Letra Ballad of accounting The Delgados

Ballad of accounting

In the morning we built this city
In the afternoon walked through its streets
Evening saw us leaving

We wandered through our days as if they would never end
All of us imagined we had endless time to spend
We hardly saw the crossroads and
Small attention gave to landmarks
In the journey from the cradle to the grave,
cradle to the grave, cradle to the grave

Did you learn to dream in the morning?
Abandon(?) dreams in the afternoon
Wait without hope in the evening

Did you stand there in the traces(?) and let them feed you lies?
Did you trail along behind them wearing(?) blinkers on your eyes?
Did you kiss the foot that kicked you?
Did you thank them for their scorn?
Did you ask for their forgiveness for the act of being born, act of being born, act of being born?

Did you alter the face of this city?
Did you make any change in the world(?) you found?Or did you observe all the warnings?

Did you read this trespass notice that you keep off the grass?
Did you shuffle off the pavement just to let your betters pass?
Did you learn to keep your mouth shut?
(couldnt make out next line)
Did you learn to be obedient, and jump to out of work, jump to out of work, jump to out of work? (might have misheard that)

Did you ever demand any answers?
The who, and the what, and the reason why?
Did you ever question the [something]? (?)

Did you stand aside and let them choose while you took second best?
Did you let them skim cream off and then give to you the rest?
Did you settle for the [something]?
Did you think it right, to let them rob right and left, and never make a fight, never make a fight, never make a fight?

What did you learn in the morning?
How much did you know in the afternoon?
Were you content in the evening?

Did they teach you how to question when you were at the school?
Did the factory help you grow over you to make an ardor too?(probably misheard)
Did the place where you were living enrich your life with [something], did you reach some understanding of all your fellow man, all your fellow man, all your fellow man.