The Ballad of Accounting lyrics

In the morning we built the city

In the afternoon walked through its streets

Evening saw us leaving

We wandered through our days as if they would never end

All of us imagined we had endless time to spend

We hardly saw the crossroads

And small attention gave

To landmarks on the journey

From the cradle to the grave

Cradle to the grave

Cradle to the grave

Did you learn to dream in the morning?

Abandon dreams in the afternoon?

Wait without hope in the evening?

Did you stand there in the traces and let them feed you lies?

Did you trail along behind them wearing blinkers on your eyes?

Did you kiss the foot that kicked you?

Did you thank them for their scorn?

Did you ask for their forgiveness

For the act of being born?

Act of being born

Act of being born

Did you alter the face of this city?

Did you make any change in the world you found

Or did you observe all the warnings?

Did you read the trespass notice? Did you keep off the grass?

Did you shuffle off the pavement just to let your betters pass?

Did you learn to keep your mouth shut

To be seen and never heard?

Did you learn to be obedient

And jump to at a word?

Jump to at a word

Jump to at a word

Did you ever demand any answers?

The who, and the what, and the reason why?

Did you ever question the set-up?

Did you stand aside and let them choose while you took second best?

Did you let them skim cream off and then give to you the rest?

Did you settle for the shoddy and did you think it right

To let them rob right and left

And never make a fight?

Never make a fight

Never make a fight

What did you learn in the morning?

How much did you know in the afternoon?

Were you content in the evening?

Did they teach you how to question when you were at the school?

Did the factory help you grow? Were you the maker or the tool?

Did the place where you were living

Enrich your life? And then

Did you reach some understanding

Of all your fellow men?

All your fellow men

All your fellow men

• Artist:Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger
• Album:Folkways Record of Contemporary Songs