Names and Addresses

At 1 AM, on a wednesday morning
Noone knew what was ins store
The fire started and quickly spread
Until it covered every floor

Stairwell blocked, no way out
Smoke and fire, all around
Parents grabbed their little babies
Dropped them ten floors to the ground

People cried to no avail
24 stories tall
Engulfed in flames, the fire ladders
Were just like toys, no use at all

There were no sprinklers, few smoke alarms
Fire Extinguisher out of date
All repairs if ever done
Always too little, to late

When they build grenfell they believe
Housing was a human right
But all that changed, now if you’re not rich
You should be kept out of sight

Out of sight, out of town
Or wrapped up neatly, plastic clad
The flats may all be falling apart
But at least they don't look too bad

The residents had tried to warn
The authorities for years and years
But all their letters, all their blog posts
All their calls fell on deaf ears

Counsel housing, taking space
Left to rot for by and by
It would someday turned to dust
In the forward march to gentrify

And in the meantime if people perish
With their children in their laps
It’s the price the market has to pay
To house the poor in fire traps

If this were murder
If this were murder
If this were murder
If this were murder