The night stank of diesel And 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 full of sulphur Mountains flat and broken Black fogs and whirlwinds Thunder and rain Open drink madness And purple mad pain The circus is over Exit the clowns Nobody's laughing Down in oretown The ship's in the harbour Cargo's been pawned Barrooms spilling sailors All shipwrecked at dawn Smelling of salt and rust Uniforms torn Came looking for flowers Only found thorns Dreaming of mermaids In pearly white gowns Tain is sleeping Down in oretown There's a madman 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 And a barbed wire crown A lot of people loose their minds Down in oretown 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 stank of diesel A stranger came to town The night folded over Down in oretown
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