Stan Ridgway - Stormy side of town lyrics

rate me

Originally published on the B-side of the Camouflage single in the United Kingdom.

The tires roll the gutters and you can hear the beer cans crunch

Two ladies sit together on a park bench, feed the pigeons, and eat lunch

And the window's always broken and the corner has a street light that's burnt out

And everyone walks away when the cops drive by, roll down their windows, and shout

So if you're wonderin' where the trouble starts when you hear the sirens sound

It's where the trouble always ends––on the stormy side of town

Where it keeps rainin' all the time

Now there's a young girl leanin' on the fender of a long black car

And a man built like a buddha––used to box, and now he works at paintin' tar

And the kids play in the streets, while their parents stick their fingers in the fans

And the trash is piled up high by the bus stop where the riders wait and stand

And everyone has said the big show-off doesn't seem to be around

And no one asks for names or business cards on the stormy side of town

Where it keeps rainin' all the time

Chorus:

On the stormy side of town

It's rainin' all the time

On the stormy side of town

It's rainin' all the time

On the stormy side of town

It's rainin' all the time

On the stormy side of town

And all the empty eyes that don't look up

Still say it every time––

"You've got your job, and I've got mine"

Shadows from the buildings creep along the parking cars

While the women spank their babies and the old men just drink all day in bars

And the people that "never see it" always end up as the ones who've seen it all

And the liquor store is crowded, while an empty phone booth rings another call

And the hills that used to all seem green now look an ugly brown

And no one ever found any movie stars on the stormy side of town

Where it keeps rainin' all the time

Chorus repeat

So bring a bottle and a paper bag

And expect to pass it all around

And last one out's a rotten egg

On the stormy side of town