When I was just a child   My world it was so small   The empty playground swings   The corner shop, the penny drinks   The backyard walls   Of a brave new world   As those years passed by   I never thought to try   To memorise the dreams   The childhood fantasies   Of a brave new world      Some things change, some stay the same   Some don't even notice, some feel the strain   It's everyone's fault and nobody's blame   And who can say if that's too much to ask?      When I was twenty-four   My small world closed the door   I felt like I should cry   I saw men born to kill and born to die   For this brave new world      So now I'm old and grey   And life has passed my way   Those tears have all run dry   Death's desperation lies on every eye   In this brave new world      Some things change, some stay the same   Some don't even notice, some feel the strain   It's everyone's fault and nobody's blame   And who can say if that's too much to ask   Of a brave new world?      You know you were dreaming   You know that the streets weren't paved with gold   You know you were dreaming   It's part of the scheme of things   That "Brother Thrush" grows old