Who pays the piper, who pays the piper
Who pays the piper, who calls the tune?
Who pays the piper, what is the fee?
Flames on the water, death on the sea
And the tune is old and has always told
How the great, brave and bold they do flourish
How bravely they gamble with other men's lives
And profit as other men perish
And the tune resounds and is always found
Where the ground receives yet another
Father of dazed and despairing young bairns
Or a son of a desolate mother
And the price is dear for the folk who fear
And who bear the burden of sorrow
For those who were lost where the graph of the cost
Crossed the graph of rich pickings tomorrow
Who pays the piper, who calls the tune?
Who pays the piper, what is the fee?
Flames on the water, death on the sea
And the tune is old and has always told
How the great, brave and bold they do flourish
How bravely they gamble with other men's lives
And profit as other men perish
And the tune resounds and is always found
Where the ground receives yet another
Father of dazed and despairing young bairns
Or a son of a desolate mother
And the price is dear for the folk who fear
And who bear the burden of sorrow
For those who were lost where the graph of the cost
Crossed the graph of rich pickings tomorrow