Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old To Die Young)

It was the day that war broke out

Everyone seemed excited

While young men boasted

And talked of great times

Dark clouds gathered

On the Maginot line

Sisters and fathers

Mothers and sons

All said goodbye

It seemed so much fun

We'll be finished by Christmas

Back home by the fire

Perish the distance

The bombs and the wire

Don't wake the lion

Don't wake the lion

Don't wake the lion

There's a firework show tonight

Everyone's been invited

There's mud on faces

With frightened white eyes

And some won't make it

Through the thunderous noise

Powerful and angry

Answer the guns

All through the night

Relief never comes

It's a criminal deception

Sets man against man

Indicting reflection

A devious plan

Don't wake the lion

Don't wake the lion

Don't wake the lion

Father, don't you leave me

Mother, don't go

Can't live without you

No, don't go, don't go

Hear what they're saying

Come the freeze

You'd better hold on tight

And while you're praying

On your knees

Prepare to stand and fight

Someone keeps saying

It's written in a book

So keep yourself in line

But you're betraying

With every nervous look

That now it's killing time

And from the morning till the night

We try

They said it all would turn out right

But they lied

Yes, they lied

Too old to die young

Too big to cry

Too old to die young

To say goodbye

Too old to die young

Too big to cry, mama

Too old to die young

To say goodbye

Above the raging

Evening sky

Will never be the same

While necks are straining

Those hidden eyes

Shoot out another flame

And from the morning till the night

We try

They said it all would turn out right

But they lied

Yes, they lied, lied

Too old to die young

Too big to cry

Too old to die young

To say goodbye

Too old to die young

Too big to cry, mama

Too old to die young

To say goodbye

No, don't you ever

Never, never

Never, never

Don't you

Don't you

Don't you ever never, never go

While the angels sleep tonight

Some of us will be hoping

That someone understands

Who started this fight

Thrown down on foreign shores

So far out of sight

Don't wake the lion, no

Don't wake the lion

It was the day that war broke out

Everyone seemed excited

While young men boasted

And talked of great times

Dark clouds gathered

It was a change for all time

Sisters and fathers

Mothers and sons

All said goodbye

It seemed so much fun

We'll be finished by Christmas

Back home by the fire

Perish the distance

The bombs and the wire

Don't wake the lion

No, no, no, don't wake the lion

Don't wake the lion

No, don't you wake the lion