[Intro – weary, nostalgic] I was born in a small town Where the mill smoke turned the sky brown [Verse 1 – somber, matter-of-fact] I grew up on a street where the potholes never got fixed Mom worked the diner till her hands were always clenched Dad lost his job when the factory packed up and left We scraped by on change, but we still held our breath [Chorus 1 – bitter, resigned] This is my hometown Where the dreams die slow and the bills pile down This is my hometown Where the hope ran out before the sun went down [Verse 2 – sharp, critical] They built a casino on the edge of town, neon lights so bright Promised jobs and cash, but it only brought the night Kids hang around the parking lot, looking for a quick score Crime crept through the alleys, locking every door [Chorus 2 – frustrated, weary] This is my hometown Where the casino lights blind the broken crown This is my hometown Where the overspent dreams just drown [Verse 3 – disillusioned, angry] City hall’s full of the same faces, year after year They promise change, but they only fill their sphere Neglect’s the only thing they’ve ever really spread The roads crumble, the schools fade, and no one’s ever held [Chorus 3 – bitter, defeated] This is my hometown Where the same old politicians let it drown This is my hometown Where the blight’s the only thing that’s been handed down [Bridge – urgent, pleading] We’ve begged for help, we’ve screamed and we’ve cried But they just turn their backs and let the town die No one cares about the cracks in the walls No one hears the voices of the ones who fall [Chorus 4 – raw, desperate] This is my hometown Where the blight grows thick and the hope’s run out This is my hometown Where the worst of times is what we’re all about [Outro – fading, defeated] I still walk these streets, but they don’t feel the same My hometown’s just a ghost, stuck in the flame