(In a distant city, far across the sea, William is in the thick of battle. Separated from his unit, he has taken refuge in a bombed out building. He writes a letter home.)
Eyes raised like curtains on opening night
Transfixed by the scene of bombs painting the sky
With God's voice a boom
In postlude to a brilliant flash of light
And bricks from the buildings are falling like leaves
They blanket the bodies as they drift off to sleep
What is all this for, Oh, a glamourous war
such a clever deceit
Listen:
Cold creeps like a ghost through the cracks in the door
And clings to the breath at every mouth that it forms
The living must confess, while the listless
Lie neglected on the floor
Ears tuned to drummers that march in the street
And one always stops dead when two drummers meet
They're playing to the tune the
Of better you than me
Baby Brother, I hope this finds you well
And as much as the city tends to bring you down
Do try and behave yourself
Oh Momma, I hope this makes it's way into your cell
Though I doubt it will
Well what's done is done
No, no, no I won't dwell
I've seen enough of that in you
to be quite certain it's of little help
So won't you stop
Listen:
Stop
But I'm sure the chance is thin
You've been deafened in what you've lost
And the world still spins
Our bodies step in time
And I know you were you only ever seeing him
I know I have that bastard's eyes
Like dust settles on the floor
I've fallen still in this abandoned place
Keep a careful eye on that window pane
Just because you hide doesn't make it safe
Wait
No