This town

The cars leave their trails of hot and cold light inside my head
Like burned-in long exposure pictures
The wheels spin slowly backwards
Strobing in the amber light
And the rain comes down and washes my brain
But it don't get clean

This town has turned me into what I have become
This town dresses me up like a stranger
This town performs in the window like the ultimate gift
This town takes us down
I feel like I'm losing you to this town

We were saving our money for half of our lives
We were saving our dreams
And we came to this place to make the chances real
In the big city
But I've been counting the days
I've been watching you change
And I can feel it dying
The noise outside takes you in its arms
Like a lamb to a lion

And down there somewhere among the noise
The magazine dolls and the big money boys
Move silently on their easy heels
They move silently on their greasy wheels

This town has turned me into what I have become
This town dresses you up like a stranger
This town hangs around in the doorway and tells me I'm late
This town takes us down
I feel like I'm losing you to this town

The morning breaks and I watch you awake
This town takes you down away from me again

What do you do when your roots have dissolved and broken down
And the soil that you grew in when you were small
Has become nothing more than dirt in some dirty town

When you list all the qualities that you despise
And you realise
You're describing yourself

And breaking someone up inside
Is your only source of pride

A hundred nights of fun and games
A thousand empty glasses
I feel it change
And stay the same
As each day passes

They invite me to their gatherings
In the finer parts of town
They seem attracted to my indifference
The irony just knocks me out

And I love them as if I love them
And they reciprocate with "help"
But I look up at these mirrors sometimes
And I can't see myself

They say that some are born to burn
And some are born to give
They say that people live and learn
Some people only live and live

You don't know that I come here
But if you did, you would know why
So we close our eyes

You didn't notice me
As I passed you on the stairs
How could you ever guess
Looking at my face
How closely I share your taste
How well I know your place
Even the clothes you wear
I've seen them when you're not there

You say that you can win
If you know how to play the game
But while you're out there playing you see
There's something you should know
She spends your money
She spends your money on me

Marillion, 1992