Released: August 13, 1990

Songwriter: George Michael

Producer: George Michael

These are the days of the open hand, they will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers
This is the year of the hungry man, whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance and legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor, and most of us are not sure
If we have too much, but we'll take our chances
'Cause god's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way he must have let us all out to play
Turned his back, and all god's children crept out the back door

And it's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much, much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand, oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man, your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say "What's mine is mine and not yours"
I may have too much but i'll take my chances
'Cause god's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can't come back
'Cause he has no children to come back for

It's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

George Michael

George Michael was an English singer, songwriter, and producer. He was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, in East Finchley, London. His mother Lesley Angold Panayiotou was an English dancer and his father Kyriakos “Jack” Panayiotou was a Greek Cypriot restaurateur.

From 1981 to 1986, Michael was a member of the pop duo Wham!, which he formed with childhood friend Andrew Ridgeley. The duo went on to sell over 28 million albums before their amicable split.

After going solo in 1987, Michael became known for his provocative and massively popular pop music. His debut solo album, Faith, went on to sell more than 20 million copies.