Elton John - Ticking lyrics

"An extremely quiet child" they called
You in your school report
"He's always taken interest in the
Subjects that he's taught"
So what was it that brought the
Squad car screaming up your drive
To notify your parents of the
Manner in which you died?

At St patrick's every Sunday
Father Fletcher heard your sins
"Oh, he's unconcerned with competition
He never cares to win"
But blood stained a young hand
That never held a gun
And his parents never thought of
Him as their troubled son

"Now you'll never get to Heaven, " Mama said
Remember Mama said ticking, ticking
"Grow up straight and true blue
Run along to bed"
Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking

They had you holed up in a
Downtown bar screaming for a priest
Some gook said
"His brain's just snapped" then
Someone called the police
You'd knifed a Negro waiter who had
Tried to calm you down
Oh, you'd pulled a gun and told them
All to lay still on the ground

Promising to hurt no one
Providing they were still
A young man tried to make a break
With tear-filled eyes you killed
(You killed)
That gun butt felt so smooth and
Warm cradled in your palm
Oh, your childhood cried out in your head
"They mean to do you harm"

"Don't ever ride on the devil's knee
" Mama said remember Mama said
Ticking, ticking
"Pay your penance well, my child
Fear where angels tread"
Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking

Within an hour the news had
Reached the media machine
A male Caucasian with a gun
Had gone berserk in Queens
The area had been sealed off
The kids sent home from school
Fourteen people lying dead in a bar
They called the Kicking Mule

Oh, they pleaded to your sanity for
The sake of those inside
"Throw out your gun, walk out slow
Just keep your hands held high"
But they pumped you full of rifle shells
As you stepped out the door
Oh, you danced in death like a marionette
On the vengeance of the law

"You've slept too long in silence
" Mama said remember Mama said
Ticking, ticking
"Crazy boy, you'll only wind up
With strange notions in your head"
Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking