One in Ten

I am a one in ten
A number on a list
I am a one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
But I'm always there
Statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care

My arms enfold the dole queue
Malnutrition dulls my hair
My eyes are black and lifeless
With an underprivileged stare
I'm the beggar on the corner
Will no one spare a dime
I'm the child that never learns to read
Because no one spared the time

I am a one in ten
A number on a list
I am a one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
But I'm always there
Statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care

I'm the murderer and the victim
The license with the gun
I'm a sad and bruised old lady
In an ally in a slum
I'm a middle aged businessman
With chronic heart disease
I'm another teenage suicide
In a street that has no trees

I am a one in ten
A number on a list
I am a one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
But I'm always there
Statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care

I'm a starving third world mother
A refugee without a home
I'm a house wife hooked on Valium
I'm a pensioner alone
I'm a cancer ridden specter
Discovering the earth
I'm another hungry baby
I'm an accident of birth

I am a one in ten
A number on a list
I am a one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
But I'm always there
Statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care

I am a one in ten
A number on a list
I am a one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
But I'm always there
Statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care