The Levellers - Fifteen Years Lyrics

I never was a violent man
Said the man in the bar with his head in his hands
Trying his best to understand the cause of his dismay
But years of gin have broken him
And left him cold where he fitted in
It's too late to turn around and find another way
All the lights in the late night lock-in
Fade away when he gets in
And the girl from fifteen years ago
Has packed and gone away
She said it'll never be what it used to be
What happened to all that energy
You took too many liberties, and I'm tired of being afraid
So night after night she took flight
Hiding swollen eyes and a wounded pride
The best years of her life denied, sold for liquid shares
CHORUS
The victims of this world, are advertised on posters
A beach and a pretty girl, if you just drink their potion
It's another week 'til his cheque comes through
He's got a fiver left to spend on food
But the doors of the bar are open, and he breaks another rule
He sits on the stool that bears his name
His favorite glass is called the same
And he's never kept waiting, 'cos he pays the landlord's wage
CHORUS