Walking crowded streets in my rented shoes
Past silent churches with their empty pews
Feeling hollow-hearted cos I'm far from home
In this neon jungle of glass and stone
Something's different, forever changed
Our collective psyche has been rearranged
That fateful morning, out of clear blue skies
Bringing down our dreams, right before our eyes
Once, when the world was young and carefree
Here, on this island crossed with scars
We built towers tall and mighty
Like stairways to the stars
Bewildered faces, upturned eyes
The dust that settles on our shattered lives
Is this all a dream? No, no, it can't be real
For perhaps the first time, this is fear we feel
This gaping wound, this open sore
Left a people stunned, provoked a holy war
Bring forth the fires of vengeance, bring me your first-born sons
We march to stop the slaughter with these loaded guns
Once, when the world was young and carefree
Here, on this island crossed with scars
We built towers tall and mighty
Like stairways to the stars
Maybe we were wrong, maybe we were right
It all looks so different in a different light
Let us not be broken, let us not forget
And this pointless waste might be worthwhile yet
A sunny morning as I walk the streets
A new day dawning in the city heat
Older, wiser, maybe stronger too, I don't know
Maybe something good out of this will grow
Once, when the world was young and carefree
Here, on this island crossed with scars
We built towers tall and mighty
Like stairways to the stars
Once, when the world was young and carefree
Here, on this island crossed with scars
We built towers tall and mighty
Like stairways to the stars
Once, when the world was young and carefree
Here, on this island crossed with scars
We built towers tall and mighty
Like stairways to the stars
credits
from Modern Cruelty,
released July 15, 2015
Words & Music by Karl Clews
All vocals & instruments by Karl Clews
Produced by Karl Clews at Chez K Studio for Harambe Productions
A new reissue shines a light on this lost '80s gem from Leisure Crowd, recorded during the heyday of the Detroit punk scene. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 10, 2021