It's A Small Town After All

from Mirrors (2017 demos) by The Urbane Decay

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lyrics

This was written in Nanaimo in 2007*, right before I moved to Toronto. At the time, Nanaimo was very much a mill town in its death throes. The downtown core was mostly empty storefronts, stalled or abandoned construction projects, homeless meth addicts roaming the streets in packs, and a great record store. Things seem to have improved significantly in the last decade.

*Certain attitudes I held at the time about street involved people are present in the lyrics that I cringe at now. I guess I was a small town after boy after all.
_____________________________

Zombies are walking down the street
The smell of rotten teeth on their breath
Selling their bodies for ten dollars
Hustling for another hit of meth

The sky is as blue as a crisp five dollar bill
It’s been that way since they shut down the mill
Now the only work is at the mall
It’s a small town after all

Summer’s a hard time to find work
Students are taking back their shifts
Maybe it’s time to go back to school
Live on student loans and shop at thrifts

Working three jobs, each one at part time
Trying to make rent and save a dime
Maybe get more hours in the fall
It’s a small town after all

Everyone in the north end
is buying huge plasma TVs
from box stores that stop the flow of money
and drive them home in silver SUVs

They only come downtown to see the visiting ballet
And wonder why the old stores went away
And gay pride’s got them appalled
It’s a small town after all

the only work is at the mall
It’s a small town after all
But it’s pretty here in the fall
It’s a small town after all

credits

from Mirrors (2017 demos), released October 30, 2017

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about

The Urbane Decay Toronto, Ontario

The Urbane Decay was an indie pop recording project mainly active between 2002-2010, mainly by Jakob Rehlinger, mainly maudlin and mopey.

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