Faust's Metropolis

(title from a book by Alexandra Richie)

I thought I saw Mephistophiles on the corner of Mittelstrasse
he was dressed up like a poodle, he had a suitcase in his hand
he was in a hurry, he was heading for the station
the cops were on his tail, he was getting out of town

this is the metropolis of beauty and apocalypse
this is the city of nightmares and of dreams
these are the streets where history disappears
this is the place where nothing’s as it seems

I thought I saw Doctor Faustus hanging round Potsdamer Platz
he was sleeping in doorways, and picking dog-ends from the gutter
he used to have it all, now he hasn’t got a pfennig
he sold his soul, but he should’ve known better

this is the metropolis of destruction and construction
this is the city of the living and the dead
these are the streets where ghosts are walking
this is the place that exists inside your head

I thought I saw the recording angel on the roof of the Reichstag
videoing the people as they passed by beneath his feet
and everybody was just the same, from the bankers to the beggars
flesh and blood, down there on the street

this is the metropolis of poverty and opulence
this is the city of fraternity and hate
these are the streets of terror and magnificence
if this is the future, then this must be the place