I know that Birmingham gets you down
And I guess that makes sense
When so many old friends retired
If not expired, by the time we were twenty-three
Getting blacked out and locked up
Cashed out and knocked up
Look at it that way, there ain't much for me

But just consider the weeds downtown, and how they grow:
How the Queen Anne’s Lace covers hot parking lots like snow

I know the new architecture's largely depressing
And the politics are pretty regressive
But ain't shining a light on what’s dark
Kind of your thing?
The murder wave is abating
And the population decline is stagnating
If that ain't an invitation, darling, what could it be?
Addressed right to you and me?

Consider the weeds downtown, and how they grow:
How the Queen Anne’s Lace covers hot parking lots like snow

Paris and New York don’t have honeysuckle vines
Like the ones on 32nd Street
I know that Birmingham gets you down
But look what it raised you up to be