- published: 05 Feb 2013
- views: 135666395
- author: PinkVEVO
There, smoke turns into serpents in the air
Beware, there's no sanctuary anywhere
On this very spot, a great city once stood
It oozed with evil but it felt so good
Well I don't know
Where did it go?
And here, there's lots of method in their madness dear
And we're considering remaining here
In this very house a giant was born
With two angry eyes and one sharp black horn
Well I don't know
How could he grow?
The fountains gush wine
The chimneys spurt flowers
Where me and my friends pass the fleeting hours
Well yes and no
Where did they go?
Goodbye, there's no reason, there's no alibi
I'll try to write you a letter from the cyclone's eye
On this very day, a hundred years before
They opened up the future like it was a door
Well I don't know
Where did it go?
The towers stretch up, the spires spiral odd
Behind the vicar's gate, the sign, ";Beware of God";
Well I don't know
Where did he go?
There, smoke turns into serpents in the air
Beware, there's no sanctuary anywhere
On this very spot, a great city once stood
It oozed with evil but it felt so good
Well I don't know
Where did it go?
And here, there's lots of method in their madness dear
And we're considering remaining here
In this very house a giant was born
With two angry eyes and one sharp black horn
Well I don't know
How could he grow?
The fountains gush wine
The chimneys spurt flowers
Where me and my friends pass the fleeting hours
Well yes and no
Where did they go?
Goodbye, there's no reason, there's no alibi
I'll try to write you a letter from the cyclone's eye
On this very day, a hundred years before
They opened up the future like it was a door
Well I don't know
Where did it go?
The towers stretch up, the spires spiral odd
Behind the vicar's gate, the sign, "Beware of God"
Well I don't know
Everyone sees, diseased or broken
Holes in their arms, they got cocaine eyes
Self mutilation is self surveillance
Wanna get to heaven, you gotta die
Here she comes, here she comes
She's crawled out of a garbage can
Here she comes, here she comes
She's gonna waste another man
Ah, sick city
Gonna be the death of me
Ah, sick city
Gonna be my death, gonna be the death of me
Little Johnny Junk's, a subway pilot
He'll knife you in the head for Chinese rock
Catch a falling spike, ride a silver rocket
Score a body bag deal from the Vietcong
Here she comes, here she comes
She's crawled out of a garbage can
Here she comes, here she comes
She's gonna waste another man
Ah, sick city
Gonna be the death of me
Ah, sick city
Gonna be my death, gonna be the death of me
Your meat on a hook, in your own snuff movie
Tortue loop hallucination, nerves spliced
No inoculation from the viral program
There's spiders in your mouth, shoot insecticide
Here she comes, here she comes
She's crawled out of a garbage can
Here she comes, here she comes
Gonna waste another man
Ah, sick city
Gonna be the death of me
Ah, sick city
Gonna be my death, gonna be the death of me
Sick, sick, sick, sick city
Sick, sick, sick, sick city
Sick, sick, sick, sick city
Sick, sick, sick, sick city
In the city there is something to see
In the city there is nothing to breathe
I'm goin' 'bout my business
I'm wondering what I'm missing
And on my way home, I hid in my coat
Wrote my name on the city wall
Being famous
In the city there is a park bench you can sleep out on
The city there is a trash can you can eat out of
I'm goin' 'bout my business
Wondering what I'm missing
And on my way home a cop said "No"
I said "There is a man with a stick and a gun in his hand"
Being famous. . .
Red man in the city
Poor man in the city
Black man in the city
Fat man in the city
Red man
Black man
Fat man
Blue man
I don't know the rest of the words
Birgit war der Klassenstar,
alle waren auf sie scharf.
Selbst die Lehrer schauten hin,
wenn sie über'n Schulhof ging.
Damit war dann allen klar,
daß sie hier die Königin war.
Eines haben sie nicht gewußt,
sie war schwanger seit August.
Niemanden hat sie es gesagt
niemanden um Rat gefragt.
Auch die Mutter wußte nicht,
daß Biggi jetzt ein Baby kriegt.
Alles war jetzt schon zu spät,
weil die Zeit zu schnell vergeht.
Irgendwie muß sie's gestehn,
sie kriegt ein Kind und war
gestern selbst noch ein Kind.
Birgit war der Klassenstar,
alle waren auf sie scharf.
Eines haben sie nicht gewußt,
sie war schwanger seit August.
Und dann kam der große Krach,
Vater fragt: "Wer; hat's gemacht?"
Sie sagt: "Dizzy; heißt der Typ,
doch ich hab' ihn nicht mehr lieb."
Endlich sah der Vater ein,
Rausschmiß kann keine Lösung sein.
Ende Mai ist die Entbindung,
und im Juni Abschlußprüfung,
Wenn ich die Augen schließe
und steil nach oben schieße,
wenn ich die Arme breite
und in die weiße Wolke gleite ...
Ich kann fliegen. Ich kann fliegen.
Wenn ich mich aus den Angeln hebe,
den Freifahrtschein ins Blaue gebe,
wenn ich den Mut zum Absprung finde
und hinterm Horizont verschwinde ...
Ich kann fliegen. Ich kann fliegen.
Ich kann eben und ich konnte schon immer,
im Roggenfeld und im Wartezimmer,
an Erlaubnisschaltern und auf langen Bänken
nie anders als an's fliegen denken.
Und wenn dann immer wieder diese
Flügelschneider und Betonklotzgießer
behaupten, daß die Schwerkraft siege,
dann weiß ich's besser - denn ich fliege.
Ich kann fliegen. Ich kann fliegen.
Sometimes I wish I were like water
Sometimes fierce, sometimes kind
I'd be born in the mountains,
All the seas would be mine
Sometimes I wish I were the clouds
Sometimes black, sometimes white
When I cry, there'd come showers
I would blend with the night
La, la, lei ... till the end of the world (4x)
Sometimes I wish I were from Mars
Looking at you , staring down
I would flirt at you from far, far away
I would never let you down
Sometimes I wish I were in colours
Red and green, maybe blue
I would be like a rainbow
I'd keep smiling at you
Sometime I wish I were a flower
Maybe a rose of a daffodil
I'd waiting in the garden
For the day you'd pick me too.
La, la, lei ... till the end of the world (4x)
Sometimes I wish I were the stars
All alone, way up high
I will sparkle from far away
I will just be a guide
Nun bin ich wieder hier
und sicher hat es Gründe,
dass ich vor deiner Tür
zuerst mich selber finde.
Das war der gerade Weg
um ungezählte Ecken,
der Sprung vom Sonnendeck
ins leere Hafenbecken.
Refrain:
Nun bin ich wieder hier,
ein Flugzeug one Flieger.
Nun bin ich wieder hier,
bei dir, ein bisschen klüger.
