now warning lights are flashing down at quality control
somebody threw a spanner and 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 a 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
they’re refusing to be pacified it’s him they blame the most
the watchdog’s got rabies the foreman’s got the 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
and everybody knows it’s the industrial disease
yeah now the work force is disgusted downs tools and walks
innocence is injured experience just talks
everyone seeks damages and 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
4
doctor parkinson declared i’m not surprised to see you here
you’ve got smoker’s 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 haha
ha splendid
5
and i go down to speaker’s corner i’ma 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 want to have a war to keep their factories
they want to have a war to keep us on our knees
they want to have a war to stop us buying japanese
they want to have a war to stop industrial disease
6
they’re pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind
they want to sap your energy incarcerate your mind
give you rule brittania gassy beer page three
two weeks in espana and sunday striptease
meanwhile the first jesus says i’d cure it soon
abolish monday mornings and friday afternoons
the other one’s out on hunger strike he’s dying by degrees
how come jesus gets industrial disease
409550
Artist: Dire Straits
Year: 1983
Decade: 80s
Language: en
Word Count: 264