It's too late for me, my friends Once I gave refuge to the notion, even for a moment There was no turning back to comfort again Only a lifetime of defeats, more or less spectacular So march on to your court dates I'll gather court dates of my own I'll miss the ones in prisons and the ones who never made it there The ones who said: "Onward, comrades, to our death!" With ruin on their breath The weight of centuries on their tongues Loading failed manifestos in their guns As if defeat, repeated often, could someday mean we had won Our history's a vacant lot littered with empty bank accounts Sobbing parents, broken bones Glorious songs, lengthy prison terms A handful of moments that were truly our own In between desperate gasping for air Worth breathing and times worth living In between desperate gasping for air Worth breathing and times worth living in