had shiny hair
She had perfect breasts
I had high hopes
He had almond shaped eyes
He had yellow thighs
She was the daughter of a machinist
So get your guns ready
Prepare your stones
Prepare your knives
Cut them to the bone
They are the lackeys of the shopkeeper's machine
They built the dark satanic factories
That turn the earth into hell
They bought the best tickets at Calvario
They are of no importance to me
And I grieve for my sister
People of China
Don't forget, don't forget
To the children who died for you
Long live the Republic
Did we do anything after this?
I think so
We were watching TV
Watching TV
We were watching TV
Watching TV
She was wearing a headscarf that said Freedom Now
Believed Great Wall of China
It would collapse
I was a student
His father was a machinist
Won't you shed a tear
For my yellow rose?
My yellow rose
In his bloody clothes
His grandfather fought against Chiang Kai-shek
That vile and creeping dirty rat
That he used to order his troops
Shoot women and children
Imagine that, imagine that
And in the spring of 48
Mao Tse-tung I can't take it anymore
And he kicked out the old dictator Chiang
Outside China State
Chiang Kai-shek retired to Formosa
And they armed the island of Quemoy
And the shells were flying all over the China Sea
And they turned Formosa into a shoe factory
call Taiwan
And she is different from Cro-Magnon man
She is different from Anne Boleyn
She is different from the Rosenbergs
And of the unknown Jew
She is different from the unknown Nicaraguan
Half superstar, half victim
It is a symbol of victory, conceptually new
She is different from the Dodo
And from Kankabono
She is different from the Aztecs
And of the Cherokees
She is everyone's sister
She symbolizes our mistakes
She is the one among fifty million
It can help us free ourselves
Because he died on television
And I grieve for my sister.
THREE WISHES (Waters)
Reached back for the bottle
And rubbed against the lamp
Genie came out smiling
Like some Eastern tramp
He said hey boy what's happening
what is going on
You can have three wishes
If you don't take too long
I said well
I wish they were all happy in the Lebanon
Wish somebody'd help me write this song
I wish when I was young
My old man had not been gone
Genie said consider it done
There's something in the air
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who you've just learned to miss
And the road leads on to glory but
You've used up your last wish
your last wish
And you want her to come home
Genie said I'm sorry
But that's the way it goes
Where the hell's the lamp sucker
It's time for me to go
bye
There's something in the air
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who you've just learned to miss
And the road leads on to glory but
You've used up your last wish
your last wish
And you want her to come home.
He approached to take the bottle
And he touched the lamp
The genius came out smiling
Like an oriental nomad
He said hey boy what's up
What happens
You can make three wishes
If you don't take too long
If you don't take too long
And I said, well...
I wish everyone to be happy in Lebanon
I want someone to help me write this song
I wish that when I was young
My father would not have gone
The genius said: that is done
There is something in the environment
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who have you learned to miss
And the road leads to glory, but
You already used your last wish
Your last wish
And you want her to come home
Bring it home
The genius said: sorry
But this is how it works
Where the hell is the lamp, dude?
It's time to go
Goodbye
There is something in the environment
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who have you learned to miss
And the road leads to glory, but
You have already used last wish
Your last wish
And you want her to come home.
IT'S A MIRACLE (Waters)
Miraculous you call it babe
You haven't seen anything yet
They've got Pepsi in the Andes
McDonald's in Tibet
Yosemite's been turned into
A golf course for the Japs
The Dead Sea is alive with rap
Between the Tigris and Euphrates
There's a leisure center now
They've got all kinds of sports
They've got Bermuda shorts
They had sex in Pennsylvania
A Brazilian grew a tree
A doctor in Manhattan
Saved a dying man for free
It's a miracle
Another Miracle
By the grace of God Almighty
And the pressures of the marketplace
The human race has civilized itself
It's a miracle
We've got warehouses of butter
We've got oceans of wine
We've got famine when we need it
Got designer crime
We've got Mercedes
We've got Porsche
Ferrari and Rolls Royce
We've got choice
she said meet me
In the Garden of Gethsemene my dear
The Lord said Peter I can see
your house from here
An honest family man
Finally reaped what he had sown
A farmer in Ohio has just repaid a loan
It's a miracle
By the grace of God Almighty
And the pressures of the marketplace
The human race has civilized itself
It's a miracle
We cower in our shelters
With our hands over our ears
Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff
Runs for years and years and years
An earthquake hits the theater
But the operetta lingers
Then the piano lid comes down
And breaks his fucking fingers
It's a miracle.
