When You Hear One Talk Of Their Country

When you hear one talk of their country that person has surely got it wrong
Since the country you lay claim to is not yours but to the country you belong
The world was here before we came and the world will be here when we have gone
And the country without us will exist and life without us will go on.

Men go to war for god and country and for god and country they die
They believe what their leaders tell them though their so called leaders to them lie
When they say that when you die for your country a place in heaven awaits you
Still the dead soldiers do not come back to tell us that what they had been told was true.

When I hear one talk of my country to myself I only can say
How much of your country do you own and what will happen when you pass away?
For your country you cannot take with you when you have lived your final day
When you pass on to the dubious hereafter your country behind you will stay.

When you hear one talk of their country like me do you think that's not right
That person needs to be enlightened what they've just said doesn't seem very bright
For all of those who talk of my country to me 'twould seem have got it wrong
Since the country's not ours in the first place but to the country we belong.