It's the Innocent Who Pay

Met a man from Lebanon,
Told me that his house and land were gone.
Left the land he loved, with the shirt on his back,
Now he's living here, and he never can go back.

Chorus:
Ain't it funny, it's the innocent who pay?
Ain't it funny how the guilty get away?
Ain't it funny how it always works that way?
Ain't it funny, it's the innocent who pay?

Met a man from Belfast,
Had a good thing going but he knew it wouldn't last.
Catholics danced with Protestants in the nightclub that he owned,
The IRA found out and the whole damn place got bombed.

Repeat chorus

Met a man from Jerusalem,
Lost his family when the PLO found them.
He says he don't know why it's called the Holy Land,
He was there twelve years, and all he's seen is blood and sand.

Repeat chorus

Guitar solo

Everyone, from everywhere,
Lives a life of burden, toil, and despair.
And if we take just one small step to change some minds,
Soon we find ourselves standing at the back of the line.

Repeat chorus

(copyright 2003, David Rintoul)