And you say that the battle is over

And you say that the war is all done

Go tell it to those

With the wind in their nose

Who run from the sound of the gun



And write it on the sides

Of the great whaling ships

Or on ice floes where conscience is tossed

With the wild in their eyes

It is they who must die

And it’s we who must measure the loss



And you say that the battle is over

And finally the world is at peace

You mean no one is dying

And mothers don’t weep

Or it’s not in the papers at least



There are those who would deal

In the darkness of life

There are those who would tear down the sun

And most men are ruthless

But some will still weep

When the gifts we were given are gone



Now the blame cannot fall

On the heads of a few

It’s become such a part of the race

It’s eternally tragic

That that which is magic

Be killed at the end of the glorious chase



From young seals to great whales

From waters to wood

They will fall just like weeds in the wind

With fur coats and perfumes

And trophies on walls

What a hell of a race to call men



And you say that the battle is over

And you say that the war is all done

Go tell it to those

With the wind in their nose

Who run from the sound of the gun



And write it on the sides

Of the great whaling ships

Or on ice floes where conscience is tossed

With the wild in their eyes

It is they who must die

And it’s we who must measure the loss

With the wild in their eyes

It is they who must die

And it’s we who must measure the cost