When your girlfriend asks you 'round to her house
And you meet her folks
And they say that your hair's too long
And you're not their kind of bloke
They grab you by the collar
And they throw you through the door
You don't have to be in the army
To fight in the war
Well, you're working very hard to get promotion in your job
But arrive late on morning just because you missed the bus
The foreman says, "You're fired because your punctuality's poor"
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
Then you go into a hotel to get put up for the night
And they say that you can't stay there
Just because your shirt ain't white
You're tired and you hungry and you cannot walk no more
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
Ain't no money, ain't no woman, ain't no roof above your head
So you lay down in the park and you wish that you were dead
The fuzz says you are trespassing and kicks you in the jaw
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
The fuzz says you are trespassing and kicks you in the jaw
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
You don't have to be in the army to fight in the war
You don't have to be
