This Was Pompeii

I am thinking about a woman in the century of peace On a bright mosaic she is washing on her knees And she looks up at the black sky beyond the mountain tall She says "oh good, the rain is finally going to fall today" This was Pompeii And everyone has memories from the night that melted stone The neighbour's nightgown, the screaming on the phone And the tired man at the station says "we can't tell who's alive All we ever know is that the tourists survive" "Tra la la, tra la la, let's go" they say "Let's go Pompeii" And I think about Pompeii when I feel an end is near Just before the rain and everytime you disappear And I think about a teacup suspended and half-served ANd all the scholars know is that it's perfectly preserved "Oh, oh, oh, oh" that's all they say This was Pompeii And as for my own kingdom, not a table leg was charred I simply lost my kingdom cause I held it much too hard Once I had a sadness, the sadness turned to trust The trust turned into ashes and to lawyers and to dust A century, a day This was Pompeii, this was Pompeii