The Band Played On
[Intro]
A ticket arrived for me in the mail
Stamped: “Welcome aboard”
But when the ship’s bell rang out
And no echo returned
It was the last sound I ever heard
[Verse]
The first-class halls were glowing
Champagne beneath the stars
While compound interest gathered
Inside the cages of their ark
Why build unholy empires
On credit and regret
Knowing every bloody empire sinks
When the owner falls in debt
[Chorus]
“A ship that couldn’t sink,” they said
“Well let’s just wait and see”
But just in case you didn’t know
The Atlantic is a perfect grave
To drown all your enemies
[Verse]
Back on land in NYC
Insurance papers signed
Bankers wrote their names in blood
Extraction made them blind
On board the furnace raged
No need for cotton sails
Fraud works so much better
When a ship’s too big to fail
[Chorus]
“A ship that couldn’t sink,” they said
“Well let’s just wait and see”
But just in case you didn’t know
The Atlantic is a perfect grave
To drown all your enemies
[Interlude]
[Verse]
Glancing down the manifest
I’m in the best of company
But if in time the tables turned
None would spare a dime for me
Alarm bells rang across the bay
The ship’s skin was sliced in two
The fire of passion burning hot
For all but a very few
[Chorus]
“A ship that couldn’t sink,” they said
“Well let’s just wait and see”
But just in case you didn’t know
The Atlantic is a perfect grave
To drown all your enemies
[Outro]
The brass band kept on playing
While the water kissed the floor
Long lace dresses soaking wet
I’d seen it all before
Standing there in silence
Watching chandeliers sway
Knowing some things have to sink
For truth to find its way...
And the band played on..
And On
And On
And On....
Copyright Taun A. Richards 2002
A song about how some of the wealthiest men in the world were lured to their death because they opposed the formation of the federal Reserve.