Movement VI - Work

(album: Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio - 1991)

[Mary Dee's office]

[Women's chorus (office staff):]
Working women at the top
Will it ever stop?
Papers piling up and up
Days go by like Monday, Tuesday:
Work until we drop!
All the time looking great
Running late
In a state, losing weight
Running late again
And again

[Mary Dee:]
Let me have the letter that you typed up yesterday
Did Mr. Fisher send the fax to LA?
Make sure the flowers don't arrive too late
And cancel my appointment at the Squash Club

[Women's chorus:]
What club?

[Mary Dee:]
Squash Club

[Women's chorus:]
Working women on the go
Will they ever know
What it takes to run the show?
Days go by like lightning
Will it ever slow?
Half the time feeling dead
Over-fed
Aching head
Miss my bed
Over-fed again and again

[Mary Dee:]
Did they ever pick up the accountant's resume?
Make sure the car arrives in time for the plane
Get me the details of the takeover bid
And write another letter to the Minister

[Women's chorus:]
Minister?

[Mary Dee:]
The Minister of love

[Women's chorus:]
Love
(La)

[Mary Dee:]
Where's the time for standing still?

[Women's chorus:]
Holding hands and walking free

[Mary Dee:]
Where's the time for you

[Mary Dee and women's chorus:]
And me?

[Mary Dee:]
Did I sign the letter that you typed up yesterday?
Is Mr. Fisher on the flight to LA?
He's got the details of the takeover bid
And I'll be in a meeting with the Minister

[Women's chorus:]
Minister, Minister of love

Love

[Mary Dee:]
Feeling confusion
Fear of intrusion
Frightened of losing my mind
Dreams of the future
Thoughts of myself left behind

[Women's chorus:]
Working women at the top

[Mary Dee:]
Will I ever stop?
Orders piling up and up

[Women's chorus:]
Days go by like Thursday, Friday

[Mary Dee:]
Always on the go
Part of myself lives inside

[Shanty's office]

[Men's chorus:]
When you ask a working man
'Does he ever stop?'
Will he make it to the top?
Should he take a break on Sunday?
Work until he drop

[Shanty:]
My early days in school required
A lot of concentration
I was finding out

But now in later years I find
My colleagues here are more inclined
To mess about
My wife at home
Would surely never understand
If I so much as look at someone else

[Men's chorus:]
If men had been the faithful sort
It surely would have changed the course of history

Don't ask me who the first man was
That dared to take a mistress
It's a mystery
Your wife at home
Would surely have to understand
If you were ever seen with someone else

[Mr. Dingle:]
Oh, no she won't!

[Men's chorus:]
You wouldn't dare!

[Shanty:]
Oh, yes I would!

[Mr. Dingle:]
Oh, no you don't!

[Men's chorus:]
All things matrimonial
Carry with them certain responsibilities

[Shanty and Mr. Dingle:]
(Ah)
Carry with them certain responsibilities

[Mr. Dingle:]
Let's find ourselves a little hostelry
Where you can sit and have a drink on me
We'll get a chance
To talk about anyone who bothers us

There's so much more to life than meets the eye
It's quite enough to make a throat feel dry
So let's repair
To where no-one else would dare to bother us

Let's have a drink
While we think what to do
And while we think
I'll accept a little drink from you

If everybody took a serious view of life
We all would feel the same as you
But, as it is
We don't, so it isn't gonna bother us

Let's have a drink
While we think what to do
And while we think
I'll accept a little drink from you

[Mary Dee:]
Part of myself grows inside