A Peace That's Bad

It's a controversial thing to say
But I'm going to say it anyway
Everybody's wanting peace
The quest for which must never cease
But be careful what you're wishing for
Be careful what you're wishing for
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

No road to peace is a single track
It's vulnerable to attack
And though it maybe seems unkind
Chanting mantras makes you blind
To everything that's gone before
To everything that's gone before
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

Cast your mind back to Versailles
Fifty million had to die
For that was where the seeds were sown
Before Hitler could be overthrown
And peace is so worth fighting for
Yes, peace is so worth fighting for
But a peace that's bad can be worse than war

Peace that's seen to be unjust
Fuels conflict and distrust
Grenades left lying in the road
Are always waiting to explode
So join me, bring it to the fore
Join me, bring it to the fore
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

But even now, across different lands
I'd guess that it would take two hands
To make a register of those
Where peace of sorts has been imposed
And this is what we answer for
This is what we answer for
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

Nobody knows it more than I
That old men speak and young men die
And yes, there has to be a case
To parley for a breathing space
But someone has to keep the score
Someone has to keep the score
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

This isn't new. It's history
Tacitus said it before me
And maybe someone prior to him
Someone else out on a limb
But it bears repeating just once more
It bears repeating just once more
A peace that's bad can be worse than war

For everything that's gone before
This is what we answer for
A peace that's bad can be worse than war