Well a man does what he has to do
It’s the pattern of his life
He’s brave and proud and fearless
And then he takes a wife
Pretty soon he’s turned to drinking,
From the weight upon his mind,
There’s the kids and there’s the mortgage
And the bills he has to find
And he grinds his mind into the floor,
Works his fingers to the bone,
Slaving for his wife and kids
And for a happy loving home.
But the children soon outgrow him,
Hardly seem to know he’s there,
And when they look right through him,
It’s more than he can bear.
And there’s not much I can say to you
Not much I understand
‘Cept try to live from day to day
And take from it what you can
Cos’ yesterday is dead and gone
Tomorrow never comes
So live for every moment
In your own Jerusalem
And a woman’s work is never done,
She works from morn till night
Caring for her children
Hopes they’ll have a better life
But pretty soon they’ve fled the nest
Pretty soon they’ve been and gone
And some turn cruel and nasty
And she wonders what went wrong
Cos’ all she did was do her best,
The best way she knew how
And if loving children too much is a crime
She’d be in prison now
So love all the ones that love you
And give ‘em all you can
And the ones that turned out nasty
Fuck ‘em, let em hang
(alt/well forget em if you can)
And there’s not much I can say to you
Not much I understand
‘Cept try to live from day to day
And take from it what you can
Cos’ yesterday is dead and gone
Tomorrow never comes
So live for every moment
In your own Jerusalem
Yes yesterday is dead and gone
And tomorrow’s far away
And a load of perfect moments
Makes up a perfect day
So enjoy the first spring primrose
And hear the curlew’s cry
And lose yourself in the pure sweet love
That comes from your dog’s eyes
And take strength from a lover’s touch,
And a grandchild’s happy smile,
And let the love of those who love you,
Heal the hurt inside
