A League of Notions Songtext
von Al Stewart

I′m here sitting in the wreck of Europe with a map of Europe
Spread out in a hall of Versailles
Every single nationality and principality have come for a piece of the pie
I'm sitting in the wreck of Europe with a map of Europe
And the lines and the borders are gone
We′ve got to do this jigsaw puzzle, it's an awful muddle
But somehow we've got to go on

Lawrence of Arabia is waiting in the wings
He′s got some Arab sheikhs and kings
And we′re in debt to them somehow
Lawrence of Arabia has got this perfect vision
Gonna sell him down the river
There's no time for him now


I think I′m gonna take a piece of Russia and a piece of Germany
And give them to Poland again
I'll put together Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia
And hope that is how they′ll remain
Then I'll take a bit of Turkey, then a lot of Turkey
This is all quite a heady affair
There′s Persia and Iraq to pick up, and there's Churchill's hiccup
And we can′t leave it up in the air

Woodrow Wilson waves his fourteen points around
And says "The time to act is now, won′t get this opportunity again"
Woodrow Wilson has his fourteen points
But Clemenceau turns to Lloyd George
And says "You know that God himself had only ten"

(It's a league of notions)Today I′m carried by a league of notions
By a league of notions
(I don't think I understand) I don′t think I quite understand
(From this commotion) I only know from this commotion
(We can turn the world in the palm of our hands) There's a chance that we could turn
The world in the palm of our hands
(It′s a league of notions)Today I'm carried by a league of notions
By a league of notions
(I don't think I understand) I don′t think I quite understand
(From this commotion) I only know from this commotion
(We can turn the world in the palm of our hands) There′s a chance that we could turn
The world in the palm of our hands


Voices in the corridors of power
The candles burning hour by hour
Still you know that to the victors go the spoils
Such a great responsibility to make it fair
And there must be some reparations, too
And don't forget the oil

(It′s a league of notions)Today I'm carried by a league of notions
By a league of notions
(I don′t think I understand) I don't think I quite understand
(From this commotion) I only know from this commotion
(We can turn the world in the palm of our hands) There′s a chance that we could turn
The world in the palm of our hands
(It's a league of notions)Today I'm carried by a league of notions
By a league of notions
(I don′t think I understand) I don′t think I quite understand
(From this commotion) I only know from this commotion
(We can turn the world in the palm of our hands) There's a chance that we could turn
The world in the palm of our hands

Pax vobiscum
Wo-Oh, Pax vobiscum