It's my pleasure
To welcome you
To your new home
In apartment two
With one bedroom and
A splendid view
Just don't forget
When the rent is due
We expect all residents
To abide by tenancy rules
Keep quiet keep clean
Keep telling the truth
Present evidence
Of any elements who
Have better to do
Than to comply
With our societal requirements
Those who stay in line might
Just survive until retirement
Pay no mind as I enquire just
Why the other night you went
To the laundry room to hide
An item in the dryer friend
This block is state provided
And you'd be wise
To be grateful
Side with every regulation and
You'll find food on the table
It's not a state provided you
Find decadence is wasteful
It's been perfect since the state
Decided what dĂŠcor is tasteful
As property manager my job
Is sorting the utilities
Disposal of the garbage and
The laundering facilities
Why would I compile a full
Report on your activities
I'm just a standard landlord
Glory to the ministry
Lock the door and
Close the curtains
Hold your breath lest
You should speak your sins
But you can't keep a secret
From the building
That you keep it in
Befriend your fellow tenants
Show a smile and
Keep it pleasant
But know everyone's a friend
Until you need to
Turn some people in
It's the breathing on the phone
Hiding just beneath the tone
It's the things that
Shift when no one's home
Well you may be on your own
But you'll never be alone
Yes we all live here
But it's no one's home
To get through the day
It behooves you to play
By the rules and behave
Do the state preapprove
All the tunes that you play
When alone in a room well
To whom do you pray
Assume that your neighbors
Are moving away
When the black van comes
In the night
And you're numb to the sight
Of another one fumbling
For somewhere to hide
As their wife just runs
For their life
'Fore the ones with
The guns can arrive
And they're gone 'fore
The sun can arise
To a government provided
Bunker for some realignment
It's just fine you can
Trust it's a wonderful time
Just go about your
Business normally
No one's following
I'm not recording
Your paranoia is awfully boring
According to all of your
Friends that talk to me
Most importantly please speak
Clear when you're broadcasting
Your honest thoughts
On the law or economy
My provided mics are tiny and
I can't transcribe properly
Should you ever
Behold me with
My peepers pressed
To a keyhole
You can trust I'm just checking
The tumblers for rust
I'm a custodian not
A ministry mole
Settle in for a night
On the couch
No questioning what that
Red light is about
Now bleeping on your ceiling
Since the time you went out
It's just a little gaslighting
Put aside any doubts
You're fine in your house
So confide to your spouse
Any crimes carried out
Any tiny amount of new ideas
Found just a mite out of bounds
'Cause I'm writing them down
With a timestamped account
What's it matter
Every night or two
If I sneak in have
A rifle through
But depending what
I find well you'll be faced
With another kind of rifle too
Privacy is the cry of
The defiant to compliancy
But grease my palm and
I might not see
Those books they banned
From the libraries
What do you mean that
That's not yours
It appeared one night
In your cabinet drawers
I have to report it I regret
But of course I could forget
Societal ideals
Are reliably pliable
So the rise of a tyrant
Becomes entirely viable
You'll find that the spying
Is really quite justifiable
Why are you crying when
It's your blind eye that's liable
Handy landlord here to fix
Your ventilation whistling
Too many questions
And it's not
The air that needs conditioning
That telephone's
Not tampered with
Of course it isn't listening
But were it it
Prefers the words
Glory to the ministry
Lock the door and
Close the curtains
Hold your breath lest
You should speak your sins
But you can't keep a secret
From the building
That you keep it in
Befriend your fellow tenants
Show a smile and
Keep it pleasant
But know everyone's a friend
Until you need to turn
Some people in
It's the breathing
On the phone
Hiding just beneath the tone
It's the things that shift
When no one's home
Well you may be
On your own
But you'll never be alone
Yes we all live here
But it's no one's home
They're here
