City of Ashes

[verse 1] A city grim, mysterious, dark, From Neva’s fog it did embark. Like smoke, like a feverish dream— Petersburg, this ode to you I deem. [chorus] I walk through bridges and quays so grand, Beauty in shadows long does stand. Through old alleys, winding tight, Whispers of secrets fill the night. [verse 2] Fountains dance in the square with grace, Temples rise high, a majestic place. Carriages drawn by horses neat, Tourists they carry down each street. [chorus] I walk through bridges and quays so grand, Beauty in shadows long does stand. Through old alleys, winding tight, Whispers of secrets fill the night. [Bridge] Petersburg, how beautiful you are, so bright, Not to love you, oh, what a plight. But another city stands apart, Laughter there won’t touch your heart. [verse 3] Enter a courtyard, sense the air, Decay and dampness everywhere. Pain and tears, they soak the stone, As if the world dies all alone. [chorus] I walk through bridges and quays so grand, Beauty in shadows long does stand. Through old alleys, winding tight, Whispers of secrets fill the night. [verse 4] Petersburg, where revolution’s flame, And Pushkin’s birth did stake your claim. A sinful hand grips your heart tight, Forever in the fog’s dim light. [pre-chorus] Streets at night are empty, bare, Shadows float in the cool night air. Dawn breaks through with secret light, Blinding eyes in early sight. [final chorus] Again our city breathes its lore, Every stone tells tales of yore. Petersburg, in mist you hide, Extinguishing the light inside. A city from the fog did peak, Petersburg, in poems you speak. Like Janus, false and two-faced too, Crumbling to dust, as visions do.