Ruins of the Realm - James McMurtry

Standin' in the middle of a Roman street

Marble dust all over my feet

Bearded masses at the gates

Dancin' in the ruins while it’s not too late

Drivin' a Rolls through old Bombay

Rickshaw driver’s in my way

Well he’d better move over and he’d better move fast

Dancin' in the ruins of a golden past

Dancin' in the ruins of the Raj

Queen and country’s noble cause

Standin' on the banks of the river Seine

I ain’t got tuppence to my name

Stand my ground and I cast my net

Dancin' in the ruins where the sun don’t set

Dancin' in the ruins of the Crown

Enfield rifles keepin' us down

I got a thirty-aught-six and a premium load

In a shotgun shack on a two lane road

Smack in the middle of the Bible Belt

Dancin' in the ruins all by myself

We got the National Guard with the bayonets

We got the ten commandments on the State House steps

We shalt not steal and we shalt not kill

Dancin' in the ruins of our own free will

Dancin' in the ruins of the South

Confederate flag taped over my mouth

We thank thee Lord for all we got

While the multinationals call the shots

So scrape them hides and clean that slate

Dancin' in the ruins of the nation-state

We’ll fight 'em on the land, we’ll fight 'em in the air

Little cowboy says «We gotta fight 'em over there»

You ain’t seen nothing like it since Saigon fell

Dancin' in the ruins 'cause we might as well

Dancin' in the ruins of the realm

A fool and a mad man at the helm

Dancin' in the ruins of the Reich

Down in the bunker on a hunger strike