Mr Brecht has observed that this was originally conceived as an instrumental for a string quartet.

Class twenty nine went away and came back again
Ungrateful disrespectful thou prodigal one
Here is another gone away no one knows where
Encrusted with rumours and painted with tongues

Radical arguments first thing in the morning
Dutch elm disease is your orator's skill
Radical arguments make my head split in the morning
Breakfast in bed and I've eaten my fill

You'd light me a candle to show me the way
Let your rational reasoning teach me my role
What price your scandal when my dead man's handle
Takes over the train on instinctive control

Radical arguments crumble to pieces
Gaius Caligula is with me tonight
He don't take no shit he don't take no burnt offerings
Takes what he needs and he'll see me alright

Class twenty nine went away and came back again
Ungrateful disrespectful thou prodigal one
Here is another gone away no one knows where
Silver tongue leave me alone

Farewell to arms hello to the rookery
Someone in the rookery sings out loud and obscure
Farewell to arms say hello to the rookery
Am I come near you I'm really not sure

The wind in the trees is a sweet sound in the morning
To marshall the beat of the ignorant wings
Hammers and drills knock the sparks from the concrete
Dissentive decisive the rookery rings

Chords:
Intro. E D C B E G
Verse E D C G
Chorus G C D G D