Hyperdistillation

They all seek their own existence And to assure their existence against that Complete atomization into nothingness My city don't listen People come here to go missing People leave here but still miss it years later Its children wear its kisses across them forever When it screamed at me, I heard its music When it drew its sword, I knelt I spoke my first words in its mouth And I took my first beats from its belt Keep spinning, ugly as commerce Merciless profit, endless ambition Base-rate survival, current so strong it feels tidal Transactional life of addiction Where do you fall in the grand shrinking? A fully formed person's a slim definition Sitting in the waiting room, all I can see Is a room full of fallen leaves dreaming A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree Little child, where did you go? I know you want to know, is this city your home? I watch it flow, the old river Empty penthouses but still the lone figure Slept out the whole winter and died before spring Passers-by saw but felt sure they were not like him Life by numbers Looking for the punchlines, only getting punches Crunches in the morning, lunches in the boardroom Numbness in the courtroom, about to go under What's yours, the money you hoard, the applause Or the dreams that you couldn't afford? The photo in the frame, five months in, just showing Or the marks on the wall from when they were still growing? Is it in what's left? Is it in what's gone? Trying to keep time but the time keeps on Sitting in the caf' trying to work out what we want A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of drummers all looking for Little girl, where did you go? I know you want to know, is this city your home? "I got my own mouths to feed" is the city's decree Why should I care about you? You don't care about me Fiction, faction, reaction, shock tactics Must increase my presence, get active Must get some flowers for the grave, it's band practice at 8 And my turn to bring beers Need to make a new claim, I've gone into arrears Yeah, it feels like a lump But they're not taking new appointments 'til the backlog clears Nine million terrified people living nine million beautiful lives Let's make ourselves pretty and go out in the city 'Cause the body decays but the spirit survives The main thing my city taught me Is every stranger's holding up more than you could ever know Pushing trolleys down the aisles in pieces A room full of great lines looking for a show A room full of great lines looking for a show A room full of great lines looking for a show A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree A room full of fallen leaves dreaming of the tree A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of drummers all looking for the one A room full of great lines looking for a show A room full of great lines looking for, looking for Little boy, where did you go? I know you want to know, is this city your home? They all seek their own existence And to assure their existence against that complete Atomization into nothingness or into meaninglessness Man cannot stand a meaningless life