So you want to eat your cake And have it there tomorrow So you want to overtake But you want to follow So you want to state your case By standing in the background So you say you've finally found your way So you want to live together And you want to keep your distance And to make your own waves At the point of least resistance So you speak of yesterday As if it were some lesser day And so you say you've finally found your way In the spirit of the times we live our lives With a few surprises and a compromise To the spirit of the times we give our lives and never realise we do Going where the fashion carries us Going where the trends may fall We can only do what we can do That's all So the years roll by you Like raindrops on the window And you go your separate ways Like leaves when the autumn wind blows Do you shape your destiny? Do you know just where you ought to be? Or are you at the mercy of the times? In the spirit of the times we live our lives With a few surprises and a compromise To the spirit of the times we give our lives And never realise we do Going where the fashion carries us Going where the trends may fall We can only do what we can do That's all