In the iron land of dual suns
You're over just as you've begun
Where the air hits you like a cloud of mace
And they've closed down every favorite place

Where the fire will rage from dusk 'til dawn
And on and on 'til the early morn'
So they plop down on their balconies
Overweight with government cheese


How could you raise your kids there?
It's such a horrible town
How could you raise your kids there?
There's violence all around

There's homeless in the alleys
And confusion in the street
And a salty brand of hopelessness
In everyone you meet


Well, they say the schools are bare and tough
Not in academics, but in roughin' up
It's bugger-all how much you know
When you are going toe-to-toe

So shift your sails, let down the gates
Plot and scheme for your escape
Well, it don't matter rich or poor
When the wolves are howlin' at your door


Take a walk downtown from where you reside
The culture here is alive and thrives!
They'll have so many open doors
Young minds exposed to so much more

But all is quiet in the land of the setting sun
No crime's been here since '81
Swear you're safe at home, 'til you realize
The grass is always brighter on the other side


How could you raise your kids there?
It's such a sleepy old town
How could you raise your kids there?
There's nothing going down

Like an oak tree from the great river
To the oak grove, raw and bare
How could you raise your kids there?
How could you raise your kids there?