Ballad Of The New Things

The weather man says rain today
Wrap up well before you go out to play
Look both ways before you cross the street
Go to the shop and get something to eat

Buildings rise up all around him
Biting wind and rain to drown him
Faces looking out of windows
In the art shops, at the bus stops
He sold his soul to a business man
But his life is still his own

He meets his girlfriend in the library
The smell of lust among the books
He knows his sex life is a bore
He thinks his love life is a chore
He tries to watch the television
But tires of its repetition
And the newspapers make no sense
And the newspapers make no sense

He puts on a suit and then he dies
From Monday to Friday, from nine to five
He hides the urge to kill the boss
Fools himself he doesn’t give a toss
Gets his money and goes into town
Looking in shops and walking around
Buying new things he doesn’t need
Fireproof, shockproof, guaranteed

He’s trapped inside an empty city
That’s full of people but no friends
The only consolation for him
Is new things and money to spend