Civilization

by Barry Adamson

From the album: Back to the Cat

Track 8 of 10 on Back to the Cat (2008).

Duration: 4:32

Back to the Cat cover art

Lyrics for Civilization

I'm up above the city And I'm down beneath the stars I must have broke the heart strings Of a thousand bass guitars I've wandered through a wasteland That was passing for a glimpse of Heaven's door And I must have met a millionfold Of humans in disguise And now they aim a loaded pistol Right between the eyes And I count the cost of freedom And I realize that Heaven is no more Bring me Civilization Trample on the ones Who would destroy the very nation That turned me into what I am An effigy of the beautiful and damned I'll show No hesitation To bring before a darkened world The sweetest revelation Skip a hundred light years As I hurry home to meet my baby's needs I'm not a monk I live in the city Today I strolled into the town Everyone's so pretty But then shots rang out and I hit the ground Before they came and took my piece away They beat me and I said enough Okay, I'll do the time It's easy and it's obvious What's yours just isn't mine Now I sit in Wonderland still wondering How I got here all the same Bring me Civilization To take away the pain and hurt And anger and frustration That falls like rubber nipples from the trees Where once I danced upon the leaves I'll show No remonstration Whatever you decide my fate to be No indignation As long as I can beat the rush And make it home to meet my baby's needs What is a man If he ain't got a soul I'm doing all I can Yeah, to make this house a home But I'm up above the city And I'm down beneath the stars My lawyer says there's no parole Behind these prison bars The days they pass so slowly That I killed a man who wanted me to die A single pack of cigarettes Is all you need to breathe You get so goddamned used to it You'll find it hard to leave Blood in, blood out, stick with the gang And you'll serve your -?- time with ease Bring me Civilization 'Cause now I am the one Who could destroy the very nation That turned me into what I am An effigy of the beautiful and damned (And they say that) I'll show No hesitation To make the world a darker place Without a reservation When all I simply tried to do Was hurry home to meet my baby's needs

Listen On

More from Back to the Cat

  1. The Beaten Side Of Town
  2. Straight 'Til Sunrise
  3. Spend A Little Time
  4. Shadow Of Death Hotel
  5. I Could Love You
  6. Walk On Fire
  7. Flight
  8. Civilization
  9. People
  10. Psycho_Sexual