(Intro) (A frantic, four-count snap of sticks. The upright bass drops in, hammering the strings like a jackhammer on pavement. The piano erupts in a dissonant, rapid-fire boogie-woogie. Everything is fast, loud, and pushing the red. A trumpet blasts a jagged, screeching fanfare that sounds like a siren caught in a blender.) (Verse) The radiator’s humming like a hive of angry bees I’m running through the city with a rattle in my knees I got a pocket full of copper and a head full of steam Living out the nightmare that they sold me as a dream The coffee’s black as oil and the windows are all blown I’m a king without a country, I’m a dog without a bone! (Verse) The alley cat’s a lawyer and the pigeon’s got a gun We’re sprinting through the shadows just to see if we can run My shoes are wearing paper and the soles are wearing thin But I’m grinning like a devil, let the circus begin! Don’t tell me 'bout the future, don't tell me 'bout the law I’m dancing on the razor with a jagged, broken jaw! (Chorus) 'Cause the sidewalk is a live wire, sparks are flying high We’re burning up the calendar, we’re spitting at the sky Yeah, it’s manic, it’s a panic, it’s a high-speed wreck With a hangman’s knot loose around the city’s neck So shake it, break it, take it till the floor falls through The sidewalk is a live wire and it’s coming for you! (Verse) Big Al’s in the basement playing banjo with his teeth While the world is pulling anchors from the dark and murky sheath The traffic lights are melting in a technicolor blur And the ghosts of all our failures are starting to purr I’m shouting at the moon, man, I’m tearing up the sheet I’m a locomotive loaded with a rhythm in my feet! (Verse) The landlord’s chasing shadows with a bucket and a mop But the spinning of the bottle’s never gonna ever stop Grab a handle, grab a partner, grab a bottle, grab a light We’re gonna set the rafters to a bonfire tonight The sanity is slipping but the whiskey’s feeling fine I’m walking on the edge of the finish-line line! (Chorus) 'Cause the sidewalk is a live wire, sparks are flying high We’re burning up the calendar, we’re spitting at the sky Yeah, it’s manic, it’s a panic, it’s a high-speed wreck With a hangman’s knot loose around the city’s neck So shake it, break it, take it till the floor falls through The sidewalk is a live wire and it’s coming for you! (Outro) (The ensemble reaches a chaotic crescendo. The saxophone is honking like a dying goose, the piano is just smashing the low end, and the bass is vibrating the room. The drums do a chaotic, flailing roll that cuts off into absolute silence.) Live wire! Shocking! Yeah! Still breathing! (A final, sharp, out-of-tune piano stab.)
