side streets of ruin

nighthawk down
into the side streets of ruin
flying in hot
but, baby, what ya doing?
burning glass
and mustard gas
with little orphan Annie
getting spanked on her fanny!!
she's looking around
seeing smoking cruisers settle over the unsteady ground
(with) little piggies being bossy and farmer jones
picking over the carcasses of old constitutional bones
just as the sun went black
hey, it's been a long time, Jack
since Bloody Ridge
and the Selma bridge
where Martin Luther walked with his biblical shoes
carrying the Christian bible and the Memphis blues
into the valley with traffic lights flashing red
he took a garbage man's stand
and a bullet through the head
kettle drums shook the balcony floor
where he fell
like he did at least a thousand times before
and an M1 Abrams tank
it's heavy metal tracks swiftly sank
into soft flesh leading the weird parade
down Pennsylvania Avenue
and everyone grabbed a knee
shouting "Damn it, we disagree!
We don't want your cheap charms and corruption candy!"
there once was a Camelot fairy tale,
it was published in the papers and sent by email,
and a city upon a hill:
eat all you want but you'll never get your fill;
times are uncertain
in front of the mad orange wizard's curtain
where the electric air stabs
and the greedy hand of a trillionaire relentlessly grabs,
where the black sand of a Pacific beach
radiates a lesson for all mankind
but, so far, has failed to teach.
nighthawk down
into the side streets of ruin
flying in hot
but, baby, what ya doing?
burning glass
and mustard gas
with little orphan Annie
getting spanked on her fanny!!
she's looking around
seeing smoking cruisers settle over the unsteady ground
(with) little piggies being bossy and farmer jones
picking over the carcasses of old constitutional bones
just as the sun went black
hey, it's been a long time, Jack
since Bloody Ridge
and the Selma bridge.