David Byrne Follow

Well, there are sixteen people in Danny's apartment
Sixteen people are livin' in there
Remember the days of rent control
Grandpa remembers rock and roll

These days won't last forever
These days won't last for long
You know, somebody, somewhere owes us a favor
That's how things really get done
In this world of opportunities, it's the land of possibilities

We wanna live in a dirty old town
Building it up, tearin' us down
With our head in the clouds and our feet on the ground
We wanna live, dirty old town
Dirty old town

Now when the ladies come from Kansas
They wear their traditional colors
Today the fabrics are ragged and torn
The clothes on their backs is all that they own

They say, "Don't draw attention to yourself
They'll tear you apart for a couple of bucks
Keep your head down and keep you nose clean
'Cause people who're scared do dangerous things"

These days can't last forever
These days can't last for long
You know someday, things'll get better
Somehow, things'll get done
In this world of possibilities, it's the land of opportunity

We wanna live in a dirty old town
Building it up, tearin' us down
With our head in the clouds and our feet on the ground
We wanna live, dirty old town
Dirty old town

These days shoes are worn only on special occasions
Battles are fought for family and nations
Maybe you'll pray but God isn't home
And there's no guarantee that justice be done

We wanna live in a dirty old town
Building it up, tearin' us down
With our head in the clouds and our feet on the ground
We wanna live, dirty old town
Dirty old town