Stan Ridgway - Newspapers Lyrics

I work for the newspapers
Any news is good news, I always say
But I don't write no daily column
Talk is cheap, and so's my pay
And when my workday's over
I pocket five or ten from the tray
And then I start it up again at five a.m.
I stack 'em up just to throw 'em away

Now lately, I've been thinkin'
What would the world do without the news?
You wouldn't know when wars were started
Or when they ended--win or lose
It'd probably be a much better world to live in
But the question would be whose
And what side you're on, or who's right or wrong
You'd never have to choose


Sometimes, late at night
I can see the streets like no one else can
There's a lot of things goin' on here
That even newspapers don't understand
Some people got too much money
Some rob with a gun or a ballpoint pen
Maybe I'll get me a big black cape
And then they'll be runnin' from me
Lookin' over their shoulder for me


What's buried in the back pages
Was on the front page yesterday
And old news never dies
Though they say it just fades away
Crime and murder, business and politics
And international strife
It's all the same, find someone to blame
It's there in black and white