Climbing over a fence
Walking through the city dense
Looking up at buildings
Ruins held together by slings
Sees a house
Door open wide
Strolls right up and steps inside
There are still framed photos on all the walls
Baskets of folded laundry down the hall
There are still cans of food in the cupboards
On a far table, there's a deck of playing cards
A family was sitting down for dinner
Kids were playing games choosing winners
Daddy was reading the latest paper
Mom was rearranging the house decor
Now and then, more or less
Oh, the house is a mess
Trying to pet a cat
Drawing eyes to a path that's high
Boy, it's near pretty looking down at the city
Spots a mall
Door open wide
Without delay, steps inside
There are still ads on posters in windows
Mannequins and busts putting on a show
There are still coins in a cash register
Dents in the boards where arcade machines were
A crowd was pushing and they were shoving
Guards chasing thieves all huffing and puffing
A teen girl was trying on a dress
A shop owner was building to impress
Now and then, more or less
Oh, the mall is a mess
Back out into the city
Strolling through the unkept park
On the unused railroad tracks
Through the roads as it gets dark
There are still a few parked cars in the street
A teddy bear in one of the backseats
There are still fishing poles by river coasts
And flyers of a lost dog on a post
Traffic was honking during rush hour
Gentlemen were bringing ladies flowers
Old folks were taking jogs down a sidewalk
A hobo was feeding bread to a flock
Now and then, more or less
Oh, the city's a mess