I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts

(album: More Fun In The New World - 1983)

The facts we hate
We'll never meet
Walking down the road
Everybody yelling, "Hurry up, hurry up!"
But I'm waiting for you
I must go slow
I must not think bad thoughts
When is this world coming to?
Both sides are right
But both sides murder
I give up
Why can't they?

I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts

The civil wars
And the uncivilized wars
Conflagrations leap out of every poor furnace
The food cooks poorly
And everyone goes hungry
From then on, it's dog eat dog
Dog eat body and body eat dog
I can't go down there
I can't understand it
I'm a no-good coward
An American, too
(A North American, that is)

And I must not think bad thoughts (Not a South)
And I must not think bad thoughts (or a Central)
And I must not think bad thoughts (or a Native American)
Oh, I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts

I'm guilty of murder
Of innocent men
Innocent women, innocent children
Thousands of 'em
My planes, my guns
My money, my soldiers
My blood on my hands
It's all my fault

I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts

The facts we hate
You'll never hear us
"I hear the radio is finally gonna play new music!
You know, the British invasion"
But what about the Minutemen
Flesh Eaters, D.O.A
Big Boys and the Black Flag?
Will the last American band to get played on the radio
Please bring the flag?
Please bring the flag!
Glitter disco synthesizer night school
All this noble savage drum drum drum
Astronauts go back in time to hang out with the cave people
It's about time
It's about space
It's about some people in the strangest places
Woody Guthrie sang about
B-E-E-T-S, not B-E-A-T-S

I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts

The facts we hate
We'll never meet
Walking down the road
Everybody yelling, "Hurry up, hurry up!
Hurry up!"
But I'm waiting for you
I must go slow
I must not think bad thoughts
When is this world coming to?
Both sides are right
But both sides murder
I give up
Why can't they?

I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts
I must not think bad thoughts