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CITY
BOOK TWO: NOW

lyrics: J. Morse © 1984

VI - Chapter Eleven (part one)

Look down the street, what meets your eye?
When you were here last, you never noticed
But maybe it's new - what happened, this can't be true

There's a shop that used to deal in motor trades
Now the broken windows catch my view
The owner hasn't surfaced for years and years
The victim of a greedy chosen few
The grocery store, another boarded door
Bankrupt and despised, the owner slowly dies
And no one there is mourning
There's no one left to mourn
Who here can afford the luxury?
   All turned quiet
   Before the judgement fell
   Can we understand it?
   Do you think we can even tell?
Even the old, calm and prosperous souls
Are not immune to the ringing of that bell
Library watcher, unravelling strings
Nothing is wrong, until the entry bell rings
Then she died. . .

VII - Then She Died
(instrumental)

VIII - In Residence

There's so much here that changes day to day
Street to street
From tenement to suburb, the contrast is amazing
Beat to beat
Can you tell the difference between the rich and the poor
Door to door
You wander. What's the spell you're under now?
   Just a quarter-mile ago
   You were in the slums and debris
   Now the view is brighter than before
   Though you're not blind, you can't see
   The things that change so freely
   Are the things you want to stay the same
   And the people that you want to see again
   Are the ones who don't remember your name. . .
What makes the people who think they're elite
Think that the poor man's gonna kiss their feet
I'm more acceptable than you
You call it social irrelevance
You don't deserve your second chance
I'm just a victim of circumstance

IX - Corners

Do me just a little favor and change yourself for me
Let me turn the corner, and see all that I can see
You knew I always wanted you, and now I see you're free
Ten years ago, you never would have considered someone like me
   Things have changed
   Nothing is the same
   Rearranged
   Tell me, what's the game?
   What's your aim?

X - Am I What You Think?

You think you know me, you say you've seen me before
You recognize me? You saw me a long time ago
   Where have I been? It should be obvious
   Look for me now, I'll be on the bus
   Tell me, am I what you think?
I disappeared a few years ago
To seek my fortune within this traveling show
You always wonder why I never said goodbye
And ask me now to tell you all the reasons why
I felt I had to be alone, on my own
I needed some solitude at last
But my career got in the way, that's what they all say
Now I wipe my eyes, looking at all the things gone past
   And you still want me now, but you never told me before
   If you want me to allow you to be with me. . . just open the door
Make the call and plead with me
You need to see me once again
So now I'm on my way to you -- though you saw me just last night
You didn't even recognize me on the stage. . . in the white light
   And you still want me now, but you never told me before
   If you want me to allow you to be with me. . . just open the door
   Where am I now?

XI - Before the Crest

Caught in a tangle of exploding dreams
All my illusions come apart at the seams
I'm getting nowhere, but I'm further on than you
If you keep on sliding down, there's nothing you can do
   Goodbye. . .
Lost in fascination, you scale that final hill
All around is quiet now. . . all is still
Silence shattered by breaking glass, but still you ignore
You don't want to slip away. . . anymore.
   Goodbye. . .

What echoes in your mind before you crest that final hill?
Will you escape the dark satanic mills inside your mind?
Before the crest, look to the west
What do you see? Is it me?
I'm getting nowhere, but I'm further on than you
If you keep on sliding down, there's nothing you can do
   But say goodbye.

Continued in Book Three: Contrast

Composition notes on CITY