Smoke in the Water ~ Philip Brent

Is that the best you can do, one of them asked
I think I’d do much better if you just relaxed
I think you’d do better if you ever learned how
A fine time you’ve picked to think of that now

You’ve hinted you want it done but never asked
Always be polite, we’re told; just how we’re tasked
I think it would be better if you were more direct
Life’s conditioning hard to break, as you’d expect

I guess we will have to agree then to compromise
That works; ask me no questions I’ll tell you no lies
I must say that is not exactly what I had in mind
Surely there must be another solution we can find

I suppose you will say must we agree to disagree
That depends on what’s in question, don’t you see
Then I think we must find a way to compromise
So you can always get your way; damn your eyes

Is there a way that I might win some, you others
If it were about equal, that would be my druthers
I’m inclined to say that we give it a try for a while
Who knows, together we might create a new style

If the good of the whole served as our guiding light
We might discover a way to avoid having to fight
Or go our own separate ways, do the same again
Wouldn’t it be better if we could simply pretend

Fake it till you make it; I’ve been told this advice
And I think it’d be worth us trying once or thrice
After all you’ll admit we have got nothing to lose
We can always return to war, if we should choose

Though if we continue the same way that we are
I am afraid that our future will not last very far
Please try to live a day without greed, fear or hate
Then one more and one more so we won’t be late