Das war die Flucht nach vorn
mit dem zurück im Herzen.
Das war der jähe Zorn
mit seinen zähen Schmerzen.
Refrain
Das war der große Knall
die seelische Befreiung.
Und dieser klare Fall
bittet um Verzeihung.
Es ist alles verständlich, die Welt ist unendlich,
kein Sinn oder Plan: was aufhört fängt an.
Was groß wird und klein war, ist alles nur scheinbar,
ob drunter, ob drüber, bald ist es hinüber.
Es ist alles erklärlich, die Schwerkraft meint's
ehrlich,
was aufsteigt, fällt runter, es gibt keine Wunder,
nur rollende Räder und rollende Steine,
beschissen wird jeder, nur wissen will's keiner.
Es ist alles vergänglich, ob deutsch, russisch, englisch,
ob Krone, ob Laub - wird alles zu Staub.
Am Ende vom Leben war es das eben,
nur mal auf die Schnelle durch Himmel und Hölle.
Ob Lärm und Getue, am Ende ist Ruhe,
wir beißen ins Gras, das war's dann, das war's.
Es ist alles vergänglich, ob deutsch, russisch, englisch,
ob Krone, ob Laub - wird alles zu Staub.
Es ist alles vergänglich, ob deutsch, russisch, englisch,
es dreht sich die Welt, besteht und zerfällt.
Und falls es dich tröstet, danach gibt's die nächste,
Sag, warum läßt du uns jetzt im Stich,
ja, du warst doch immer ein Optimist.
Oder hast du uns was vorgemacht,
hast geweint, wenn du gelacht?
Ich hör deine Worte noch genau,
vorn das Licht, nach vorne schaun.
Deine Worte sind jetzt Phrasen
und für dich galt nicht der Schwur.
Denn beim ersten Sturm bricht kein Baum,
war Eine denn dein einziger Traum?
Deshalb legt man sich nicht gleich ins Grab,
das war überhaupt nicht deine Art.
Immer gabst du uns ein wenig Kraft,
ich weiß, woher du sie genommen hast.
Gabst du uns die Kraft, das fiel dir nicht schwer,
doch für dich reichte sie dann nicht mehr
und nun gehst du auf die große Fahrt.
Freunde gehen hinter deinem Sarg,
helfen kann dir heute keiner mehr.
Der alte Klempner war Faschist,
obwohl er doch nur Klempner ist.
Wir mußten uns nicht abgewöhnen,
daß festtags die Paraden dröhnen
und daß die hohen Stiefelspitzen
im Takt gezogner Säbel blitzen.
Das sind die guten Traditionen,
die uns Deutschen innewohnen.
Stramm geradeaus und glattgekämmt,
im frisch gestärkten Einheitshemd.
Der alte Klempner war Faschist.
Wer wird sich denn das Maul verbrennen,
statt ungefragt nach Haus zu rennen,
um zwischen Plüsch und Plunderkissen
zu wissen, was wir alle wissen:
Geduckt, geheuchelt, streng Partei
und nachher war man nicht dabei.
Der alte Klempner war Faschist,
Darf ich dir zu Nahe treten?
Oder komm ich ungebeten?
Darf ich mir und deiner sicher sein?
Darf ich dir das wasser reichen?
Deine Nächte rosa streichen?
Darf ich hoffen zäh und klitzklein?
Darf ich dir Geschenke bringen?
Über Tisch und Bänke springen,
nur damit du einmal wieder lachst?
Darf ich dich vor Schurken retten?
Darf ich mich so an dich ketten,
nur damit du einmal wieder lachst?
Darf ich dir die Wände küssen?
Deine Heimlichkeiten wissen?
Darf ich der sein, der dein Auto tankt?
Darf ich dein Fettnapf leeren?
Deinen Nabel ziern mit Beeren?
Jenseits von Eden, wo die Kraniche ziehn
überlebte ein Kino irgendwo in Berlin.
Im Sommer wars kühl hier, im Winter wars warm
und zur Matinee gabs Fliegeralarm
Gloria, Astra, Cinemahall,
Odeon, Alhambra, Kristall und Capitol,
Kassandra, Pandora, Apoll und Applaus-
hier flimmert die Welt und das Licht ging nie aus.
Die Leinwand hat Falten und der Vorhang hats schwer
die Luft steht still, das Klavier spielt nicht mehr.
Von der Straße gehts rein und nach dem Hinterhof raus -
hier flimmert die Welt und das Licht ging nie aus.
Jenseits von Eden, wo die Kraniche ziehn,
steht der steinalte Kasten mit Klappsitzen drin
und wem die Stadt eng wird, hier geht er hin,
ins Kino am Platz irgendwo in Berlin.
Gloria, Astra, Cinemahall,
Odeon, Alhambra, Kristall und Capitol,
Kassandra, Pandora, Apoll und Applaus-
hier flimmert die Welt und das Licht geht nie aus.
[Play it: as Time goes by]
[Play it for Harry, play it for me]
[Play it, Sam]
Er hat an ihr vorbeigesehn
Und ihm war kalt dabei
Kein Abschied macht es Ungeschehn
Spiel nochmal As Time goes by
Er hat sie nicht vergessen können
Das lächelnde Gesicht
War ein stilles Niederbrennen
Nie ganz ausgelöscht
Spiel nochmal As Time goes by
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Casablanca - As Time goes by
Casablanca - As Time goes by
Wenn er die Zigarette ausdrückt und die Augen reibt
Sieht er wie sie ihm davonfliegt
Nur der Nebel bleibt
Er hat an ihr vorbeigesehn
Und ihm war kalt dabei
Kein Abschied macht es ungeschehn
Es war ein trüber Mai
Spiel nochmal As Time goes by
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Play it again Sam, again and again
Travel along the centuries
Past the rotten empires
Where men have fought and died
Many tried to conquer,
Every try has failed
No one can bury pride
Arrows, stones and bullets
Many bitter blows
It couldn't pierce the soul
Mountains fill the landscape
Eastwards to the sea
Look the young girls dancing
Hear all the rhythm
You'll find your heart
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
She's the latest dancer
Here are the rivers
You'll find your heart
Have you seen the young girls dancing?
Have you heard the rhythm?
And have you found you heart?
Have you seen the mountain?
Can you hear me sing?
Hier hat's mich eingeholt,
hier muss ich sein,
hier hat's mich hergerollt,
wie eine Stein.
Wo der Morgenwind
durch die Linden fönt,
wo das Pflaster stöhnt:
Berlin!
Hier, wo die Stadt vibriert,
wie nirgendwo,
wo man den Kopf verliert,
so oder so.
Wo das Neonlicht
in mein Zimmer kriecht,
wo du bei mir bist,
da ist Berlin.
Einmal um die Erde und zurück,
überall dein Bild im Gepäck,
immer wenn ich durchdreh,
heißt die Sehsucht Heimweh.
