Mike + The Mechanics

"Take the children and yourself And hide out in the cellar By now the fighting will be close at hand Don't believe the church and state And everything they tell you Believe in me, I'm with the high command"

"Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?"

"Swear allegiance to the flag Whatever flag they offer Never hint at what you really feel Teach the children quietly For some day sons and daughters Will rise up and fight while we stood still."

"I said "go if you wanna go, Stay if you wanna stay" I didn't care if you hung around me I didn't care if you went away And I know you were never right I'll admit I was never wrong I could never make up my mind I made it up as I went along And though I treated you like a child I'm gonna miss you for the rest of my life All I need is a miracle, all I need is you"

"It must be hard being an angel when the devil in your heart won't set you free"

"Nobody's perfect all of the time nobody's perfect we are what we are there's no perfect reason and no perfect rhyme for most of the time that's what we're looking for."

"The person here in question must be an angel here on earth if they can't see a human being for what a human being's really worth Oh, gentlemen please!"

"Every generation Blames the one before And all of their frustrations Come beating on your door"

"You say you just don't see it He says it's perfect sense You just can't get agreement In this present tense We all talk a different language Talking in defence"

"Say it loud, say it clear You can listen as well as you hear It's too late when we die To admit we don't see eye to eye"

"You may think it's foolish that I still believe in love You laugh and you sneer — It's cruel It's what I'm thinking of. I believe in the magic in the power of the soul one to one's my equation that carries the nation on to the goal we're all brothers and sisters, I'm told."

"I believe, I believe, I believe in love do you believe what you're seeing Oh I believe in love."

"There is nothing wrong with me there's nothing wrong with you maybe we're just blind to see each other's point of view. Nobody knows what we had."

"Maybe I'm not crying maybe I don't mind But it hurts just knowing your children won't be mine."

"He ain't looking for a handout he's just looking for a start he don't hate anyone he don't carry a gun you can tell that kid is smart."

"So you can't keep that poor boy down you can be unkind you can rob him blind but you can't keep that poor boy down. you can lie and cheat you can chain his feet but you can't keep that poor boy down."

"And all down through the ages the kid's been treated rough just take a look in any history book you can see that times were tough."

"You can fight and steal you can drag your heels but you can't keep that poor boy down You can kick his ass if the kid's got class you can't keep that poor boy down."

"Well I've already gone through it all and it's true If you want to survive there's just one thing to do Get up! and do something Get up! and take control of your life Get up! and do something about it Don't ever make the same mistake twice"

"There's a rumour on the corner But it's always been denied Cause they don't want you any wiser You're just toeing the party line"

"Look out for those who still want to hang on Look out for those who live in the past Get out and listen to the whisper Because the times are changing fast"

"You don't believe the information You don't believe it when it's denied So when you're reading explanations You have to read between the lines"

"There's a time and a place For you to make your mark and show your face There's a place in time When you must step outside the line"

"So understand what I mean There is a time and place for you to have your dream But here and now may not be The time and place for you and me"

"It's the finest line A missed opportunity or the perfect time You must not despair You'll recognise it when you're there"

"Tears already falling like the rain upon the ground When the storm is over no trace of it is found Never will I understand how you vanished like the rain Tell me that you'll come back and let me live again"

"Oh lord I'm a poor man With all the riches I can hold I'm a beggar And I'm sitting on a beach of gold"

"When I was searching for solutions I found the answer lay in me I'm a drifter But I'm drifting on a silver sea"

"Are you out there now on empty Feel you've nothing left to give Sick of trying Have you lost the will to live? Don't be drowning in the shallows With the beach so near at hand Hear the voice say "Stand up, get up" And join me on the gilded sand."