There were soldiers marching on the common today
They were there again this evening
They paced up and down like seabirds on the ground
Before the storm clouds gathering

I must buy whatever tin food is left on the shelves
They're testing the air-raid sirens
They've built up the blood-banks and emptied the beds
At the hospital and the asylum

Saw a man build a shelter in his garden today
As we stood there idly chatting
He said "No, no I don't think war will come"
Yet still he carried on digging

Everything in my life that I love
Could be swept away without warning
Yet the birds still sing and the church bells ring
And the sun came up this morning

Life goes on as it did before
As the country drifts slowly to war

Copyright: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer(s): Billy Bragg