Ralph McTell — Care in the Community

There's a man riding the tube train He's got voices in his head One voice says get off at your stop But he might get on instead Another voice tells him it's time Be ready to take a life Another voice tells him he'll know when In his pocket he handles a knife There's a woman who stands in a doorway In a shop out on the Strand A litany spills from her cracked lips She hears but she don't understand Why are these dates so important? Like a nun in her cell she repeats As she stares through her mirrored reflection At the world blurring past on the street You better take care in the community The community better take care There is no immunity Everybody must bear his share Slowly a young girl comes down From what she's had to do To feel cradled in somebody's arms Fixed for an hour or two You see she's helping herself Providing for what she needs The community cares for itself it seems It don't affect you or me It seems that the system is working At least for you and me Now that everyone's taking care in the community You better take care in the community This community better take care There is no immunity Everybody must bear his share There's a young man who hangs 'round the station And he strides up and down as he talks It's a one-sided conversation And he's constantly checking his watch Confused and so full of anger Sometimes he thinks he'll explode And he's frightened of leaving these city streets But he's even more scared of the road A bus pulls up at the station Commuters clamber inside The office is only just over the road A two hundred meter ride But this way they don't get hassled By the beggars around Waterloo One's only got so much compassion And what can one person do? You better take care in the community This community better take care There is no immunity Everybody must bear his share