Oretown

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

Foundry spits fire and smoke

Air's foul and choking

Sky is full of sulphur

Hills flat and broken

Black fogs and whirlwinds

The thunder and rain

Open drink madness

Purple mad pain

The circus is over

Exit the clowns

Nobody's laughing

Down in Oretown

The ship's in the harbor

Cargo's been pawned

Barrooms spilling sailors

All shipwrecked at dawn

Smelling of salt and rust

Uniform's torn

Came looking for flowers

Only found thorns

Dreaming of mermaids

In pearly white gowns

Captain is sleeping

Down in Oretown

There's a man down on mainstreet

Eyes all aflame

Laughing in the thunder

Of the Number 9 train

Selling old postcards in rusty frames

A thousand views of Oretown

And they all look the same

Dressed up in sandals

A barbed wire crown

A lot of people lost their minds

Down in Oretown

Lock up the lawman

Let go the thief

Round up the grey men

Nail them to a tree

This town was a palace

This town was aglow

Well, the sky burned orange

And the iron river flowed

The night stank of diesel

A stranger came to town

The night folded over

Down in Oretown