it was midnight midnight at noon everyone talked in rhyme everyone saw the big clock ticking nobody knew nobody knew the time elegant debutantes smiled everyone fought for dimes newspapers screamed for blood it was the best of times every place around the world it seemed the same can t hear the rhythm for the drums everybody wants to look the other way when something wicked this way comes sometimes they tie a thief to the tree sometimes i stare sometimes it s me everyone told the truth all that we heard were lies a pope claimed that he d been wrong in the past this was a big surprise everyone fell in love a cardinal s wife was jailed the government saved a dying planet when popular icons failed every place around the world it seemed the same can t hear the rhythm for the drums everybody wants to look the other way when something wicked this way comes sometimes they tie a thief to the tree sometimes i stare sometimes it s me 1