This Barren Land - Strawbs

I took the children by the hand

Promised to show them all that God had planned

So sad but true, this moral maze

Betrays the innocence of bygone days

You can’t hold back the march of time, I said

You can’t hold back the march of time

This blood stained desert road on which we stand

Is testament to man

This barren land

Our song of joy, the countryside

Radiant fields forever glowed with pride

That once were blessed as golden shires

Now bear the sad remains of funeral pyres

You can’t hold back the march of time, I said

You can’t hold back the march of time

This wicked wilderness in which we stand

Is testament to man

This barren land

You can’t hold back the march of time, I said

You can’t hold back the march of time

This way of no return

Is testament to man

This barren land

On sullen shores we make our peace

We pray that the howling wind will someday cease

The waves of power can never bend

They ever take their course until the end

You can’t hold back the march of time, I said

You can’t hold back the march of time

This crumbling cliff top path on which we stand

Is testament to man

This barren land