HEART OF THE EMPIRE / IN THE STREETS

At the centre of the world,

In the heart of an empire,

Yellow smog hangs over the city,

Damp, smelly, horrible,

Chimneys bellow sooty clouds of smoke into the skies,

Gloomy lights hang down in the streets,

A glowing darkness,

Buildings are so dark and seem larger,

Only just to be seen,

Imagination soars excitement and terrifies,

All is quiet,

Shadows lurk at every corner,

Figures appear at the windows,

Vision is distorted,

Hearing is heightened,

Scarily silent,

But not alone,

Cobbles get louder with every step,

Each street gets longer and daunting,

The smell is haunting,

The cold streets encloses in,

Buildings hanging heavy,

Cramp creeps in,

Movement is a struggle,

Home is desired,
No – one to see,

No help,

A shadow appears,

Top hat and cloak,

Is this help?

A shiny gleaming light flashes past,

Crimson red flows around,

The gloomy light dim softly out.

Chimneys bellow sooty black clouds of smoke in the skies,

Damp, smelly, horrible,

Yellow smog hangs over the city,

In the heart of an empire,

At the centre of the world.