It's when Billy's whores are re to seeorkin' They're workin' with the skeleton crew It's when the sky over Jersey That sky starts to drain from view It's when my woman pawns her voice so So she can make her old excuses sound new
But I just want one clue
Refrain: 'Cause when the city drops into the night Before the darkness there's one moment of light When everything seems clear The other side, it seems so near What seemed wrong? I think it's gonna be just about right Before the city drops, the city drops Into the night
It's when the door to the River That door is like 26 miles It's when ambitious little girls start They start to dream about a change in style It's when the slick boys got their fingers They got their fingers in the telephone dial
But I think I'll just wait a while
Repeat Refrain
It's when the sneak thieves are checkin' They're checkin the alleys for unlocked doors And Billy's sister's gettin' frantic 'cause 'Cause Billy's sister's little brother can't score It's when the woman from the dream is . . . Oh my God! That's the woman on the floor
Each promise was just one promise more
Repeat Refrain
It's when Teddy's ghost is on the roof Beatin' his drum And Teddy's best friend is two blocks East And he's makin' Teddy's ex-girlfriend come You know, they mistook Teddy's blind trust . . . Just to prove that Teddy was dumb . . . But listen, you know, I think they are both just scum
Repeat Refrain
It's when the body at the bottom, That body is my own reflection But it ain't hip to sink that low Unless you're gonna make a resurrection They're always gonna come to your door They're gonna say, "It's just a routine inspection" But what you get when you open your door What you get is just another injection And there's always gonna be one more With just a little bit less until the next one They wait in shadows and steal the light from your eyes To them vision's just some costly infection But listen, you should come with me I'm the fire, I'm the fire's reflection I'm just a constant warning to take the other direction