Benin City This Is Ldn III
[Verse 1: Shanaz Dorsett]
I saw you fall apart in front of the sea and the stars
Sipping confidence from a plastic pint-glass
I was grazing palms under an orange sky
Thinking I was old before my time
Close kisses, time slipping and we own this
But we own our days
Five in the backseat of a car
Choking on smoke
Me and these guitars and warm beer and hope
I saw desperate men at bus stops searching for a fix
Down, in the gutter, with the seagulls and the chicken-bones and the chips
Transfixed by neon lights
I saw glazed eyes in chip shops, twilight
Gold teeth, he-grins with fight in the good fight
My morning 'til nighttime
And I cut my teeth in a place that showed me pure dark
Sitting on park cars chasing dark
Where did the nights go?
But, we said we wanted to forget
You fell apart in front of the sea and the stars
I wish I could fall apart in your arms
[Verse 2: Joshua Idehen]
He felt more like a man, with skirt and blouse
By the Fox & Hound, hear them howl
See graffiti, keep calm and burn it down
Crying at the bus stop, dressed in gown and heels
She tore his shirt off, dressed him down still
Top deck bus, riding down hill
It's now not the Old Bill [?] let it roll and spill
On the night bus daydreaming of record deals
Laughing out loud, stuffing down wretched meals
Life's so good, save the itch on my heel
Tonight's the darkest time yet to see
Swinging like a wrecking ball through Bethnal Green
Singing that wrecking ball tune out of key
London is this open wound that will never heal
And who can tell the difference between friend and fiend?
And sometimes it's funny, they'll say words that
Tailored to his heart, made him sing for years
Now, hang in the air, smart in his ears
Sting in his eyes and bringing him down to tears