Lyrics:

words and music by Joe Jackson)

Stop - what's that sound?
It's the death rattle of this rusty old town
Stop - listen again
It's the sound of laughter all along the Thames

Hey - what's my line?
Do I have to stay here 'til the end of time?
I'm - good-lookin' and bright
I wanna see life after ten at night

So if they ask you where I am
I'm in the back of a Transit van
In a squat on the Earls Court Road
Gone down to London turning coal into gold
Down to London - down to London
Gone down to London to be the king

Hey - what's your name?
The boys back home all seem to look the same
You - should stick with me
And one of us will make it, just you see

Stop - what's that sound?
Seems like the sixties are still swingin' around
Hey - can you hear me back there
Or is there anybody left to care

So if you ask me where they are
They're hangin' tough in a Soho bar
Playing guitars on the underground
Gone down to London tryin' to chase that sound
Down to London - down to London
Gone down to London to be the king

So I ask you should I cry or laugh
Drinking tea in a Kings Cross caff
A leather jacket against the cold
Gone down to London turning coal into gold
Down to London - down to London
Gone down to London to be the king

(C) 1989 by Pokazuka Ltd. Administered in the U.S. and Canada
by Almo Music Corp. (ASCAP