Verse 1 I went out walking through the city centre It happened just the other day Sometimes the harbour in the winter Blows a little luck my way I stood around like John Lee Hooker Waiting for my ship to come in But when you're down on your last twenty dollar The view is such a beautiful thing Verse 2 I've seen a girl of twelve sit and shoot herself Higher than a national dream And sleep it off just a spit away From the tires of a limousine I may recall another world Where money never had no sting But right here she's a big girl now The city's such a beautiful thing Her eyes are as cold as a centrefold And her mouth has come undone And like a child conceived on new years eve She don't belong to anyone Verse 3 You don't need to hold a lot of money To figure how the world goes round You don't need to climb on anybody
To get a feel for what goes down She could be on the colour TV Teachin' all the world to sing But out here on a black and white pier It ain't such a beautiful thing Verse 4 Now I'm a Northern Territory man The territory lives in me And I fail to understand The silly bloody things I see I went out walking through the city centre Thinking back to Alice Springs This place is harder every winter And home is such a beautiful thing Verse 5 I went out walking through the city centre It happened just the other day Sometimes the harbour in the winter Blows a little luck my way I went out walking through the city centre Thinking back to Alice Springs This place is harder every winter And home is such a beautiful thing This place is harder every winter And home is such a beautiful thing