Town of Stone
The Ex Lyrics
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It builds for years on piles of air
What is this town if, short of breath
It chokes itself to selfish death
What is this town if, full of cats
The place is packed with doggone rats
No chance to sit, when parks we pass
Leisurely on turd-free grass
No chance to skip the traffic lights
And cross the main roads without fright
No chance to see, in shopping streets
Glad non-consuming eyes to meet
No chance to go just anywhere
There's always streets up for repair
No chance to find a place to stay
Unless you pay all the goddamn way
A poor town this if, filled with stone
It leaves no place to call our own
What is this town if, what a joke
All of its pride goes up in smoke
What is this town if, full of cats
The place is packed with doggone rats
No chance to keep wide-open house
The city's brains are like mad cows
No chance to deal with businessmen
Who sell the shit, the hits, the fan
No chance to give this town a clue
It turns into a concrete zoo
No chance to wait for things to change
Unless buildings get hit by planes
No chance to stop this money vulture
From turning bullshit into culture
A poor town this if, filled with stone
It leaves no place to call our own
What is this town if, to unsound
It burns itself down to the ground
I'm sure there's grass that's greener, on the other side
There's something green in my eye, this I won't deny
We're told their grass is greener, and this is the other side
This must be dr. Jekyll's teeth, isn't it, mayor Hyde.
The Ex's song "Town of Stone" is a commentary on the negative consequences of urbanization and industrialization. The lyrics express the frustrations of living in a town that has been built without regard for the natural world and the needs of its inhabitants. The opening lines question the worth of a town that is built on "piles of air," suggesting that the town has no real substance or foundation.
The song then goes on to detail the various problems with the town, including overcrowding, pollution, lack of green spaces and parks, difficult traffic, and the dominance of commercial interests. The repetition of the line "No chance" emphasizes the idea that the residents of the town have no agency or power to improve their living conditions.
The chorus, which repeats twice throughout the song, emphasizes the idea that the town has become a place devoid of true community and ownership. The "stone" of the town represents the unfeeling and unyielding nature of industrialization and urbanization that has destroyed the organic, natural beauty of the environment.
Overall, "Town of Stone" is a powerful critique of the degradation of communal and environmental values in modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
What is this town if, without care
If this town is built without care
It builds for years on piles of air
It is built on empty promises and false hope
What is this town if, short of breath
If this town is suffocating
It chokes itself to selfish death
It is dying due to its own self-centeredness
What is this town if, full of cats
If this town is filled with meaningless things
The place is packed with doggone rats
It is overrun with corrupt individuals
No chance to sit, when parks we pass
There are no peaceful places to rest in the city's parks
Leisurely on turd-free grass
Peaceful grass is nonexistent due to the amount of waste in the parks
No chance to skip the traffic lights
There is no freedom to move around the city
And cross the main roads without fright
Without fear of being harmed or hit by cars
No chance to see, in shopping streets
There is nothing meaningful to appreciate in the shopping streets
Glad non-consuming eyes to meet
Eyes that aren't focused completely on buying
No chance to go just anywhere
There are no truly free spaces to visit
There's always streets up for repair
The city is never fully functional because of constant construction
No chance to find a place to stay
Without paying exorbitant fees
Unless you pay all the goddamn way
The city is solely focused on receiving monetary compensation
A poor town this if, filled with stone
A hopeless city that is nothing but concrete and steel
It leaves no place to call our own
There is nowhere for individuals to feel ownership or freedom
What is this town if, what a joke
The city is humorously inept
All of its pride goes up in smoke
Any semblance of pride is easily lost to corruption
No chance to keep wide-open house
Individuals are not able to have open and free homes
The city's brains are like mad cows
The people in the city are irrational and unthinking
No chance to deal with businessmen
It is impossible to have useful interactions with business owners
Who sell the shit, the hits, the fan
Business owners sell meaningless products to maximize profits
No chance to give this town a clue
Nobody is willing to openly address the need for change in the city
It turns into a concrete zoo
The city becomes a cramped and hopeless place
No chance to wait for things to change
It is impossible to wait in the hope that things will improve on their own
Unless buildings get hit by planes
The only way the city will improve is through outside forces that are completely unpredictable
No chance to stop this money vulture
The greedy forces in the city cannot be defeated
From turning bullshit into culture
The city prioritizes shallow materialism over meaningful, creative culture
A poor town this if, filled with stone
A sad, hopeless city that is nothing but cold, gray buildings
It leaves no place to call our own
The city does not have any spaces for individuals to feel ownership or belonging
What is this town if, to unsound
The city is unbalanced and irrational
It burns itself down to the ground
This city is self-destructive and destined for failure
I'm sure there's grass that's greener, on the other side
There must be better places to live than in this city
There's something green in my eye, this I won't deny
I cannot help but feel discontent with the city
We're told their grass is greener, and this is the other side
The city's government promotes the idea of better living elsewhere
This must be dr. Jekyll's teeth, isn't it, mayor Hyde.
The city's leaders express one thing but act in a way that is opposed to their words
Contributed by Oliver E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.