Fish

Five Years

Fish


Pushing through the market square 
So many mothers sighing 
News had just come over 
We had five years left to cry in 

News guy wept and told us 
Earth was really dying 
Cried so much his face was wet 
Then I knew he was not lying 

I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies 
Saw boys and toys, electric irons, TVs 
My brain hurt like a warehouse 
It had no room to spare 
I had to cram so many things to store 
Everything in there 

And all the fat-skinny people 
And all the tall-short people 
And all the nobody people 
And all the somebody people 
I never thought I'd need so many people 

A girl my age went off her head 
Hit some tiny children 
If the black hadn't a-pulled her off 
I think she would have killed them 

I saw a soldier with a broken arm 
Fixed his stare to the wheels of a Cadillac 
A cop knelt and kiss the feet of a priest 
And a queer threw up at the sight of that 

I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour 
Drinking milk shakes cold and long 
Smiling and waving and looking so fine 
Don't think you knew you were in this song 

And it was cold and it rained 
So I felt like an actor 
And I thought of Ma 
and I wanted to get back there 
Your face, your race, the way that you talk 
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk 

We got five years, stuck on my eyes 
We got five years, what a surprise 
We got five years, my brain hurts a lot