[bad word] 

 [bad word] 

I have watched in wonder as
The colours turned to grey
I've seen the metal machines and
The factory dreams
I just got to get away
I have grown accustomed to
The [bad word] of power and steel
And the achin' in my head and the concrete bed
And the politician's velvet feel, oh

I have learned to save my smile and
Use it like a knife
We've all learned to [bad word] in profit and value
Profit over life
I have watched the skyline grow in
Defiance of the sun
We let it take us and we let it break us
Now the damage has been done, oh

I have learned the language
Of the lost that walk the streets
And I'm the city's minstrel
Who knows all of her syncopated beats
I can recall when ambitions were small
And the music filled the air
But the minstrel's crying 'cause the music's dying
And the city's everywhere
It's everywhere

Now there's no more singing
Just a ringing in my ears
And the city's story in all it's power
Is the greatest of my fears

Long gone once upon a time
I sang a song so sweet
But now I can't hear the melody
I just feel the driving beat, beneath my feet
Hear my crying