And they plan in riddles And they speak in lies And they hide in secret
From sinking ships they lick their lips and bite the hand that that feeds 'em Then turn their eyes and skip in time and hold the hand that beats 'em To them it is all the same To them it is just a game to be won for the prize of nothing So their masters' sins, through Cheshire grins Disappear with a wink between 'em
Dead letters we've sent along In vain, thinking they'll hear our call These dead letters will not arrive at all
They'll let it rot in ruin Let it lie in dust Let it rust in rubble They'll leave us crushed and crippled Watch us rend in two Leave us split and splintered And never say as they do
With battered fools as useful tools they destroy the ones who bore them The brash and bold are bought and sold by the ones who alone implore them To them it is all the same For them it is just a game to be won at the cost of many Who'd trade their souls for little bowls filled with swill and set before them
These dead letters we've sent along In vain, thinking they'll hear our call These dead letters will not arrive at all
They'll let it rot in ruin Let it lie in dust Let it rust in rubble They'll leave us crushed and crippled Watch us rend in two Leave us split and splintered And never say as they do
And they plan in riddles And they speak in lies And they hide in secret
These dead letters we've sent along in vain In vain, thinking they'll hear our call These dead letters will not arrive at all
No lesson is learned And so it returns To repeat all that came before us And the fleeting dreams of the liars' schemes reappear And promise to restore us
These dead letters we've sent along They'll never, ever hear our call These dead letters will not arrive at all