Einmal um die Erde und zurück,
immer deine Atem im Genick,
spür ich Lust zu starten,
kann dich kaum erwarten:
Berlin!
Hier überm Hinterhof,
wo ich kampiere,
gibt's Frühstück auf'm Dach
mit Konfitüre.
Und im Milchkaffee
spiegelt sich die Spree
und deine Augen.
Du und Berlin!
Hier heb ich ab,
hier komm ich an.
Aus der Ferne
Manchmal wär' ich gern wie Wasser,
manchmal reißend, manchmal seicht,
in den Bergen geboren,
auch das Meer wäre mein.
Manchmal wär' ich gern wie Straßen,
harte Steine im Gesicht,
mein Rücken trüge Massen
auf dem weiten Weg zum Glück.
Manchmal wär' ich gern wie Wolken,
manchmal schwarz, manchmal weiß,
wenn ich weinte, würd's regnen,
wohin ich geh, blieb geheim...
Bis ans Ende der Welt....
Manchmal wär' ich gern wie Sterne,
ganz weit oben, allein,
glitzern würd' ich aus der Ferne,
nur ein Wegweiser sein...
Drüben in Amerika
sind alle Himmel blau.
Drüben in Amerika
sind schon die Babys schlau.
Drüben in Amerika
da wohnt Mickey Mouse.
Drüben in Amerika
in einem weißen Haus.
Drüben in Amerika
übern großen Teich.
Drüben in Amerika
Wird man beim Abwasch reich.
Drüben in Amerika
ist alles schwarz und weiß.
Drüben in Amerika
weiß keiner wie ich heiß.
Und ich - bin immer noch hier.
Drüben in Amerika
geht Schönheit auf'n Strich.
Drüben in Amerika
vielleicht warten sie auf mich.
Drüben in Amerika
auf einen Song von mir.
Drüben in Amerika.
Und ich - bin immer noch hier.
Drüben in Amerika
weiß keiner wie ich heiß.
Drüben in Amerika
Einmal wissen dies bleibt für immer
Ist nicht Rausch der schon die Nacht verklagt
Ist nicht Farbenschmelz noch Kerzenschimmer
Von dem Grau des Morgens längst verjagt
Einmal fassen tief im Blute fühlen
Dies ist mein und es ist nur durch dich
Nicht die Stirne mehr am Fenster kühlen
Dran ein Nebel schwer vorüber strich
Einmal fassen tief im Blute fühlen
Dies ist mein und es ist nur durch dich
Klagt ein Vogel, ach auch mein Gefieder
Näßt der Regen flieg ich durch die Welt
Dizzy ist knapp achtzehn
und ein ganz lässiger Typ.
Auf ihn fliegen alle Mädchen,
uh, sie finden ihn süß.
Es klappte auch mit Biggi,
sie war einfach dran.
Doch es hielt nicht ewig,
nur den Urlaub lang.
Hat sie fast vergessen,
doch da kam ein Brief.
Sie hat nie Pillen gegessen,
und daß sie ein Baby kriegt.
Seine Lehrlingsrente
ist nicht gerade stark.
Jetzt kommen noch Alimente,
das ist eine ganz schöne Mark.
Früher hatte Dizzy über alle gelacht,
die da sagten: Mensch gib ein bißchen acht.
Jetzt muß Dizzy erstmal die Lehre bestehen,
doch da bleibt das Leben ja nicht stehen.
Dizzy ist jetzt nicht mehr so, wie er mal war.
Irgendwie da wird ihm einiges klar.
Geht an alles jetzt ganz anders ran,
Ich kenn den Friedhof hinterm Gaswerk, wo's nach Teer und Efeu
roch.
Ich kenn den Wind beim Trümmerbunker und meinen Drachen seh ich
noch
verboten dicht am Schornstein fliegen, der sich zu Stalins Ehren
streckt.
Die Mauern, über die wir stiegen, warn grau und weiß vom
Taubendreck.
Berlin.
Da fuhren noch die Straßenbahnen bis an den Streifen
Niemandsland,
wo für die armen Zonenkinder ein Wanzenkino offenstand.
Heut seh ich vom Balkon bei Mutter da drüben den Mercedesstern,
Reklame für McDonalds-Futter und Türken, die die Straße kehrn.
In Berlin.
Am Dönhoffplatz traf sich die Clique mit Jumping Jack und Lucy
Sky.
Im Dschungel an der Hochbahnbrücke war Rudi auch noch mit dabei.
Was haben was von langen Haaren und viel von echten Jeans gewußt,
da ging die erste Liebe vom Frühling bis in den August.
In Berlin.
Seitdem brach Wohlstand aus den Poren und bunte Kacheln aus
Beton.
Es wurde manches neugeboren - so zum Beispiel du, Susann.
Once it's clear then this will last forever
Isn't a blissful frenzy condemning night
Nor is it a pain or simply candles glow
Dawn's grey is the halflight long chased away
Having pressed the feeling through and through
This is mine, is mine because of you
No more cooling brow against the window pane
When the heavy mist has freed its rein
Having pressed the feeling through and through
This is mine, is mine because of you
A bird cries O but he laughed the rain
Wet my feathers too flying through this world
Sie sah aus, wie du.
Und sie roch wie du.
Und sie fasste zu,
genau wie du.
Ihre Hand wie deine,
ging mir unter's Hemd,
aber sonst war alles
an ihr fremd.
Ich hab an ihr geleckt.
mit "Augen; zu".;
Und sie hat geschmeckt,
genau wie du.
Und ihr Saft wie deiner.
Hat mich überschwemmt.
Aber sonst war alles
an ihr fremd.
Wie du-keine ist wie du.
Komm zurück zu mir, drück'ein Auge zu.
Es tut mir leid, dass ich dich verwechselt hab'.
Ohne dich lieg'ich im Bett, als wär's mein Grab.
Sie griff einfach zu.
Direkt wie du,
sie war scharf wie du.
Und sie kam wie du.
Du, sie schrie wie du.
Völlig ungehemmt.
aber sonst war alles
Ich steh hier - du hinter mir
Ich seh dich - du mich nicht.
Manches Mal sprech ich mit dir
Doch du, du antwortest nicht.
Schattenbild, Schattenbild
Bin ich allein - nur du bist bei mir
doch du bist mir kein Trost.
Deine Bewegung gebe ich dir.
Du bist mein, mein Phantom.
Schattenbild, Schattenbild
Ohne Gefühl - Du bist stumm,du bist taub.
Ohne Gefühl - Du gibst nie einen Laut.
Ohne Gefühl.
Finsternis ruft dich fort,
Du verlierst mein Gesicht.
Tu nicht so, als gehörst du zu mir.
Dein Herr ist das Licht.
