Industrial Disease

(album: Love Over Gold - 1982)

Warning lights are flashing down at quality control.
Somebody threw a spanner, they threw him in the hole.
There's rumors in the loading bay and anger in the town.
Somebody blew the whistle, and the walls came down.

There's a meeting in the boardroom,
They're trying to trace the smell.
There's leaking in the washroom,
There's a sneak in personnel.

Somewhere in the corridors,
Someone was heard to sneeze.
Goodness me
Could this be
Industrial disease?

The caretaker was crucified for sleeping at his post.
Refusing to be pacified, it's him they blame the most.
The watchdog's got rabies, the foreman's got fleas.
Everyone's concerned about industrial disease.

There's panic on the switchboard, tongues in knots.
Some come out in sympathy, some come out in spots.
Some blame the management, some the employees.
Everybody knows it's the industrial disease.

Yeah, and now the work force is disgusted, downs tools and walks.
Innocence is injured, experience just talks.
Everyone seeks damages, everyone agrees
That these are "classic symptoms of a monetary squeeze".

On ITV and BBC they talk about the curse.
Philosophy is useless, theology is worse.
History boils over there's an economics freeze.
Sociologists invent words that mean "industrial disease".

Doctor Parkinson declared, "I'm not surprised to see you here.
You've got smokers cough from smoking, brewer's droop from drinking beer.
I don't know how you came to get the Betty Davis knees,
But worst of all, young man, you've got industrial disease."

He wrote me a prescription he said, "You are depressed.
I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest.
Come back and see me later. Next patient, please.
Send in another victim of industrial disease."

Oh, splendid.

I go down to speaker's corner. I'm thunderstruck.
They got free speech, tourists, police in trucks.
Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong.
There's a protest singer, he's singing a protest song.
He says,

"They wanna have a war to keep their factories.
They wanna have a war to keep us on our knees.
They wanna have a war to stop us buying Japanese.
They wanna have a war to stop industrial disease.

They're pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind.
They wanna sap your energy, incarcerate your mind.
Give you "Rule Britannia", gassy beer, page three.
Two weeks in España and Sunday striptease."

Meanwhile, the first Jesus says, "I'd cure it soon.
Abolish Monday mornings and Friday afternoons."
The other one's on a hunger strike, he's dying by degrees
How come Jesus gets industrial disease?

Above got sick.