IanCurtis.org - Ian Curtis and Joy Division Fans Club

TITLE. LYRICS

Studio version

Leaders of men

Born from some mother's womb
Just like any other room
Made a promise for a new life
Made a victim out of your life
When your time's on the door
And it drips to the floor
And you feel you can touch
All the noise is too much
And the seeds that are sown
Are no longer your own

Just a minor operation
To force a final ultimatum
A thousand words are spoken loud
Reach the dumb to fool the crowd
When you walk down the street
And the sound's not so sweet
And you wish you could hide
Maybe go for a ride
To some picture arcade
Where the future's not made

A nightmare situation
Infiltrates imagination
Smacks of past holy wars
By the wall with broken laws

The leaders of men. Born out of your frustration
The leaders of men. Just a strange infatuation
The leaders of men. Made a promise for a new life

No saviour for our sakes
To crush the internees of hate
Self-induced manipulation
To crush all thoughts of mass salvation

	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
	The lyrics were written by Ian Curtis around 1974/1975, long before the band was formed

	STUDIO RECORDINGS. NOTES	Live recordings
	Date: Wednesday 14 December 1977 Studio: Pennine Sound Studios – Oldham (UK) Duration: 2.34 Availability on record: An Ideal For Living (7") \| An Ideal For Living (12") \| Heart And Soul \| Substance
	Date: Monday 1–Thursday 4 May 1978 Studio: Arrow Studios – Manchester (UK) Duration: 2.20 Availability on record: –

	SONGS	home
Index \| Unseen songs \| Unfinished songs \| Covers \| Complete list of songs \| Songs by record \| Translations

	ALTERNATE LYRICS
	Concert version
	Translations: Español \| Français \| Italiano \| Português

	DETAILS
	Line-up: Ian Curtis \| Peter Hook \| Stephen Morris \| Bernard Sumner