Caught a train from Alexandria Just a broken man in flight Running scared with his devils Saying prayers all through the night Oh but mercy can't find him Not in the shadows where he calls Forsaking all his better angels That's how every empire falls The bells ring out on Sunday mornng Like echoes from another time All our innocence and yearning And sense of wonder left behind Oh gentle hearts remember What was that story? Is it lost? For when religion loses vision That's how every empire falls. He toasts his wife and all his family The providence he brought to bear They raise their glasses in his honor Although this union they don't share A man who lives among them Was still a stranger to them all For when the heart is never open That's how every empire falls Padlock the door and board the windows Put the people in the street "It's just my job," he says "I'm sorry." And draws a check, goes home to eat But at night he tells his woman "I know I hide behind the laws." She says, "You're only taking orders." That's how every empire falls. A bitter wind blows through the country A hard rain falls on the sea If terror comes without a warning There must be something we don't see What fire begets this fire? Like torches thrown into the straw If no one asks, then no one answers That's how every empire falls.