It all started one day when the clouds obscured the sun
The whole town was turned upside down, even ice queens were on the run
The temperture was rising, there was fire in the stack,
and the folks down at city hall had tried to turn the whole thing back
Out on the street several did parade concern
but no more for the cause than for the time to burn
The cops had warned 'em fairly that mildly outlaw gang
that they had it comin', they were goin' out with a bang..
But life went on as usual in that smokey familiar place
where your hard pressed to remember a name let alone a face
But all the same they know you, and you in turn know them
but if it's a time of need, they aren't what you'd call a friend
Johnny was the first one hit, blown up in his car
He'd been a hard working man, but he'd gone a little too far
As the fire burned the masses took to the street
you could see every strange character you could ever meet..
The bars still made it open till half past ten,
but none of them ever made it open again
The fire swept thru everything, noone could escape
they were cutting logs for a video, they ran out of tape
Cameras couldn't catch the flames, they were a minute late
They couldn't design history, it's all left up to fate
Everything was burned to dust, the moon it came up red
and there was nobody left to hear what wasn't said..
I woke up again the next morning out of this crazy dream
I made a pot of coffee and I ran out of cream
Betty the next door neighbor was hanging up her clothes
across the street they were mopping up, the night before their pipes had
froze
But the temp was warming, the day and sky were clear
as I walked across the melting ice a cracking sound I did hear
I no longer saw my shadow,