Schoolboys

You've got your uniform and now you've got to go to school
The days of innocence have gone to stay
Behind these walls you're gonna learn the golden rules
To make life easier when you obey
Chalkboard, lacquered floor, go and stand outside the door
The smell of pencil lead hangs in the air
Schoolyard, prison yard, either way they work you hard
Train you for a live of fear ahead

Exams that you will take will determine who you are
the grades you make will signify your skill
Before this great establishment has gone so very far
It won't be hard when they ask you to kill
School bell, living hell, wanna climb into your shell
What's this crazy torture all about?
Scapegoat, teacher's note, stand in the corner while they gloat
Terror's tears are stifling your shout

That's how they do it
They show you in school
There's nothing to it
You just follow all the rules

The fat boy on your side has been slowing down the team
it's the callousness of competition trains you to be mean
We're gonna loose the game and we take it real hard
And fatty will be beaten later in the school yard
Late to school, ridicule, stand in the corner like a fool
And be demoralized by your peers
Please, Sir - What, you?! Wait until you're spoken to!
A rule that you will memorize for years

That's how they do it
They show you in school
There's nothing to it
You just follow all the rules

Come and lie upon my couch and tell me how you feel
It's the loneliness and years of toil that brought you down to heel
The quack behind the desk has been hired by your boss
Because when you're not working hard, your gain becomes his loss
Look keen, limousine, your collar isn't looking clean
The poker up your arse is for the best
Stiff upper lip, give them a kick, work them 'till you make them sick
Get those old school blues off your chest

That's how they do it
They show you in school
There's nothing to it
You just follow all the rules

Lyrics by Stephen Goodfellow 1983