"Orders" lyrics - BRUCE COCKBURN

The just, the merciful, the cruel
The stumbling well-intentioned fool
The deft, the oaf, the witless pawn
The golden one life smiles upon
The squalling infant in mid-squall
The neighbors fighting down the hall
The list is long-as I recall
Our orders said to love them all

The cynic and the crooked priest
The woman wise, the sullen beast
The enemy outside the gate
The friend who leaves it all to fate
The drunk who tags the bathroom stall
The proud boy headed for his fall
The list is long-as I recall
Our orders said to love them all

[Guitar solo]

The pastor preaching shades of hate
The self-inflating head of state
The black and blue, the starved for bread
The dread, the red, the better dead
The sweet, the vile, the tall, the small
The one who rises to the call
The list is long-as I recall
Our orders said to love them all
The one who lets his demons win
The one we think we're better than
A challenge great-as I recall
Our orders said to love them all