[Verse 1] At Birmingham and Midland, Eye Casualty, I took a number, found a chair, and settled carefully. The clock said half past two; I thought, “This won’t be long.” Then every minute learned to sing the same interminable song. [Verse 2] A leaflet told me where to sit, a poster where to go, A trolley squeaked a little tune, then vanished nice and slow. I’ve read the notice twice; I know the fire route by heart. My appointment with the waiting room’s become a work of art. [Pre-Chorus] Four hours! That’s a whole school day, A very patient matinee! My eyes are here, my hopes are too— And still no name comes through! [Chorus] We’re waiting, waiting, waiting in the Eye Casualty queue, At Birmingham and Midland, there’s a lot of waiting to do! The clock keeps doing circles, but we’re holding our place, With patience on our faces and a number in our case. We’re waiting, waiting—yes, we know the drill by now: We’ll cheer when someone calls us, and we’ll ask them, “Is it us?” somehow! [Bridge] [Spoken, one patient] I can identify the clock from any angle. [Ensemble] That’s not the test they’re giving! [Spoken, another patient] I’ve named the plant Gerald. [Ensemble] Gerald’s thriving! [Spoken, another patient] I’ve had time to reconsider every choice I made since breakfast. [Ensemble] And breakfast was four hours ago! [Final Chorus] We’re waiting, waiting, waiting in the Eye Casualty queue, At Birmingham and Midland, there’s a lot of waiting to do! We’ll be gracious, we’ll be grateful, we’ll be ready when they say, “Could you come this way, please?”—and we’ll spring up right away! We’re waiting, waiting—our patience takes a bow, More than four hours in, but we’re still here now! [Outro] [Spoken] Is that my name? [Ensemble] It is! [Spoken] Fantastic. Which way? [Ensemble] This way! [Spoken] I knew I’d learn the place eventually!
