They Took it Out
As with a number of songs on Intruders, this composition seems to have is kernel in an earlier number - in this case, "Rejoice", recorded back in 1983 for Temporary Loss of Vision. This new song picks up the theme - the surgical removal of one's feelings, in order to cope better in a cruel world.
"'They Took It Out' is not, admittedly, a very cheerful song but I wasn't finding the world a very cheerful place at the time (and it hasn't improved since). Perhaps the story is too melodramatic. The essential truth of it, however - the way we are conditioned to repress our feelings and our dreams - is, I believe, indisputable." - LR (Turning Silence Into Song (songbook), p25)