Schattenbild, Schattenbild
Ohne Gefühl - Du bist stumm,du bist taub.
Ohne Gefühl - Du gibst nie einen Laut.
So wie der Hund zum Vollmond heult,
so wie die Gier das Blut verbeult,
so soll es sein für immer
in unserem Zimmer.
Sobald es hinterm Auge pocht,
solang die Frage glimmt im Docht.
Woher wir stammen
sind wir auch zusammen.
Zieh dich aus, zieh dich aus,
zur Feier des Tages ganz nackt.
Was immer auc die Zukunft bringt,
du weißt nicht wie das Pendel schwingt.
Ob überhaupt je wieder,
vielleicht fällt es nieder.
Die Schönheit ist so messerscharf,
sie schneidet nur, was bluten darf.
Sie läßt sich nicht erweichen
Flieg ich durch die Welt
Alles schon gemacht - alles schon getan
Alles bis ans Ziel gebracht
Auf- und abwärts wie die Achterbahn.
Alles schon gehört - alles schon geseh'n
Alles in der Hand gehabt, weggelegt,
Vergraben und versenkt.
Alles war auf Leerlauf eingestellt,
Dann kamst du -
Jetzt flieg ich durch die Welt.
Immer obenauf - immer mittendrin,
Immer alles mitgespielt,
Immer auf der Flucht nach nirgendshin.
Immer mit der Angst,
Dass man was versäumt,
Dass, das plötzlich alles war,
Abgeräumt, verschüttet, ausgeträumt.
Manchmal spürt man, wie die Zeit anhält.
Dann kamst du -
Ich schöpfe aus der Quelle des Lebens,
tief hinein versenke ich meine Schale.
Wenn ich der Spiegel bin und Bilder male.
Fahl ist der Schein des Mondes in der Nacht
und es gleiten die Träume
auf dem Atem ihrer Macht.
Das Kleine im Großen
und das Große im Kleinen.
Die Dinge sind nicht immer, wie sie scheinen.
Ich bin der Weg und der Wanderer zugleich.
Arm und reich-der Lügner.
Und wahrhaftig auf eine Streich,
alles in ständiger Bewegung-es fließt.
Da ist mehr als du siehst.
Es sind nicht alle frei, die ihrer Ketten spotten.
Nicht alle Kälber wollen umhertrotten.
Soviel geredet und doch nichts gesagt.
Wer nicht denkt irrt sich oft.
Ahnungslos, wer nicht hinterfragt.
Refrain:
Ich bin der Weg und der Wanderer zugleich,
arm und reich.
Der Lügner und wahrhaftig auf einen Streich.
Viele Wege bin ich schon gegangen.
Und am Ende stand immer der Anfang.
Ich bin der Weg und der Wanderer zugleich,
arm und reich.
Der Lügner und wahrhaftig auf eine Streich.
Viele Wege werd ich noch gehen,
Die Dinge sehen und versuchen zu verstehen.
In die Tiefe will ich steigen,
denn im Abgrund wohnt die Wahrheit.
Nur die Fülle führt zur Klarheit.
Andächtig schwärmen ist leichter,
als gut zu handeln,
oder eben sich zu wandeln.
Der Geist allein haucht dem Leben Leben ein.
Bist du im Herzen ein Knecht
wirst du niemals frei sein!
Das Sein ist ein Spiel.
Der Weg ist das Ziel.
Alles für Alle, dann hat ein Jeder viel.
Was du sein willst, das werde.
Durch den Raum schwimmt die Erde-
wir sind gekommen, um zu gehen,
wurden geboren, um zu sehen,
dass wir uns um das Zentrum drehen.
Willst du das Leben, dann leiste die Tat.
Willst du die Früchte, so ack're die Saat.
Mein Bett steht zwanzig Zentimeter neben deinem.
Meine Lampe könnte gut bis in deine Stube scheinen.
Wenn du lachst, klingt es herüber wie aus einem andern Land.
Wand an Wand.
Wie du heißt, steht an der Klingel, und ich kenne deine Stimme
vom Guten Morgen an der Haustür. Manchmal höre ich dich singen.
Wenn du lachst, klingt es herüber wie aus einem andern Land.
Wand an Wand.
Wenn du nachts nicht schlafen kannst, drehst du dich zu mir
herüber,
und ich kühle deine Stirn und weiß nichts von deinem Fieber.
Und dieselben gelben Nelken welken von den Wänden.
Und du weinst, wie aus einem andern Land.
Wand an Wand.
Trotz nur zwanzig Zentimeter kriegen wir uns nicht zu fassen.
Wollen wir uns kennenlernen, müssen wir das Haus verlassen.
Wenn du lachst, klingt es herüber wie aus einem andern Land.
Du machst dich rar
Auf meinem Radar.
Du machst dich rar
Auf meinem Radar.
Die Ausicht macht promt,
daß sie weiterkommt.
Du machst dich rar
Auf meinem Radar.
Gefahr, Gefahr, Gefahr, Gefahr.
Dann ist deine Nähe
Wieder bunte Magie.
Dann ist deine Nähe
Wieder bunte Magie.
Macht mir weich Knie
Ich will Garantie.
Macht mir weich Knie
Ich will Garantie.
Wann bist du mir endlich erkenntlich?
Wann bist du mir nicht mehr unendlich?
Wackelkontakt, Wackelkontakt.
Du machst dich rar
Auf meinem Radar.
Dann ist deine Nähe
Wieder bunte Magie.
Liebe geht an und aus.
Liebe geht an und aus.
Wer hat dich auf mich angesetzt?
Du hast mich infiltriert.
Du hast mein Sperrgebiet verletzt
und du bist einmarschiert.
Du bist die Unterwanderung
und restlos subversiv.
Die Invasion am wunden Punkt,
der Griff in mein Archiv.
Du holst heraus was in mir steckt
du hast mich überrollt
geknackt, geködert, abgecheckt
und völlig umgepolt.
Du bist, was aus der Kälte kam,
verdeckt und provokant.
Kaum nehme ich dich in den Arm,
hast du mich in der Hand.
Wer hat dich eigendlich geschickt?
Verrat mir, wem soviel an mir liegt?
Wer, wer, wer,
wer läßt nicht locker, wer ist hinter mir her?
Die Liga harter Männer,
die quasi GPU?
Die Ratten und die Fänger
vom FBICQ?
Die Brüder aus dem Osten,
die Firma aus Wildwest?
Wer läßt sich das was kosten,
für wen machst du den Test?
Gaddafi, die Camorra?
Die Regenmantelcrew?
Die Republik Andorra
oder doch nur du?
Wer hat dich eigendlich geschickt?
Gib mir'n Zeichen, wem soviel an mir liegt?
Wer, wer, wer?
