Roll up Roll up
The circus is about to begin
FIFA fat cats
Laughing at their Billions
Oh yes Brazil is thriving
With the people’s quest for better living
Their voices ignored
Drowned out by the sound of construction workers
Building FIFA’s concrete monoliths
Oh yes Brazil is thriving
With favela’s rife with child prostitution
Roll up roll up and send in the troops
Kick out the drug dealers,
for 4 weeks at least
Wait until the festival is over
Forced into sex
The world unites for the beautiful game
“Don’t mix sport and politics”
The suits pompously spout
But what’s politic about the crushing of innocence
It just isn’t polite
So don’t make a fuss
Roll up roll up
The FIFA machine is in town
No local traders allowed near the stadium
No safety regulations allowed near the stadium
No human compassion allowed near the stadium
Oh yes Brazil is thriving
Blatter’s delight
A real modern-day Barnum
He’s got lots of things to sell,
Corporate sponsors to look after and lies to ignite
It’s dazzling
So easy to turn a blind eye
To corruption and intolerance
Tourists over for some under-aged debauchery
FIFA sit back in the lap of luxury
Luxury stadiums and swathes of hospitality
Roll up roll up
See the people living in abject poverty
What does the World Cup dream mean to them?
Way back,
when laces were laced and the ball was leather
Men who worked could step onto the field,
Men of the people
Men like you or me
The idols of old just part of the propaganda reel
A parlour trick to stop us
Thinking
The empire of FIFA built on the sweat and blood of the people
Wheel out Pele and some of the greats
But have they lost touch with what peace takes?
Pockets stuffed with Dollars
Money is what makes things happen
So as multi-millionaire tackles multi-millionaire on a field of green
Think what’s behind the throne of the king
Wealth and power,
Can mean only one thing
Roll up roll up
The world cup starts today.
©John de Gruyther 2014
The World Outside the Window 