You say it's miraculous, babe
You haven't seen anything yet
They have Pepsi in the Andes
McDonald's in Tibet
Yosemite has become
A golf course for Japanese
The Dead Sea is suddenly alive
Between the Tigris and the Euphrates
Now there is an amusement center
They have all kinds of sports
They go with shorts
They made love in Pennsylvania
A Brazilian planted a tree
A Manhattan doctor
He saved a dying man for free
It's a miracle
Another miracle
By the grace of Almighty God
And the market pressures
The human race has become self-civilized
It's a miracle
We have butter warehouses
We have oceans of wine
We have a shortage when we need it
We have intentional crime
We have Mercedes
We have Porsches
Ferrari and Rolls Royce
We can choose
She said, look me up
In the Garden of Gethsemane, dear
The Lord said to Peter, "I can see
Your home from here"
An honest man
He finally reaped what he sowed
And an Ohio farmer just paid off a loan
It's a miracle
Another miracle
By the grace of Almighty God
And the market pressures
The human race has become self-civilized
It's a miracle
We huddle in our shelters
Covering our ears
The horrible musical by Lloyd-Webber
It lasts for years and years and years
An earthquake shakes the theater
But the operetta continues
So the lid of the piano falls
And he breaks his fucking fingers
It is a miracle.
AMUSED TO DEATH (Waters)
Doctor Doctor what is wrong with me
This supermarket life is getting long
What is the heart life of a color TV
What is the shelf life of a teenage queen
ooh western woman
oh western girl
News hound sniffs the air
When Jessica Hahn goes down
He latches on to that symbol
Of detachment
Attracted by the peeling away of feeling
The celebrity of the abused shell the belle
ooh western woman
oh western girl
And the children of Melrose
Strut their stuff
It is absolutely zero cold enough
And out in the valley warm and clean
The little ones sit by their TV screens
No thoughts to think
Don't tear to cry
all sucked dry
Down to the very last breath
Bartender what is wrong with me
Why am I so out of breath
The captain said excuse me ma'am
This species has amused itself to death
Amused itself to death
Amused itself to death
We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over
We ohhed and aahed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar
And somewhere out there in the stars
A keen-eyed look-out
Spied a flickering light
Our last hurray
And when they found our shadows
Grouped around the TV sets
They ran down every lead
They repeated every test
They checked out all the data on their lists
And then the alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed
But on eliminating every other reason
For our sad demise
They logged the explanation left
This species has amused itself to death
No tears to cry no feelings left
This species has amused itself to death
(Alf Razzell:] "Years later, I saw Bill Hubbard's name on the memorial to the missing at Aras. And I...when I saw his name I was absolutely transfixed; it was as though he was now a human being instead of some sort of nightmarish memory of how I had to leave him, all those years ago. And I felt relieved, and ever since then I've felt happier about it, because always before, whenever I thought of him, I said to myself, 'Was there something else that I could have done?' [background: "I'd rather die, I'd rather die..."] And that always sort of worried me. register - as you know in the memorials there's a little safe, there's a register in there with every name - and seeing his name and his name on the memorial; it sort of lightened my... heart, if you like."
(woman) "When was it that you saw his name on the memorial?"
[Alf Razzell:]"Ah, when I was eighty-seven, that would be a year, ninete...eighty-four, nineteen eighty-four."