Heartland

Beneath the old iron bridges, across the Victorian parks

And all the frightened people running home before dark

Past the Saturday morning cinema that lies crumbling to the ground

And the piss-stinking shopping centre in the new side of town

I've come to smell the seasons change, and watch the city as the sun goes down again

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes

Here comes another winter, waitin' for utopia

Waitin' for hell to freeze over

This is the land where nothing changes

The land of red buses and blue-blooded babies

This is the place where pensioners are raped

And their hearts are being cut from the welfare state

Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey

Let the bums count their blessings while they count their money

So many people can't express what's on their minds

Nobody knows them and nobody ever will

Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen

And they can't get what they want, then they're gonna get angry!

Well it ain't written in the papers, but it's written on the walls

The way this country is divided to fall

So the cranes are moving on the skyline

Trying to knock down this town

But the stains on the heartland can never be removed

From this country that's sick, sad, and confused

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes

Here comes another winter, waitin' for utopia

Waitin' for hell to freeze over

The ammunition's been passed and the Lord's been praised

But the wars on the televisions will never be explained

All the bankers gettin' sweaty beneath their white collars

As the pound in our pocket turns into a dollar

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.

This is the 51st state–