[Verse 1]

Road like the surface of the moon

A Detroit neighbourhood left to ruin

Gil at the wheel, showing me the sight

Of this crumbling empire

Following suit in the Atlantic mirror

Under the Byker Bridge, they shiver

It's one for me, and one for the dead, and one

For my crumbling empire

[Chorus]

I'm not preaching, I'm just talking

I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in

But I can't help thinking where they'd take me

In this crumbling empire

[Verse 2]

My old man worked on the rail yard

Getting his trade on the electrical board

It got privatised, the work degraded

In this crumbling empire

My mother delivered most the kids in this town

My step-dad drove in a tank for the crown

They left them homeless, down and out

In their crumbling empire

[Chorus]

I'm not preaching, I'm just talking

I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in

But I can't help thinking where I'd be

In this crumbling empire

[Post-Chorus]

In this crumbling empire

In this crumbling empire

In this crumbling—

In this crumbling empire

[Verse 3]

Earl was a kid when they threw him out

Living on the streets down Camden town

Under the arches, strung right out

In a crumbling empire

Twenty-five years on crack and dope

Begging to pay for synthetic hope

Just another kid failed by these blokes

And their crumbling empire

[Chorus]

I'm not preaching, I'm just talking

I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in

But I can't help thinking where they'd take me

In this crumbling empire

[Post-Chorus]

In this crumbling empire (Ooh)

In this crumbling empire

In this crumbling empire (Ooh)

In our crumbling empire (Crumbling)

In our crumbling empire

In our crumbling empire (Crumbling)

In our crumbling empire (Oh, oh)

[Outro]

Yeah

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)

(Oh, oh)