Oretown

[Verse 1]
The night stank of diesel, a stranger came to town
A cold wind blowing and the rain pouring down
Street lights flicker and the power lines moan
The moon beat down on a river of bone
Someone put the lights out, no one make a sound
You won't find a thing down in Oretown

[Verse 2]
Foundry spits fire and smoke, air's foul and choking
Sky's full of sulphur, hills flat and broken
Black fogs and whirlwinds and thunder and rain
Open drink madness, purple mad pain
The circus is over, exit the clowns
Nobody's laughing down in Oretown

[Verse 3]
Ship's in the harbour, cargo's been pawned
Barrooms spill sailors all shipwrecked at dawn
Smelling of sawdust, uniforms torn
Came looking for flowers, only found thorns
Dreaming of mermaids in pearly white gowns
The captain is sleeping down in Oretown

[Verse 4]
There's a madman down on Main Street, eyes all aflame
Laughing in the thunder of the Number 9 train
Selling old postcards in rusty frames
A thousand views of Oretown, they all look the same
Dressed up in sandals and a barbed wire crown
A lot of people lost their minds down in Oretown

[Verse 5]
Lock up the lawman, let go the thief
Rounding up the grey men, nail them to a tree
This town was a palace, this town was aglow
Then the sky burned orange and the iron river flowed
The night stinks of diesel, a stranger came to town
The night folded over down in Oretown