Cafe, dancing girl, rich girl and Romeo,

Cigarettes, whisky, cheap and grainy video,

Neon, moonlight, long past midnight

In Paris where,

Syncopated second line

And dancing to the ragtime,

Make her head spin,

And she though always splendid

In silk and lace,

Hides her beauty in another place.

-

 Riverside, fairground ride, laughing girl and Romeo

With little of experience, step up for another go

And hold on tight and laughing, long past midnight

In New York where,

The diesel haze amusement craze at fifteen

Make his head spin,

And he though swaggering

In time and space

Hides emotion before her face.

-

 Dancehall, singing girl, sad girl and she,

Can think of a thousand places to be,

Clinging tight and smooching, long past midnight

In cities where,

The party never ends at all,

And they though always confident of what to do

Wait upon providence to see them through.

-

 Homeward bound, swaying train, smiling girl and me,

Care for each other more than anyone can see,

Nudging, whispering, long past midnight,

In London where

The click clack of railtrack is everything,

And they though staggering,

Lucidly see,

That lovers are all they need to be.

 October 1994.