Rat Trap

There was a lot of rockn' going on that night

Cruising time for the young bright lights

Just down past the gasworks, by the meat factory door

The five lamp boys were coming on strong

The Saturday night city beat had already started and

The pulse of the corner boys sprang into action

And young Billy watched it all under the yellow street light

And said "tonight, of all nights, there's gonna be a fight"

Billy don't like it living here in this town

He says the traps have been sprung long before he was born

He says "hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors

And puss and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores

There's screaming and crying in the high rise blocks"

It's a rat trap, Billy, but you're already caught

But you can make it if you wanna or you need it bad enough

You're young and good looking and you're acting kind of tough

Anyway, it's Saturday night, time to see what's going down

Put on the bright suit, Billy, head for the right side of town

It's only 8 o'clock, but you're already bored

You don't know what it is, but there's got to be more

You'd better find a way out, hey, kick down the door

It's a rat trap and you've been caught

In this town, Billy says, "everybody's tryin' to tell you what to do"

In this town, Billy says, "everybody says you gotta follow rules"

You walk up to the traffic lights,

Switch from your left to right

You push in that button, and that button comes alight

It tells you

"Walk, don't walk

Talk, don't talk"

Hey Billy take a walk...with me

Do you want that misery

Sweethearts run free

Little Judy's trying to watch "Top of the Pops"

But mum and dad are fighting don't they ever stop

She takes off her coat and walks out to the street

It's cold on that road, but it's got that home beat

Deep down in her pockets she finds 50p

Hey, is that any way for a young girl to be

"I'm gonna get out of school, work in a silk factory

Work all the hours God gave me, get myself a little easy money

now, now, now"

Her mind's made up, she walks down the road

Her hands in her pockets, coat buttoned 'gainst the cold

She finally finds Billy down at the Italian cafe

And when he's drunk it's hard to understand what Billy says

But then he mumbles in his coffee and suddenly roars

"It's a rat trap Judy, and we've been caught"