Industrial Disease lyrics

Artist  : Dire Straits 
Song : Industrial Disease
 
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 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 fleas
and everyone's concerned about Industrial Disease
there's panic on the switchboard tongues are ties
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
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'
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
but 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'
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 singing a protest song -
he says
'they wanna have a war to keep us on our knees
they wanna have a war to keep their factories
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
they 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 on a hunger strike he's dying by
degrees
how come Jesus gets Industrial Disease