[Intro] [Verse 1] Tattoos tell it on open forearms A motto mumbled on Yorkshire farms School boys pass it in secret notes A joke that screams from soldier’s throats [Chorus] Don’t let the bastards grind you down A mock Latin phrase round many a-town Don’t let the bastards grind you down [Link] Blind men sing it in Arabic Bass drums feel it in every kick Hidden in graffiti on park walls Written on the back of bathroom stalls [Chorus] Don’t let the bastards grind you down A mock Latin phrase round many a-town Don’t let the bastards grind you down [Solo] [Verse 3] Illegitimi non carborundum Hear it in the beat of every drum It’s the sacred within the profane Many have found it in this refrain [Chorus] Don’t let the bastards grind you down A mock Latin phrase round many a-town Don’t let the bastards grind you down [Chorus] Don’t let the bastards grind you down A mock Latin phrase round many a-town Don’t let the bastards grind you down [Outro]