Same, Old
Verse 1
My folks broke up when I was 10
My mum met another bloke and got married again
We left our home in the city where we’d previously lived
And moved house to a little town out in the sticks
Even though I missed my friends I liked it at first
You could leave your door unlocked and your bike unobserved
But after a little while it started to change
And I began to see things that seemed a bit strange
There was a butchers I walked past every morning
And I’d talk to the owner who I thought was in his 40s
It was his birthday one day he told me with pride
– and I was shocked to find he was only 25
I couldn’t believe it, he had to be joking
But the closer I looked the more I started to notice
The baker, the postman, even the fishmonger
All turned out to be a whole lot younger
It wasn’t just the way they looked that made them seem old
It was on a deeper level than that, way down in their soul
It was in the way they moved and talked but most of all
In the glazed expression their faces all wore
Chorus
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
I just keep running, I just keep moving
Coz the moment I’m stalling it’s taking its prey
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
It just keeps going, it just keep pursuing
Coz it knows if i’m falling it’s making its claim
Verse 2
I tried telling people at school about my theory
A couple understood but most just looked at me weirdly
And those I did tell I had to do in a whisper
Coz most of these people were their brothers and sisters
There was only one grownup who didn’t seem affected
Who worked in a video shop that I frequented
I liked him coz he’d always chat to me when i’d visit
And slyly lend me horror flicks that my mum had forbidden
So I decided to confide in him and ask him if he knew
What I was talking about and if he’d noticed it too
The moment that I mentioned it I saw his face drop
He looked around then took me to the back of the shop
He kneeled down and said to me “This place is alive
And it thrives on the young people’s life force and drive
Until there’s nothing left then it spits out the shell
So promise me you’ll leave before it gets you as well”
His grip began to tighten and his eyes were looking manic
I felt frightened so I ran outside in a panic
I never told my parents what had happened but I read
That he was sectioned in the paper, a couple weeks later
Chorus
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
I just keep running, I just keep moving
Coz the moment I’m stalling it’s taking its prey
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
It just keeps going, it just keep pursuing
Coz it knows if i’m falling it’s making its claim
Verse 3
The words that the guy said remained in my head
And as I got older I saw for myself what he meant
I finished school and left, just like he recommended
And when I returned I saw people I was friends with
Working in the butchers, garages and shops
I wouldn’t even notice at first but then I would stop
And realise that the middle aged guy in the bakery
I used to go to school with and was the same age as me
I’d always ask how things were going
And the answer they gave was my way of knowing
Whether or not the town had yet managed to take hold
Coz if it had then the response would be “Same old”
It’s nice to go home but I know I can’t stay
Coz the town is angry that I ever managed to escape
And it’ll do what it takes to make sure I don’t leave
And when I’m there I can feel it’s grip creep it up on me
With every pint that I sip in a cozy little pub
With a fat labrador sprawled out on a rug
I think “It’s not so bad, I can stay for a few”
… and before I know it, it’s got me too.
Chorus
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
I just keep running, I just keep moving
Coz the moment I’m stalling it’s taking its prey
No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing
I can hear the sound of the town calling my name
It just keeps going, it just keep pursuing
Coz it knows if i’m falling it’s making its claim