Du - ich spüre dein Gesicht
Du - ich spüre dein Gesicht
Du - ich spüre dein Gesicht
Du - ich spüre dein Gesicht
Du - mach die Augen zu
Du - mach die Augen zu
Du - mach die Augen zu
Du - ich spüre dein Gesicht
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut
so laut
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Du - ich küsse deinen Mund
Du - ich küsse deinen Mund
Du - ich küsse deinen Mund
Du - mach deine Augen
Du - ich will dich ganz und gar
Du - ich will dich ganz und gar
Du - ich will dich jetzt total
Ich spüre dein Gesicht, ich küsse deinen Mund
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Unter der Haut, da stöhnt das Blut so laut
Unser Schuldirektor kann nicht mehr
Tausende Verpflichtungen an ihm zehr'n
Nun sitzt er im Schulbüro
und geht langsam so k.o.
Unser Schuldirektor fühlt sich alt und schwach
Ungezählte Nächte liegt er wach
Und dann träumt er sehr diffus
Ja, dann packt ihn leis der Blues
Unser Schuldirektor denkt dran wie's früher war
Damals trug er selber schulterlanges Haar
Die Zeit, die rinnt wie Sand
Durch die Finger seiner Hand
Dann träumt er shr diffus
Du sagst du willst was schaffen
Was wirklch Großes
Du schleppst nur Nierensteine
Doch du nennst dich Moses
Du sagst du bist nah dran
Bist kurz davor
Also mach schon Mann
Und kau mir nicht am Ohr
Fang an, fang an, fang an, fang an
Fang an, geh ran, komm in die Gänge
Now is the time, here is the place
Bei den Sieger herrscht schon
mächtig Gegränge
Du sagst du wartest nur
Auf den entscheidenen Moment
Doch der entscheidet nie
Und die Sanduhr rennt
Die Gesellschaft ist Schuld
Und der äußere Umstand
Prophet im eigenen Land
He was my best friend, really like a brother
We had such nerve, it never failed
Used to be the fastest, we beat all the others
Noone there to challenge, they were all afraid
We traded in the first bikes, got a couple others
Sitting on the saddles, we started feeling power
Added more and more CC's, tried to find perfection
We could fly so fast we'd leave them scared for hours
Later when we finally bought the top of the line
Oh how those motorcycles filled up all our fantasy
Then it was too late, childhood behind
We were living in a speedworld ecstasy
40 - 60 - 80 dreams fell through
we saw the world in different colours
40 - 60 - 80 living in another world
we had the devil at our sides
40 - 60 - 80 not a single mile slower
we only saw the others behind us
40 - 60 - 80 we weren't stupid kids
we were the awesome new kings of every highway
Top of the line
Top of the line
80 - 90 - 100 and then came the end
I heard him cry and found the street was a sea of red
80 - 90 - 100 my best friend was dead
Now, the very next morning
Girl is kind of ashamed
Sorry about the boy last night
Wish he'd called her her name
Girl makes a decision
If she'll meet that boy again
Girl won't try to resist him
She'll kiss him again
Annas Mutter war vierzig, da kam Vater nach Hause,
nicht nach Stettin, Wittenberg war das jetzt
und lag rechts von der Elbe. Der Schutt war der selbe,
doch rechts von der Elbe war er russisch besetzt -
in der Steinzeit.
Anna war immer bereit in der Schule,
von der Mauer in Berlin hat sie kaum was gespürt.
Chrustschow war vergnüglich, der Sputnik vorzüglich
und die Fahne voran hat ihr sehr imponiert -
in der Steinzeit.
Anna blieb treu bis auf ein, zwei, drei Male.
Ihr Hochzeitsgeschirr ist heut noch wie neu.
Sie kommt gern auf den Kern und sie achtet auf Schale
und ruft man sie auf, ist sie wieder dabei.
Sie trägt ihre Mark auf verschiedene Märkte,
berät und beschließt in diversem Verein.
Sie hat alles getan, was erhöhte und stärkte
und hat immer gewußt, sie ist nicht allein -
in der Steinzeit.
Sie ist bei der Zeitung, da liest sie die Briefe
und antwortet drauf nach Regel und Maß.
Frohsinn macht Freude, heißt ihre Seite,
doch immer nur Frohsinn macht auch keinen Spaß.
Das merkt sie beim Anstehn, beim Fernsehn und Fremdgehn.
Sie liest ihre eigene Zeitung nicht mehr.
Sie ist geschult und geschieden und im Grunde zufrieden,
Bald ist sie vierzig und sie fürchtet sich sehr -
Stein auf Stein
Stein auf Stein...
Dieser Ritt übern Tag,
Noch ein Tritt, noch ein Schlag,
Du steckst sie ein,
Stark willst du sein,
Stark und härter als Stein
Wie ein rollender Stein.
Dieser Blick ohne Trost,
Noch ein Hieb, noch ein Stoß,
Du bist allein,
Stolz willst du sein,
Stolz und kälter als Stein.
Wie ein eisiger Stein
Wie ein Stein
Stein auf Stein
Und kein Meißel befreit
aus der steinernen Zeit
Erst eine Hand
Wärmt diese Wand
und macht Steine zu Sand.
Eine wärmende Hand.
Stein um Stein
Sonnabendmittag, da gehts los.
Langeweile ganz groß.
Er wartet drauf, das was geschieht
und im Fernsehen das ist nichts.
Hab so manches Wochenend
auch schon auf der Couch verpennt.
Jeden Tag das selbe geht ihm auf den Keks.
Heute muß doch endlich irgendwas passieren.
Und er startet die Motoren,
stellt 'n Bleifuß rauf aufs Gas.
Und dann dreht er ein paar Runden.
Erst ab 100 machts ihm Spaß.
Steht er auf der Straße rum,
das ist ihm doch selbst zu dumm.
Sonnabendmittag
Ob er in die Kneipe läuft
und sich wieder mal besäuft.
Langsam kommt es in ihm hoch:
Er haßt das Kaff in dem er wohnt.
Jeden Tag das selbe geht ihm auf den Keks.
Heute muß doch endlich irgendwas passieren.
Und er startet die Motoren,
stellt 'n Bleifuß rauf aufs Gas.
Und dann dreht er ein paar Runden.
Erst ab 100 machts ihm Spaß.
Aufm Rücksitz noch'n Mädel,
das dann in dem Kurven kreischt.
Ja er startet die Motoren und hebt ab.
Und hebt ab.
If I've got something to tell yoIf I've got
If I've got something to tell you
If I've got something to ask you
I pick up my guitar
And everything is so easy
I sing about rock and roll
I sing about rock and roll
I sing about rock and roll
and you'll understand
If I got something to tell you, girl
Tell you all about love and stuff
I pick up my guitar
And I don't need to say another word
I sing about rock and roll...
and you understand
I sing about rock and roll...
