Lyrics:

The town I came from
Was quiet and small
We played in the meadows
Where the grass grew so tall
In summer the lilacs
Would grow everywhere
The laughter of children
Would float in the air

And I can see it, oh, so clearly now
Still going on
Yes, I can see it, oh, so clearly now
Though all of it's gone

As I grew older
I had to roam
Far from my family
Far from my home
Into the city
Where lives can be spent
Lost in the shadows
Of tar and cement
Into the city
Where I had my eye
On all of the pleasures
That money can buy

And every night I'd sit alone and learn
What loneliness meant
Up in my rented room above the world
Of tar and cement

Each day I'd wake up
And look at the sky
Think of the meadows
Where I used to lie
Then I'd remember
All of that's gone
You're in the city
You better push on
Get what you came for
Before it's too late
Get what you came for, the meadows can wait

So every night I'd sit alone and learn
What loneliness meant
Up in my rented room above the world
Of tar and cement

Many years later
Tired at last
I headed for home
To look for my past
I looked for the meadows
There wasn't a trace
Six lanes of highway
Had taken their place
Where were the lilacs
And all that they meant?
Nothing but acres
Of tar and cement

Yet I can see it there so clearly now
Where has it gone?
Yes, I can see it there so clearly now
Where has it gone?

Where are the meadows?
(Tar and cement)
Where are the lilacs?
(Tar and cement)
And where is the tall grass?
(Tar and cement)
The laughter of children
(Tar and cement)
Nothing but acres
(Tar and cement)
Acres and acres
(Tar and cement)
Nothing but acres