The City

Concrete, you have raised me
Concrete, you enslave me
Concrete, you have raised me
Concrete, you enslave me

Mother, cradle me tonight, your dark streets
Are my pride and joy
I am her family, I'm part of her streets
I am her family, I'm born of concrete

Sunrise here in the city is mystical
Sunlight cut by the buildings is beautiful
Seagulls swoop round looking for a mouthful
Tramps are on the prowl looking for the bottle
Folks at night in the city get physical
Kicks in the head in the city are horrible
Hospital bed lyin' there all critical
This Filipino nurse is edible
A river in the middle of the town is magical
Cuts concrete she's a mountain animal
Down to the sea on her peaceful journey
Out past the docks and its song and stories
This town's character is irretrievable
Yuppies move in and the rent's phenomenal
Spiraling greed I find unbelievable
Folks so deep in the red it's pitiful
Joyce and Behan and Yeats and Kavanagh
Roamed this town like two-legged cameras
The body of work they left is incredible
Literature and poetry so seminal

Still I love the bones of her
Still I am transfixed by her
I am her offspring, and I am part of her history
I am her family

I am her family, born and raised
I am her family, shunned and praised
I am her family, white or black
I am her family, smooth or cracked

The city, woh, the city