though aiming forward we are losing
ground
hearts may be filled with hope but
our hard fate
is to be weighed and valued pound by
pound
as the remainders of a great estate
the counters' duty it is to collate
what goes to storage and what to the
worm
what will be buried to build up the
berm
and what parts of the fortune they
might keep
those who are watching are the very
firm
our place is taken and we have to
sleep
so much of what is said is to
confound
the ones whose task it is to count
and rate
the complete measure within proper
bound
they aren't allowed to lie nor to
inflate
the tiny parcels into something great
but must agree the winner is the germ
that strikes the mighty hard as they
might squirm
and into every corner seems to creep
it's certain victory we can't affirm
our place is taken and we have to
sleep
we wanted to astonish and astound
win the reward of gold and silver
plate
have banknotes piled up in a giant
mound
cart off bright jewels in a well-made
crate
these are not the conditions we
instate
we find ourselves most rotten and
infirm
unable now to generate a therm
nor over lowest bar ever to leap
our weakness any fool now could
confirm
our place is taken and we have to
sleep
prince you may rule us for a certain
term
since none of us has power to
reaffirm
just what we were nor what we had to
keep
within our power nor underneath each
derm
our place is taken and we have to sleep