Oretown Lyrics - Pogues

The night stank of diesel 

A stranger came to town 

A cold wind blowing 

And the rain pouring down 

Street lights flicker 

And the power lines moan 

The moon beat down 

On a river of bone 

Someone put the lights out 

No one make a sound 

You won't find a thing 

Down in Oretown 

Foundry spits fire and smoke 

Air's foul and choking 

Sky is full of sulphur 

Hills flat and broken 

Black fogs and whirlwinds 

The thunder and rain 

Open drink madness 

Purple mad pain 

The circus is over 

Exit the clowns 

Nobody's laughing 

Down in Oretown 

The ship's in the harbor 

Cargo's been pawned 

Barrooms spilling sailors 

All shipwrecked at dawn 

Smelling of salt and rust 

Uniform's torn 

Came looking for flowers 

Only found thorns 

Dreaming of mermaids 

In pearly white gowns 

Captain is sleeping 

Down in Oretown 

There's a man down on mainstreet 

Eyes all aflame 

Laughing in the thunder 

Of the Number 9 train 

Selling old postcards in rusty frames 

A thousand views of Oretown 

And they all look the same 

Dressed up in sandals 

A barbed wire crown 

A lot of people lost their minds 

Down in Oretown 

Lock up the lawman 

Let go the thief 

Round up the grey men 

Nail them to a tree 

This town was a palace 

This town was aglow 

Well, the sky burned orange 

And the iron river flowed 

The night stank of diesel 

A stranger came to town 

The night folded over 

Down in Oretown