Where Are The Barricades

[Verse 1]
Robespierre is wagging his finger
Karl Marx is scratching his head
They ought to be shooting the bankers
But they're giving them money instead
The plebs should be storming the ramparts
And whetting the guillotine's blades
Singing "Capitalism's in crisis"
So where are the barricades?

[Verse 2]
Why don't they close down the city?
And throw all the gamblers in jail?
But they're still making money make money
As they slice up the future for sale
And some numbskull's still hugging his bonus
The ol' grafter's made off with the loot
And the slick city traders, the corporate raiders
Freebooters and fraudsters, hedge-fund speculators
The stock-market scammers, the brain-dead regulators
Why aren't they all getting the boot?

[Verse 3]
See how the bubbles are bursting
All that's solid melts into air
The stairs are beginning to rattle
And the rats are beginning to stare
There are cracks in the walls and the ceiling
And smoke's pouring out the front door
But the crême-de-la-crême are all betting
That the flames'll never reach the top floor

[Verse 4]
They tell us that cuts are essential
To keep this lost bucket afloat
But nobody seems to be asking:
"Why don't we just scuttle the boat?"
They say we are all in this together
Just like we were in the war
And in time the wheels will start turning again
And we'll all carry on like before

[Verse 5]
At last I see workers protesting
But there isn't a red flag in sight
And where are the banners proclaiming:
"Workers of the world must unite!"
Do they call for the heads of the bosses?
Sing for capitalism's last days?
Or is it "British work for British workers?"
What nincompoop thought up that phrase?

[Verse 6]
We're pissed off of course and we're angry
But revolution is not really us
Give us football and Strictly Come Dancing
And we won't make too much of a fuss
Give us someone to trust and to lead us
Who knows the way out of this maze
So we can go on consuming forever
Or at least 'till the end of our days

[Outro]
Robespierre is smart in his pinstripe suit
Karl Marx looks cool in his shades
Yes capitalism's in crisis my dear
But where are the barricades?
Where are the barricades?