The changing of the guard is part of our tradition
But now we find it's been applied to us
We're had to sell our stately homes to pay our debts and taxes
And no - one can afford a chauffeur driven Rolls
If we ever get invited to the palace
Then we'll all go there by bus
The changing of the guard, we used to be respected
As members of the aristocracy
The Earl of Windhamere has raised the mortgage on his mansion
And now he's paying back at thirty pound a week
Which he makes from showing people round the manor
For a half a dollar fee
Can't you see the way things use to be
Life was better then
Remember when we lived like Lords and ladies and gentlemen
The changing of the guard, we made our sacrifices
We haven't got a butler or a maid
Lord Fitzcrumb has got a son who's working as a waiter
Picking up the tips he earns enough to pay his rent
Lady Londonare has hocked the' e family silver
And the money's all been spent
The changing of the guard presents a different picture
To when Britannia used to rule the waves
Lady Annabelle Barley is a famous belly dancer
And not because she comes from a navel family
If our ancestors could see the way we're living
They'd be turning in their graves
