The Part We Have to Play

We joined the theatre company before we learned to speak
And swept the stage for a so-called wage, and seven days a week
The talented were hungry as they struggled to improve
The talentless were quietly rehearsing every move

And we all knew the part we had to play
We all knew the part we had to play
The press reported sadly across a tear-stained page
Their ringing lies that eulogise the passing of the sage

And the gathering of the great and good, the humble and the wise
Will celebrate and seal an actor-manager's demise
And we all know the part we have to play
We all know the part we have to play

Beneath the wistful twilight in the cold and swirling cloud
Where images are conjured and with magic are endowed

The Grecians and the Avant-gardes so violently crossed swords
'Til one arose as principal and Chairman of the Boards
Then we all knew the part we had to play
We all knew the part we had to play

And now the wind is blowing in the tragedy of death
The cardboard castle still maintains the story of Macbeth
But all this, plus integrity, is swiftly broken down
When Duncan is a P.T. Barnum three-ring circus clown

Who knows not the part he has to play
Who knows not the part he has to play
The Great Eccentric learns the lines he knows he has to rail
But ultimately starring in a very different tale

He thanks you for your confidence, and for playing by the rules
You cannot understand the funny feeling we were fools
And we all know the part we have to play
We all know the part we have to play