Ballad of the Times

[Verse 1]
Narrow streets breed narrow minds
And care for kin but not for kind
It's a short hop to a long weekend
When every move you apprehend
You never find room to find your feet
To walk out of these avenues
Your pockets are lined with promises
When did you promise ever pay for shoes?

[Verse 2]
Count coal trucks by the line
And raise your glasses one more time
'Cause Billy has gone off to war
God knows what he's fighting for
Wartime will make him a man
Work that one out if you can
A hero's grave is six feet deep
Not room enough for all his friends

[Bridge]
And she can scrub the step but it will never gleam
If he did she'd smash the dream
And they've held the world too long
But dreams are what you wake up from

[Verse 3]
Father was a fighter too
The only way to jump the queue
Boxing clever, times were tough
But will that ever be enough?
He never found room to find his feet
To walk out of these avenues
His pockets were lined with promises
When did a promise ever pay for shoes? (Yeah)
When did a promise ever pay for shoes?