Lyrics

Beer Mats

Flip 'em and catch 'em do what you will with them
There on the table awaiting their fate
The view from the window all church spires and meadows
Trees in full leaf under cloudless blue sky
Lamenting the passing of the days of the Empire
When all was in order and one knew one's place
Long gone are the days of the hope and the glory
When Victoria ruled and the gas lamps all burned bright

Mismatched chair covers frayed at the edges
Ceiling joists covered in china cream jugs
Crisp packets folded into neat little triangles
Testament to some extraordinary mind
Applauding the breed of new politician
All media-friendly and always online
Blurred at the edges by a lack of distinction
Open on Sundays but closed for the rest of the week

Blackboard chalked up with the choice of sweet menu
No sign of suet in these health-concious times
Coffee replacing the tea of our childhood
The cheddar usurped by some foreign design
Remembering the days of the Great British Empire
When mad dogs and Englishmen all knew their place
Victorian values and Methodist morals
Temperance and abstinence - good for the soul

Time and technology marching us forward
Away from the drudge and the smoke of the past
To a so-called improved enlightened society
Where God and infinity still have the last laugh