If I don’t peruse the papers
If I don’t turn up the sound
If I just refuse to listen
If I simply go to ground
If I cancel my subscriptions
And I forego all my flights
Then decline your invitations
And extinguish all the lights
If I barricade the windows
And decide to drop the tour
I can live the life I want to
And pretend that I’m secure
But despite my best intentions
To both bolt and bar the door
I can hear the things they’re saying
Though I’ve heard it all before
There’s no way that we can fix it
And there’s no one here to blame
So the wisest course of action
Is to do more of the same
The road on which we travel
And the course to which we cling
Was reviewed by all departments
And we shouldn’t change a thing
We could meet them on the beaches
Or appoint another czar
Fight the fight as if we meant it
But that’s just not who we are
So perhaps it didn’t happen
And perhaps it’s not so bad
Perhaps the world we live in
Is just silent and not sad
So the band should go on playing
Since it keeps away the gloom
Well now, if you’ll all excuse me
I’ll just go back to my room
