Ruins Of The Realm Lyrics - 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 drivers in my way 

Well, they better move over and they'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 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-ought-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 military nationals call the shots 

So scrape them hides and clean that slate 

Dancin' in the ruins of the nation state 

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

Well, a cowboy says we got to fight 'em over there 

He 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