[Verse 1]
They want me to put a cross onto some paper
But the candidates don't resonate at all
Replace some faces with some others
Swap a cover on a bed
But it's the same old regime in Whitehall

[Chorus]
So we're changing guards and swapping gatekeepers
But the walls they guard are ever deep
In the same old promises they never keep
Yeah, we're changing guards in our sleep.
[Verse 2]
The poll clerk checks my name and ticks me off a list
I knew him from a different life, when we were kids
But he couldn't help me with my choice
Protocol would not allow
I may as well have stayed at home

[Chorus]
So we're changing guards and swapping gatekeepers
But the walls they guard are ever deep
In the same old promises they never keep
Yeah, we're changing guards in our sleep.

[Bridge]
Hang some different curtains
Make a superficial change
It's a rearranged deckchair on a heading that won't change

[Outro]
I'll use my own pen, if that's okay?
And I'll make my little mark and I'll be on my way
Another cross upon the page
Another tick inside the box
Another show performed upon the rocks.