Road like the surface of the moon
A Detroit neighbourhood left to ruin
Gil at the wheel, showing me the sight
Of this crumbling empire
Following suit in the Atlantic mirror
Under the Byker bridge, they shiver
It’s one for me, and one for the dead and one
For my crumbling empire
I’m not preaching, I’m just talking
I don’t wear the shoes I used to walk in
But I can’t help thinking where they’d take me
In this crumbling empire
My old man worked on the rail yard
Getting his trade on the electrical board
It got privatised, the work degraded
In this crumbling empire
My mother delivered most the kids in this town
My stepdad drove in a tank for the crown
They left them homeless, down and out
In their crumbling empire
I’m not preaching, I’m just talking
I don’t wear the shoes I used to walk in
But I can’t help thinking where I’d be
In this crumbling empire
In this crumbling empire
In this crumbling empire
In this crumbling, in this crumbling empire
Earl was a kid when they threw him out
Living on the streets down Camden Town
Under the arches, strung right out
In a crumbling empire
Twenty five years on crack and dope
Begging to pay for synthetic hope
Just another kid failed by these blokes
And their crumbling empire
I’m not preaching, I’m just talking
I don’t wear the shoes I used to walk in
But I can’t help thinking where they’d take me
In this crumbling empire
In this crumbling empire
In our crumbling empire
In this crumbling empire
In our crumbling empire
In our crumbling empire
In our crumbling empire
In our crumbling empire