So you want to eat your cake
And have it there tomorrow
So you want to overtake
But you want to follow
So you want to state your case
By standing in the background
So you say you've finally found your way
So you want to live together
And you want to keep your distance
And to make your own waves
At the point of least resistance
So you speak of yesterday
As if it were some lesser day
And so you say you've finally found your way
In the spirit of the times we live our lives
With a few surprises and a compromise
To the spirit of the times
We give our lives and never realise we do
Going where the fashion carries us
Going where the trends may fall
We can only do what we can do
That's all
So the years roll by you
Like raindrops on the window
And you go your separate ways
Like leaves when the autumn wind blows
Do you shape your destiny?
Do you know just where you ought to be?
Or are you at the mercy of the times?
In the spirit of the times we live our lives
With a few surprises and a compromise
To the spirit of the times we give our lives
And never realise we do
Going where the fashion carries us
Going where the trends may fall
We can only do what we can do
That's all