I knew a man who lived in fear
It was huge, it was angry, it was drawing near
Behind his house, a secret place
Was the shadow of a demon he could never face
He built a wall of steel and flame
And men with guns, to keep it tame
Then, standing back, he made it plain
That the nightmare would never rise again
But the fear and the fire and the guns remain
It doesn't matter now
It's over anyhow
He tells the world that it's sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard it's lonely sound
It wasn't roaring, it was weeping
And then one day, the neighbors came
They were curious to know about the smoke and flame
They stood around outside the wall
But of course there was nothing to be heard at all
"My friends", he said, "We've reached our goal
The threat is under firm control
As long as peace and order reign
I'll be dammed if I can see a reason to explain
Why the fear and the fire and the guns remain"