There's blood upon the pavement, there's a scuffle on the ledge;
Sleek Mercedes prowl like sharks along the water's edge,
You can carry a gun or a lighted candle, box clever or box rough,
Violence doesn't need applause, indifference is enough.

Behind closed doors in Washington, in Geneva, or Milan
Shadowy figures chisel deals, as they have since Time began,
Seduction, purchase or discrete removal - they're all tricks of the same trade:
It's a trade that lines the pockets of those figures in the shade.

It's all a game of Russian dolls, every motive neatly sheathed;
Painted faces & frozen smiles cloak the daggers and the greed.

They do this for democracy, they're doing this in your name,
You can smile while they take their money, or you can smile while you take the blame.
You can throw a party or throw a bomb, cast a vote or cast a stone
If it makes you feel kinda helpless - don't worry, you're not alone.

It's all a game of Russian dolls ...

It's crime without passion. it's a system with fixed rules
You smile while you're seducing, or you smile while you're being fooled;
You can carry a gun or a lighted candle, box clever or box rough,
Violence doesn't need applause, indifference is enough.

It's all a game of Russian dolls ...

Copyright © M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP]