When are you you?
You seem so far away,
From the man who climbed the mountain on some halcyonic day,
Supervisor's closing in on methods you prefer,
Waving your appraisal forms like weapons, built for her.

Do you meet approval from the people at the top?
Could you stand for them in the shop?
Are you a good team player in a side that want your art,
To mould into their die casts? The [bad word] is:
They can't take it with them, they can try, but they'll fail.

When are you you?
just who is it in there?
Behind the stingy plastic staff pass and slightly maintained hair,
You play the [bad word] Bingo but the pain inside you smarts,
As they salute the flagpole you know that,
They can't take you with them, they can try, but they'll fail,
So pretend you know their ropes,
They can try, but they'll fail,
At least that's what you hope.

Steve Wright in the Afternoon, friendly DJ,
bit of humour, bit of music,
Helps pass the time.
News bulletin at four o' clock, so you know you're on the homestretch.
But the minutes drag on your analogue watch.

Steve's like a car that you follow in the dark - he's your friend,
We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you,
We're only here cos there's nothing else we can do,
And Steve knows, - he's under no illusions,
So he gives us a factoid or something to make the time go by,
It ain't gonna be "Yours Is No Disgrace" (But he has a good try).

All the factories and offices all playing the same tune,
Singing "Happy Birthday" to a man in Bodmin who's getting married soon.
And if you're on the M25 you'd [bad word] for your life.
Because the Ant Hill'll be emptying soon,
And all the flyovers and tunnels that circle round the church.
To the soundtrack of an innocuous tune.
Hey Steve! Are you just like me?
Waiting for the wall clock to set you free?

We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you,
We're only here 'cos there's nothing else we can do,
But Steve's gone! He's already in the car park,
Left another Cheerful Charlie in the hotseat to make the time go by,
Listen while you drive:

All the traffic news and the Tuesday blues,
Join the drizzle and the rain,
million ants by the Dartford Tunnel wait to pay 2 pounds again.
And they'll take away the car and house and stick you on the streets,
Unless you do this journey every day.
And the landlord's on your tail again, the Queen Ant needs her lunch.
And there's gas and electricity to pay.

Hey Steve! - Can I be like you?
Everything seems laid back on Radio Two.
We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you.
We're only here cos there's nothing else we can do.

I shear the bolt, he turns the [bad word] 
We all have our part, and there's one for you.
And we're all alone, yet surrounded by peers.
Try to make our mark as we work off the years... crawling, marching.

And we keep our homes if we pay our tax,
I ask myself, "Just who [bad word] that deal and just how far back?"
And some work for fortunes, some work for a dime,
And some work for pensions, and some just do their time,
And some of'em build empires and some bring them down,
Some work for recognition, ain't we all just the clowns?

Cos you can't take it with you,
There's no luggage allowed,
No you can't take it with you.
No matter how rich or proud.
Your kids will sell it off on Ebay,
For God's sake don't waste their time.
'Cos you can't take it with you,
You can leave just a little bit behind.