Terry Conway 1988
Last line rewritten by Alex Ellis to make it a little less graphic. Learned from Rowan Lupton.
The banner rides the winds of peace, the pilgrim takes the road
To advertise and civilize, and try to spread the gold
But the cities fall to hatred’s call, the hero smells the flood
To celebrate the nation’s state and dip their hands in blood
Chorus:
And you’ll hear them come around again
Hear the trumpets sound again
Hear the drums resound again
Beneath the walls of Troy
When nations seek to find their friends they first compare their foes
And if the list turns out the same a sour alliance grows
The patriot must be revered, he has no need to hide
But the man of peace is damned unless he’s on the other side
You’ll hear them talk of natural laws and population trends
They’ll set the wise to rationalize and talk of means and ends
They’ll say that man was made to hunt, it’s all part of the game
Or maybe they’ll blame religion if they think it clears their name
Now all the world’s a patchwork quilt, all nations must be free
The hate, the fear, it’s so sincere – it’s all too much for me
Your freedom is the right to war, to plunder and to brag
To genocide and lie with pride and all to show the flag