Crass - Best Before - Major General Despair - Lyrics, Music, Songs

Artist: Crass

Album: Best Before (1986)

"Major General Despair"

We're looking for a better world, but what do we see?
Just hatred, poverty, aggression, misery.
So much money spent on war
When three quarters of the world is so helplessly poor.
Major General Despair sits at his desk,
Planning a new mode of attack,
He's quite unconcerned about chance or risk,
The Major General's a hard nut to crack.
Oh yes, he designs a cruise missile,
Tactically sound, operationally O.K.,
While the starving crawl onto the deathpile,
They can't avoid their fate another day.
Attack on the mind, but he calls it defence,
But I ask you again who's it for?
Do the starving millions who don't stand a chance
Hope to benefit by his stupid war?
Babies crippled with hunger before they could walk,
Mothers with dry breasts cry dry tears,
And meanwhile Major General Despair gives a talk
On increasing the war budget over the years.
How can they do it, these men of steel,
How can they plot destruction, pain?
Is it the only way thatthey can feel,
By killing again and again?

Is it some part of themselves that has died
That permits them to plan as they do?
Or is it us that is dead, do we simply hide
From the responsibility to stop what they do?
There's so many of us, yet we let them have their way,
At this moment they're plotting and planning.
We've got to rise up to take their power away,
To save the world that they're ruining.
They're destroying the world with their maggot-filled heads,
Death, pain and mutilation,
They've got the responsibility of millions of dead.
Yet they're still bent on destruction.
The generals and politicians who advocate war should be made to wade in the truth of it,
They should spend sleepless nights shivering with fear and by day time should crawl in the deathpit.

They'll find the truth of what they've done there,
Festering corpses they and their kind made,
Eyeless skulls that endlessly stare
Having seen the truth of military trade.
The earth was our home, the wind and the air,
The blue sky, the grass and the trees,
But these masters of war, what do they care?
Only sentiments, these.
It's our world but through violence they took it away,
Took dignity, happiness, pride.
They took all the colours and changed them to grey
With the bodies of millions that died.
They destroy real meaning through their stupid games,
Make life a trial of fear.
They destroy what values we have with their aims,
Make us feel it's wrong if we care.
Well, we do care, it's our home, they've been at it too long,
If it's a fight they want, it's beginning.
Throughout history, we've been expected to sing their tired song
But now it's our turn to lead the singing...

Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
We know you've heard it before.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your fucking war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your fucking war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your fucking war.

The Feeding Of The 5000 (1978)

1. Asylum
2. Do They Owe Us A Living? (Well?...Do They?)
3. End Result
4. They've Got Bomb
5. Punk Is Dead
6. Reject Of Society
7. General Bacardi
8. Banned From The Roxy
9. G's Song
10. Fight War, Not Wars
11. Women
12. Securicor
13. Sucks
14. You Pay
15. Angels
16. What A Shame
17. So What
18. Banned From The Roxy
19. Do They Owe Us A Living- (Well- Do They-)
20. Fight War, Not Wars
21. General Bacardi
22. Reject Of Society

Stations Of The Crass (1979)

1. Mother Earth
2. White Punks On Hope
3. You've Got Big Hands
4. Darling
5. System
6. Big Man, Big M.A.N.
7. Hurry Up Garry (The Parsons Farted)
8. Fun Going On
9. Crutch Of Society
10. Heard Too Much About
11. Chairman Of The Bored
12. Tired
13. Walls (Fun In The Oven)
14. Upright Citizen
15. The Gasman Cometh
16. Demoncrats
17. Contaminational Power
18. Time Out
19. I Ain't Thick, It's Just A Trick
20. Big Man, Big M A N
21. Chairman Of The Bored
22. Crutch Of Society
23. Heard Too Much About
24. The Gasman Cometh
25. Upright Citizen
26. Walls (Fun In The Oven)
27. White Punks On Hope

Penis Envy (1981)

1. Bata Motel
2. Systematic Death
3. Poison In A Pretty Pill
4. What The Fuck?
5. Where Next Columbus?
6. Berkertex Bribe
7. Smother Love
8. Health Surface
9. Dry Weather
10. Our Wedding
11. Yes Sir, I Will
12. Berkertex Bribe
13. Poison In A Pretty Pill
14. Systematic Death
15. What The Fuck-
16. Where Next Columbus-

Christ - The Album (1982)

1. Have A Nice Day
2. Mother Love
3. Nineteen Eighty Bore
4. I Know There Is Love
5. Beg Your Pardon
6. Birth Control 'n' Rock 'n' Roll
7. Reality Whitewash
8. It's The Greatest Working Class Rip-Off
9. Deadhead
10. You Can Be Who?
11. Buy Now Pay As You Go
12. Rival Tribal Revel Rebel (Pt. 2)
13. Bumhooler
14. Sentimental (White Feathers)
15. Major General Despair
16. Buy Now Pay As You Go
17. I Know There Is Love
18. Major General Despair
19. Nineteen Eighty Bore
20. Reality Whitewash
21. Rival Tribal Revel Rebel (Pt 2)
22. You Can Be Who-

Best Before (1986)

1. Do They Owe Us A Living?
2. Major General Despair
3. Angela Rippon
4. Reality Asylum
5. Shaved Women
6. Bloody Revolutions
7. Nagasaki Nightmare
8. Big A, Little A
9. Rival Tribal Rebel Revel
10. Sheepfarming in the Falklands
11. How Does It Feel?
12. Immortal Death
13. Don't Tell Me You Care
14. Gotcha
15. You're Already Dead
16. Nagasaki Is Yesterday's Dog-End
17. Don't Get Caught
18. Smash The Mac
19. Bloody Revolutions
20. Do They Owe Us A Living-
21. How Does It Feel-
22. Major General Despair
23. Nagasaki Nightmare
24. Rival Tribal Rebel Revel

Yes Sir, I Will

1. Yes Sir, I Will

Miscellaneous Tracks

1. Angels
2. Asylum
3. Banned from the Roxy
4. Bata Motel
5. Beg Your Pardon
6. Berkertex Bribe
7. Big a Little A
8. Birth Control
9. Bloody Revolutions
10. Bumhooler
11. Buy Now, Pay As You Go
12. Chairman of the Bored
13. Contaminational Power
14. Crutch of Society
15. Darling
16. Deadhead
17. Demoncrats
18. Do They Owe Us A Living?
19. Dry Weather
20. End Result
21. Fun Going On
22. General Bacardi
23. Gs Song
24. Have A Nice Day
25. Health Surface
26. Heard Too Much About
27. Hurry up Garry
28. I Know There Is Love
29. Major General Despair
30. Mother Earth
31. Mother Love
32. Nineteen Eighty Bore
33. Poison In A Pretty Pill
34. Punk is Dead
35. Reality Asylum
36. Reality Whitewash
37. Reject
38. Reject Of Society
39. Rival Tribal Rebel Revels
40. Securicor
41. Sentiment
42. Smash The Mac
43. Smother Love
44. So What
45. Sucks
46. System
47. Systematic Death
48. The Gasman Cometh
49. The Greatest Working Class Rip Off
50. Theyve Got a Bomb
51. Time Out
52. Tired
53. Upright Citizen
54. What a Shame
55. What the Fuck
56. Where Next Columbus
57. White Punks on Hope
58. Women
59. You Can Be Who?
60. You Pay
61. Youve Got Big Hands