Civilization And Its Discontents

I need a helmet to protect my head I need earphones to hear what gets said I need a miracle to keep this little thread from snapping I know a lot about alienated man But we've all heard as much about that as we can stand It's just what happens when you let the time span catch you napping Two forward and one back Blind fingers groping for the right track What's to do when a stab and a pat on the back look like the same thing? Civilization and its discontents When all's been said and all the money spent Trying to beat the system of the world's events Gets you nowhere Tired faces with the bus stop blues Man on a bench with a blanket of news The young Jamaican joking with the old Jew about women So many people so lost you feel sorry But too much pathos just makes you angry And even though I know who loves me I'm not that much less lost Black outline, sliding gray scale Subtle variations of dark to pale Pearl sky raining light like hail, come on and pierce me Raining light like a vision of the holy grail, come on and pierce me Civilization and its discontents When all's been said and all the money spent Trying to beat the system of the world's events Gets you nowhere --- Civilization and Its Discontents - Bruce Cockburn