Ballad (Orchestral Version) [Live]

When they look back at us and they write down their history
What will they say about our generation?
We're the ones who knew everything and still we did nothing
Harvested everything, planted nothing

Well, we lived pretty well in the wake of the gold rush
Floating in comfort on waves of our apathy
Quietly gnawing away at our body
Till we mortgage the future, bury our children
Storehouses full with the fruits we've been given
We send off the scraggins to suckle the starving
But still we can't feed this strange hunger inside
Greedy, restless, unsatisfied

I was never much one for the great big bang theory
Going out in a blaze of suicidal glory
Not foolish and brave, these leaders of ours
Just stupid and petty, unworthy of power
Just a little leak here and a small error there
In another square mile, poison forever
A series of sad and pathetic little fizzles
And out go the lights, never to return

The affair, it is over, the passion is dead
She stares at us now with ice in her eyes
But we turn away from these bitter reproaches
Take up distractions to forget what we're doing

Well, I stand on these hills and I watch her at night
A thousand square miles, a million orange lights
Wounded and scarred, she lies silent in pain
Raped and betrayed in the cool acid rain
And I wish that we could start over again
Yeah, I wish and I wish and I wish and I wish
And I wish we could win back her love once again