[Strophe 1] He was born one Monday morning And he was their only son And they said: His name shall be Peter Like the rock faith was founded upon They took him to church every Sunday And they picked him up right after school When the kids asked him out to come playin' He had something important to do He would never be late for a lesson Kept his clothes always tidy and neat Not a chance that he took, Peter played by the book So the kids called him Principle Pete [Strophe 2] He grew up and became pretty handsome Finished school and his future was clear Don't waste time with a life full of pleasure Settle down, have a wife and career Now some people called him the robot A cold-hearted, callous machine But all those attacks could not hold him back He was proud to be Principle Pete [Strophe 3] Every day on his way to the office He saw a girl singing songs in the street She was tired of life as a vagabond's wife And she dreamed of a man such as he When she sang, she would leer at poor Peter When she winked, he looked down at his feet When she gave him the eye, he just waved her goodbye And went on being Principle Pete [Strophe 4] Now we all have our secret desires Even Pete was a man deep inside First she blew him a kiss then he couldn't resist As she crawled into him in the night When he opened his eyes in the morning He could still feel her breath in his ear Creeping under his skin, but like hell he'd give in To a feeling so wondrous and weird [Strophe 5] Peter shunned our girl ever after So that she wouldn't lead him astray He would save all his love for the lord up above And the one that would once bear his name Now if there is a moral to this story It's that stories don't always end sweet You may think this is wrong, but such is the song The Ballad of Principle Pete The Ballad of Principle Pete The Ballad of Principle Pete