Emperor's Song Lyrics

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)