Four Egos, One War

i) Ours

After our wars we feel a moment's inspiration as we rebuild our cities

With visions anew and the architects and artists sound our glory

In a monument to freedom.

Scraping the sky with steel and stone and a deep pride in our new-built homes

People are the focus once again, in the wide, wide streets of a town for today's men

And after a time we become immune to all the images

That war brings to our front rooms, so far away

Decisions to be made do not seem relevant to anything that's happening now

But six feet under lies the charred earth, the buried memories of the last time

It's there in the eyes of the survivors, and our peace walks

On an all too finite line

ii) Theirs

The world is awash with dictators and moguls, between them we don't stand a chance

Caught between egos and cold economics we all know the steps to the dance

We can watch it all on TV while we're sitting eating tea,

We can watch the bombs start falling to "set the people free"

And it's raining down on me, through the atmosphere, from the satellites

The battlefields the way the media sees them

The press always get there in time for the flag-burns in every demonstration report

The bombs always go off in the centre of the picture in an area the size of New York

And we don't see this as funny just give awards to the TV crews,

'Cos it's them fighting the wars, not the armies, for the Generals of the news

And it's raining down on me, through the atmosphere, from the satellites

The battlefields the way the media sees them

iii) Ours reprise

After our wars we switch off, tune in, drop out and evaluate our reasons

But when battle calls, we're there, like moths approaching their destruction

In fast oncoming headlights.

Like rivers need the rain, the hate runs through our veins

Bursting the banks with death and pain and on my TV set tonight, it's pissing down again

iv) His

Give me a moment to assess the facts, I'll make my decision on how we act

If anyone can help me just let me know, I'm writing the script for a prime-time show

If my friends say it's OK I can attack, support from my own is all I lack

I only need approval for what I do, from the ones who beg my approval too

Running round in circles from the cradle to the grave

Searching for security or anything that we can save

Back in the real world where sky meets land, the missles succeed in the task at hand

We don't see amputations on the screen, just enjoy the bangs, ignore the screams

Running round in circles from the cradle to the grave

Searching for security or anything that we can save

Throwing metal at the sky, seeing where it lands and try

To convince the ones who put us here, that this is what we planned for all the time

v) Mine

With all the weapons of the modern world around me all I'm left with is my guitar

It's not as if a generation's gonna sit down and listen, it's been tried before and only got so far.

But it feels all right, and I won't hurt anyone tonight

Just want to put things in perspective yeah, take a chance and learn another point of view

Learn to make myself selective yeah, with the truth, 'cos nothing else will do

With all the armies of the modern world on my side, fighting for "my right to speak"

It seems the ammunition's falling in the wrong place, 'cos no-one's ever listened to me

But it feels all right, and there's every chance that I'll survive the night

They like to sit back and ignore me yeah, like a billion other different points of view

They sent a weapon to destroy me yeah, and its next target looks an awful lot like you

Running round in circles from the cradle to the grave

Searching for security or anything that we can save

It takes four egos to start one war, throw in some weapons, devise a cause

The media reports it, the politicians lead, I write songs about it, so all of us can feed

Throwing metal at the sky, seeing where it lands and try

To convince the ones who put us here, that this is what we planned for all the time