We sing about rock and roll...
We talk about rock and roll...
Wenn der Wind dreht, trifft mich der Rauch,
Worte im Wind drehen sich auch -
So hoch
Wörterdrachen aus blauem Dunst,
Sprüche aus Staub, sie trugen uns -
So hoch
Unsere Flügel waren aus Stroh,
Von müdem Papier und die Sonne schien -
So hoch
Dreh dich nicht um,
auch wenn ich schrei.
Irgendwann vielleicht
Hast du den Stern erreicht.
Doch nun bist du mir nur noch -
Zu hoch.
Muß ich eben ohne dich leben,
Mit nackten Armen und ohne zu schweben -
So hoch
Lang vorbei, daß du versprachst,
Komm und flieg mit, so zieh mir nach -
So hoch
Wenn der Wind dreht, trifft mich der Rauch,
Worte im Wind drehen sich auch -
So hoch
Dreh dich nicht um,
auch wenn ich schrei.
Irgendwann vielleicht
Hast du den Stern erreicht.
Doch nun bist du mir nur noch -
Ich bin der Sisyphus
In meiner Schule
Ich müh mich redlich
Und komm nicht zu Stuhle
Die Lehrer meinen
Ich hätte noch Reserven
Doch wenn ihr mich fragt
Das ist'n Gerücht
Ich bin der Sisyphus
das ist'n hartes Brot
Wenn ich'n Zeugnis bring
Sehn meine Alten rot
Ich wäre undankbar
und eine Schande
Ich pauke tierisch
Mir stehts bis zum Rand
Ich bin der Sisyphus
Und Vaters ganzer Stolz
Er paukt mir Mathe ein
Ich frage ihn was soll's
Er hört Vokabeln ab
Ich krieg 'ne Meise
Der ist ja schlimmer noch
Als all die Lehrer zusamm'
Ich bin der Sisyphus
Und weiß das eine nur
Gebt mir 'ne Arbeit
Und nehmt das Abitur
Ich wills nicht haben
Mir reicht 'n guter Job
Um euch zu zeigen
Komm ich von der Schicht nach Haus,
du machst den Klatihade draus.
Möchte dir gern was erzähln,
doch ich weiß das wird nicht weh.
Uh, du merkst es nicht einmal,
zwischen uns da stinkts total.
Und das Farbfernsehgerät
flimmert wieder ganz schön blöd.
Baby, schalt doch mal endlich die Glotze aus.
Baby,
Baby, mein Überlastungsschutz ist kaputt.
Baby, Oh unsere Liebe geht über Schutt.
Unsere Freunde kommen nicht mehr
das Fernsehen langweilt sie zu sehr.
Ja seitdem die Straßenbahn steht
sitzt du nur vor dem Gerät.
Ob in Farbe oder Schwarzweiß,
du siehst wirlich jeden Scheiß.
Baby, schalt doch mal endlich die Glotze aus.
Baby, sonst zieht mein Lied Sicherung raus.
Baby, mein Überlastungsschutz ist kaputt.
Baby, und unsere Liebe geht über Schutt.
Immerfort aber immer Thröne
und dazu 'nen bißchen Dröhne
Vielleicht kommt noch Kinderschwein
und das soll dann alles sein.
Wie kommt es das du nicht bei mir liegst
in dieser Nacht.
Weil mir dein warmer Körper fehlt
bin ich erwacht.
Ich habe mich an dich gewöhnt
wie an die Fee,
die aus dem Ring am Finger springt,
wenn ich nur dreh.
An den Wänden steht was ich weiß
und die Wände lehnen enger im Kreis.
Wirf doch die Rosen auf den Müll.
Dir war's zu wenig, mir wird's zu viel.
Passiert denn außer dir und mir
nichts auf der Welt.
Ich träume oft von Afrika
und Löwen vor meinem Zelt.
Ich sehe dich noch im weißen Kleid,
Blumen drumrum.
Das war ein Ding für die Ewigkeit,
doch die ist nun um.
An den Wänden steht was ich weiß
und die Wände lehnen enger im Kreis.
Wirf doch die Rosen auf den Müll.
Dir war's zu wenig, mir wird's zu viel.
Vorbei, vorbei, nananana ...
Wirf doch die Rosen auf den Müll.
Die Gardinen wehen leise,
seit du fortgegangen bist.
Casablanca, gute Reise,
der Abspann läuft vorbei und grüßt.
Wie im Bahnhofskino:
auf der Leinwand regnet's schon.
Einsam hocke ich im Bunker
ohne Ziel und Munition.
Und ich, und ich - gebe Rauchzeichen
von meinen Balkon!
Seit du fort bist, ist mir wieder so,
als wär die Zeit erfror'n.
Am Stadtrand wird die Nacht erschossen,
das Schweigen hockt im Telefon.
Und ich, und ich - gebe Rauchzeichen von meinem Balkon!
Der Morgen schmeckt nach Asche,
im Kino wechselt das Programm.
Nicht noch einmal "Play; It Again Sam",
heut' fängt "Spur; der Steine" an.
Das Beste kommt zur Zeit von Osten,
das ist die Gegend wo ich wohn'.
Im Foyer vom Leinwandhimmel, auf dem Wege ins Parkett
gibts was Süßes aus der Tüte, was zum Knabbern vom Tablett.
Dort nimmt sie vorm dritten Läuten ihre Handvoll Silber ein,
Sweetheart mit der kurzen Schürze, und sie will woanders sein.
Weg vom dürren Kokosläufer unterm Notbeleuchtungsschein,
aus der Luft von alten Sesseln will sie weg, sie will woanders
sein.
Ob nach Tara, nach Altlanta ist ihr dabei einerlei.
"Vom; Wind verweht" hat angefangen und sie will woanders sein.
Wo die Palmen sich verneigen, wo die Purpursonne weint,
will sie in die Gondel steigen und sie will woanders sein.
Wo die Palmen sich verneigen, wo die Purpursonne weint,
will sie in die Gondel steigen und sie will woanders sein.
Sie hat ein Zimmer an der Ecke, wo die Eisenbahnen schrein.
Kurzer Lichtschein an der Decke und sie will woanders sein.
Wenn die Leinwandsterne funkeln, packst sie Keks und Kleingeld
ein,
gönnt sich eine Liebesperle und sie will woanders sein.
