Industrial Disease

Now, warning lights are flashing down at quality control Somebody threw a spanner, they threw him in the hole There's rumors in the loading bay and anger in the town Somebody blew the whistle, and the walls came down There's a meetin' in the boardroom, they're tryin' to trace the smell There's a leakin' in the washroom, there's a sneak-in personnel Somewhere in the corridors someone was heard to sneeze Goodness me, could this be industrial disease? Caretaker was crucified for sleeping at his post Refusing to be pacified, it's him they blame the most Watchdog got rabies, the foreman got the fleas Everyone concerned about industrial disease There's panic on the switchboard, tongues in knots Some come out in sympathy, some come out in spots Some blame the management, some the employees Everybody knows it's the industrial disease Yeah, now the work force is disgusted, downs tools, walks Innocence is injured, experience just talks Everyone seeks damages, everyone agrees that These are classic symptoms of a monetary squeeze On ITV and BBC they talk about the curse Philosophy is useless, theology is worse History boils over, there's an economics freeze Sociologists invent words that mean "industrial disease" Doctor Parkinson declared, "I'm not surprised to see you here You've got smokers cough from smoking, brewer's droop from drinking beer I don't know how you came to get the Bette Davis knees But worst of all young man, you've got industrial disease" He wrote me a prescription, he said, "You are depressed But I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest Come back and see me later, next patient, please Send in another victim of industrial disease" Ah! Splendid Now, I go down to Speaker's Corner, I'm thunderstruck They got free speech tourists, police in trucks Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong There's a protest singer, he's singing a protest song He says, "They wanna have a war, keep their factories They wanna have a war to keep us on our knees They wanna have a war to stop us buying Japanese They wanna have a war to stop industrial disease They're pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind They wanna sap your energy, incarcerate your mind Give ya "Rule Britannia", gassy beer, page three Two weeks in España and Sunday striptease" Meanwhile, the first Jesus says "I'll cure it soon Abolish Monday mornings and Friday afternoons" The other one's out on hunger strike, he's dying by degrees How come Jesus gets industrial disease?