Back to the City smoke

Verse 1)The train hissed to a stop in the petrol-scented air,Spitting me out in the station's dirty glare.Ten years away, but the big smoke hadn't changed,Just the faces on the corners and the shadows rearranged.(Verse 2)The valley broke my heart when the dry dust took the yield,A stack of bank loans hanging over every single field.You don’t make 90 grand where the mountain breezes blow,So I’m back inside the engine where the dirty waters flow.(Chorus)'Cause I’m shifting whatever drops into my hands,Running through the alleys making money best I can.Away from the country where the people are so calm,I’m hustling in the shadows just to get back to the farm.(Verse 3)By Tuesday I was set in an old brick warehouse bay,Watching for the blue lights while the night time turned to day.The city’s pulse is fast and it tells you how to stride,You learn to keep your head down and your pockets deep inside.(Verse 4)"Step right up, darlin'," I call out through the rain,To the office workers rushing for the midday subway train.I’ll sell you a tube of lipstick, or a box if you like,Before the sirens echo down the Fast Lane turnpike.(Verse 5)Got ladies’ shoes and clothes straight off the boutique pack,Italian leather jackets that were taken off the rack.It’s cash inside my boot and a grin upon my face,But small-time bread and butter will not win this desperate race.(Chorus)'Cause I’m shifting whatever drops into my hands,Running through the alleys making money best I can.Away from the country where the people are so calm,I’m hustling in the shadows just to get back to the farm.(Verse 6)The real game is waiting where the streets meets the flood,The shipping docks are dripping with the grease and river mud.Behind the city yard where the big containers sleep,The night watchman is blind for the payoffs that he keeps.(Verse 7)I like truckloads of white goods when the midnight padlock snaps,Smart fridges and the ovens loaded up on flatbed wraps.We move them in the dark while the rain is coming down,And ship them out to dealers far away from this old town.(Bridge)But my eyes are on the jackpot sitting gleaming on the gravel,Three brand-new European cars ready to unravel.The keys are under the visor and the engines start to purr,The sweetest sound a country boy has ever heard occur.(Verse 8)By sunrise they are gone to a chop shop in the west,And I am on a milk crate taking twenty minutes' rest.Counting out the hundreds from a thick manila sleeve, 90 thousand reasons why it’s time for me to leave.(Verse 9)I close my eyes and smell the turned earth and eucalyptus tree,The city can have its noise, for it holds no charm for me.I’m just a passing ghost in the smoggy morning light,With one foot on the tractor and the other in the night.(Outro)Just a few more weeks on the docks...Just a few more locks to break...Then it's back to the fresh air.Back to where the people are calm.Goodbye to the big smoke.I'm going home.