Wo die Palmen sich verneigen, wo die Purpursonne weint,
Bin ich zu haus, ruhe mich aus
Das Radio dröhnt, das finde ich schön
Ja, dann hör ich mal richtig Musik
Stöhnt dann der Baß, da klapp ich fast ab
und ich weiß nicht, was es Schöneres gibt
Ja, dann kommt der Punkt so irgendwann
Da leg ich mir 'ne Platte auf
Nur ein Sound macht mich dann an:
Nur Rock'n Roll
Nur Rock'n Roll
Bin ich auf Tour, das kommt öfter vor
Vier Wochen und mehr, glaube mir das ist 'ne Welt
Spielt dann 'ne Band, in einer Stadt
Da fährt schon was ab
Und ich weiß nicht, was es Schöneres gibt
Ja, dann kommt der Punkt, so irgendwann
Da sing ich nur noch einen Song
Nur ein Sound macht mich dann an:
Nur Rock'n Roll
Wir haben alle Tage deutsches Vollkornbrot und Aromatee.
Wir haben selbstbewußte Mineralverluste und ein Haus am See.
Wir haben Hochglanzlack, einen Pachtvertrag und den Frühinfarkt.
Leben heißt Life - das macht den Drive.
Das macht das Flair, was will man mehr?
Noch'n Bier! Noch'n Bier!
Wir haben Vorsatzschützer, einen Softerhitzer und Neutralnitrat.
Wier haben Yup-Dep-Music und'n CAD/CAM-Drummer in den
Chip-Chop-Charts.
Wir haben Bubblegum, wir ham'n Schwabbelschwamm und'n
Schonprogramm.
Leben heißt Life - das macht den Drive.
Das macht das Flair, was will man mehr?
Noch'n Bier! Noch'n Bier!
Wir haben 6-6-6 goldne Löffel im Besteck und'n TV-Set.
Wir haben vakuumverstärkte Denkexperten und ein Kuschelbett.
Leben heißt Life - das macht den Drive.
Das macht das Flair, was will man mehr?
Noch'n Bier! Noch'n Bier!
Noch'n Bier und'n Korn!
Ich weiß noch ganz genau
wie deine Standpauke klang.
Du sagst ich tauge nur
für den untergang.
Ich weiß noch ganz genau
wie du mich ausgelacht hast,
dass ich nur Bahnhof versteh
und du die Züge verpasst.
Im Rahmen des Möglichen
hängt ein Bild von mir.
Ich find mich ziemlich gut getroffen.
Wie gafalle ich dir?
Komm, erlös mich aus der Pose,
mach mich wieder lebendig
und dann fall ich nicht von selber
für irgendwelche Damen aus dem Rahmen.
Nie wieder sollst du meinetwegen weinen.
Nie weider sollst du meinetwegen weinen.
Nie wieder soll die schwarze Sonne scheinen.
Nie wieder sollst du meinetwegen weinen.
Ich weiß noch ganz genau
wie gut das früher mal war.
Deine Haut Milch vom Mond.
Gold wie Venus dein Haar.
Ich weiß noch ganz genau
das war jede Sünde wert.
Alles lief wie von selbst,
Komm und tritt ein
Langsam in den Neonschein.
Was die dunkle Nacht verspricht,
Findet sich im Neonlicht.
Komm, komm, komm.
Rot, rot, so rot
strahlt der Neongott.
Er macht deine Augen weich,
Zeichnet Licht und Schatten gleich.
Neongott, Neongott.
Komm,komm es tut gut,
Denn die heiße Neonglut
Löscht die bittren Zweifel aus,
Wird ein bunter Traum daraus.
Neongott, Neongott.
Wenn er seinen Mantel nimmt,
Bist du ausgebrannt und blind.
Es ist nichts aus uns geworden
Als ein Morgen mit Kaffee,
Ein paar hergeholte Worte
Über Nacht. Man kennt die Sorte
Und vergißt sie, wenn man geht
Wo nichts ist, da kann nichts werden
Deine Tür schließt hinter mir.
Es ist kalt am Rand der Erde
Und von mehr war nicht die Rede.
Ist kein Wunder, wenn man friert.
Das ist der Morgenmond,
Ein Stein am Horizont.
Ein trister Morgenmond
Und unbewohnt.
Irgendwo stehst Du am Fenster.
Wir sind wieder irgendwer.
Vögel fallen aus den Nestern.
Heute ist ein Tag wie gestern.
Warum schaust du hinterher?
Das ist der Morgenmond,
Ein Stein am Horizont.
Ein trister Morgenmond
Und unbewohnt.
Es ist nichts aus uns geworden
Als ein Morgen mit Kaffee,
Ein paar hergeholte Worte
Über Nacht. Man kennt die Sorte
Und vergißt sie, wenn man geht.
Das ist der Morgenmond,
Auf meiner Stirn, da steht der Schweiß.
Es wechselt zwischen kalt und heiß.
Auch wenn ich schrei,
Trotzdem es ist vorbei,
Und meine Wände stürzen ein.
Dich lockt die Freiheit und nicht das Geld.
Du willst nicht mich, du willst die Welt
Du wirst jetzt gehn,
Auch wenn du mich nicht fragst.
Doch manches hätt' ich gerne noch gesagt.
Kontakt laüft nur noch übers Telefon.
Kontakt läuft nur noch übers Telefon.
Kontakt läuft nur noch übers Telefon.
Und mir wird kalt dabei.
Da, wo du bist, da ist dir warm.
Irina hatt den längeren Arm.
Schön' Gruß an Rudi
Und wenn du ihn siehst:
'Da dabben dudi dudi dei'.
Er war mein bester Freund
Fast so wie ein Bruder
Unser Jungenmut verließ uns nie
Schon mit unser'n Rollern
Hatten wir's geschafft
Keiner hat es je gegen uns gewagt
Die Roller wurden getauscht
Gegen ein schnelleres Rad
In den Sätteln spürten wir schon die
große Macht
Und dann kamen die Mopeds
Das war fast perfekt
Wir waren jetzt der absolute
Straßenschreck
Später als wir endlich
Auf'ner Trophy saßen
Als die Maschinen unsere Seelen besaßen
Da war es längst zu spät
Unsere Kindheit war aus
Wir lebten jetzt in einem
Geschwindigkeitsrausch
70 - 80 - 90
Träume wurden wahr
Wir sahen die Welt in
anderen Farben
70 - 80 - 90
Das war'ne andere Welt
Zu uns hatte sich der
Tufel gesellt
70 - 80 - 90
Das mußte stehn
Die ander'n haben uns nur
Von hinten gesehn
70 - 80 - 90
Wir waren doch keine Hasen
wir war'n die Könige der
Straßen
Meister aller Klassen
Meister aller Klassen
80 - 90 - 100
Dann war alles vorbei
Ich hörte nur noch einen
letzten Schrei
80 - 90 - 100
Mein Freund war tot
Er lag in einer Lache von
Blut
80 - 90 - 100
Die Lampe sieht aus wie die Sonne.
Die Tücher sind grün wie das Gras.
Zu oft gewaschen, sehr verblaßt.
Kein wirkliches Grün - aber fast.
Die Schwestern sind alle sehr sachlich.
