London Through Strongcastle Eyes

(1960s-inspired orchestral pop / British invasion feel)

Steam rolls low on the cobblestone street

Morning whistles and iron heartbeat

Girls in bright coats laugh through the rain

London calls my name again

I came from towers black with smoke

From dragon fire and the yoke

Where every night the shutters barred

And every mile was traveled armed

But here the engines sing instead

And silver airships drift overhead

Newsboys dance through factory light

Like the city never learned to fright

Oh, June says

“Don’t stare, you country man”

But every corner feels like wonderland

London, London

You shine through the fog

Steam in the alleys

Gold in the smog

Every little streetlamp hums a song

Makes a man from Strongcastle feel he belongs

London, London

You rattle and roar

Tea cups and tram bells

Outside the door

And I swear these crowded streets can see

There’s a whole new world waking up in me

Double-decker steam machines

Paint the night in hissing dreams

Dockyard workers, tailor shops

Clockwork ticking from the rooftops

And Lord above, the underground

Like iron serpents shaking the ground

June just laughs when I miss my stop

Too busy watching the city talk

Chorus]

London, London

You shine through the fog

Steam in the alleys

Gold in the smog

Every little streetlamp hums a song

Makes a man from Strongcastle feel he belongs

London, London

You rattle and roar

Tea cups and tram bells

Outside the door

And I swear these crowded streets can see

There’s a whole new world waking up in me

At Piccadilly late at night

The cafe windows burn so bright

Young men talking politics

Girls with records under their hips

A saxophone somewhere below

Plays soft enough to haunt the smoke

And every stranger passing by

Looks me fearless in the eye

Back home we measured every man

By how long he could make a stand

But London measures something else

By wit and nerve and how you help

June grabs my sleeve

Says, “Keep up now”

But I stop every block somehow

London, London

Your heartbeat pounds

Steam on the rooftops

Steel underground

Factory windows glowing gold at dawn

Like the whole wide world keeps moving on

London, London

You beautiful mess

Coal dust on velvet

Smoke on silk dress

And even with the rain and crowded skies

You look like hope through Strongcastle eyes

Back home the skies meant fear and flame

Here children wave at airships’ names

Maybe a man can change his fate

Maybe hope arrives in iron gray

London, London

You old brass queen

Half of the future

Half old machine

And every whistle blowing through the rain

Sounds like freedom calling me again

London, London

I finally see

Why June smiles different

Walking these streets

And if tomorrow brings the dragons near

I’d fight for this city without fear

Steam rolls low on the cobblestone street

London’s iron heart keeps time with me