Die Tücher sind grün wie das Gras.
Die Lampe sieht aus wie die Sonne.
Den Arzt hat sie gar nicht erfaßt.
Ging ganz präzise, alles ging glatt.
Nicht direkt bis ins Herz - aber fast.
Die Schwestern sind alle sehr sachlich,
Den Arzt hat sie gar nicht erfaßt.
Die Lampe tut weh wie die Sonne.
Die Tücher sind eine Last.
Du hast dich entschieden und das war's,
Du hast das bessere Gedächtnis
Du weißt genau, wann das war,
so Anfang September schätz ich.
Vielleicht war's auch ein and'res Jahr.
Da hast Du irgendwas erlogen
von wegen Studium und Quartier
und abends bist Du eingezogen,
Johanna wohnte noch bei mir.
Mach was, mach was ich lieb Dich ...
Du hast das bessere Gedächtnis,
das Du nicht angefangen hast,
klingt weiterhin verdächtig.
Ich glaube Du verwechselst das.
Du warst nicht wieder auszutreiben
und wie es kam war vorher klar.
Johanna ging Du konntest bleiben,
egal wie grob ich zu Dir war.
Mach was, mach was ich lieb Dich ...
Du hast das bessere Gedächtnis.
Du nagelst mich immer noch fest.
Du bist entsetzlich verläßlich.
Du bist, was keine Lücke läßt.
Du bist mein Datum im Kalender.
Du weißt noch wie das Wetter war
seit sieben Jahren unverändert.
Vielleicht war's auch ein and'res Jahr.
Baby, I love you
Honey, yes I really do
You know, I love with all my heart, hon',
With all my heart and with all my soul,
Yes, I really do
Darling, you've gotta believe me,
I love you
Sugar, I love you so,
With every bleeding drop of my heart
And if you would ever choose to part from me honey,
You know, you know it would shatter my heart
Baby, I've got to convince you
I've got to convince you that it's really true
That I love you
Down to the very tips of my toes
And if you would ever, ever, consider moving away from me hon
I will swear to you that wouldn't know where I would
ever, ever, ever, ever go
Sugar, don't you hear me calling
Baby, you've got to know that it's true
'Cause when I say that I love you with every bleeding drop of my heart baby
You know that every word is true
C'mon honey, believe that every word I say is true
And sugar come on and take me
You've gotta stay with me
Du kamst mir entgegen,
ich sagte nur ja.
Wir standen im Regen
und niemand war da,
außer uns beiden
auf dieser Welt.
Wir fielen so tief,
wie nur in Liebe man fällt.
Wir waren vor Nässe
schön wie das Glück.
Es wärmte die Nähe
und gab kein zurück.
Ich sah deine Augen
und wir fielen so tief,
wie nur in Liebe man fällt
Lieben und lieben lassen.
Glauben, hoffen und hassen,
zittern vor Glück und in kalter Wut
tun, was man doch aus Liebe nur tut.
Wir waren zwei Sterne
und waren ein Licht.
Wir zogen uns und hielten uns nicht.
Das Licht ist erloschen,
die Nacht erhellt.
Wir fielen so tief,
wie man nur in Liebe fällt.
Lieben und lieben lassen...
und sah meine Welt.
und wir fielen so tief,
wie nur in Liebe man fällt
Lieben und lieben lassen.
Glauben, hoffen und hassen,
zittern vor Glück und in kalter Wut
tun, was man doch aus Liebe nur tut.
Wir waren zwei Sterne
und waren ein Licht.
Wir zogen uns und hielten uns nicht.
Das Licht ist erloschen,
die Nacht erhellt.
Wir fielen so tief,
wie man nur in Liebe fällt.
Ist dir nicht auch so, als ob uns wer zuschaut
Grad wenn wir heiß auf uns sind?
Du sagst: wer soll uns denn zuschaun? Du siehst nichts.
Du sagst, du bist doch nicht blind.
Ich sag, es ist nur so'n Gefühl,
Nur so'n Kribbeln im Genick.
Wenn überhaupt, dann ist es gewiß
Kein gewöhnlicher Blick.
Ich geh auf'n Balkon und werf einen Blick
In den heimlichen Himmel hinein.
Am großen Wagen dort das fünfte Rad
Das muß der "coole;" Kollege sein.
Er streicht mit seiner Parabolantenne
Über den Leib meiner Frau.
Und ich steh daneben als wär ich k.o.
Und fühle mich fade und flau.
Liebe, Liebe unterm Satellit
Liebe, Liebe unterm Satellit
Ich geh zu Frau Doktor, denn ich fürchte das Ding
Bringt mich ganz um den Vestand.
Die sieht mich auf einmal so merkwürdig an
Und greift nach meiner Hand
"Sein; Sie leise und komm' Sie mit",
Flüstert sie und macht mich an,
Sie hätte im Keller einen Extra-Raum,
Wo er uns nicht sehen kann.
Liebe, Liebe unterm Satellit
Ich hab was gegen kalte Füße
Ich hab was gegen Prügelein
Ich hasse jene bittre Süße
Die haftet am Zufriedensein
Ich hab was gegen Angst und Lüge
Das Schweigen ist ein kleiner Tod
Und eh' ich mich in Demut füge
Schrei ich heraus, was mich bedroht
Ich habe was gegen Raketen
Die auf mich gerichtet sind
Ich habe Angst da hilft kein Bitten
Da hilft nur, daß wir einig sind
Ich hab was gegen Marionetten
Die einen Krieg heraufbeschwören
Die sich in dicke Bunker retten
Wenn die Menschen aufbegehrn
Ich hab was gegen Kriegsgewinne
Gegen diesen Judaslohn
Ich hab was gegen Pulverfässer
Und fühl, die Lunten brennen schon
Ich habe was gegen Raketen
Die auf mich gerichtet sind
Ich habe Angst da hilft kein Bitten
Das sie sich nicht meldet ist es doch gerade,
was schnell wieder wird, hält nicht lange, wär schade.
Je länger was dauert, desto schöner wird's später,
so ist das bei Frauen, das weiß doch jeder.
Und von wegen verlassen, stimmt auch nicht so ganz,
sie läßt dich in Frieden, und gibt dir 'ne Chance.
Denn sie liebt dich noch immer,
mach dir nicht's draus,
mach's nicht noch schlimmer,
komm und trink aus.
Das sie nicht's von dir will, ist gar nicht gesagt,
sie hat nicht umsonst nach dem Konto gefragt.
Das sie's gesperrt hat war auch nicht verkehrt,
sie ist dir teuer und du bist ihr was wert.
Das sie die Möbel verkauft hat, spricht auch dafür,
wenn sie zurück kommt, dann nur wegen dir.
Denn sie liebt dich noch immer, ...
Das sie woanders schläft ist nicht böse gemeint,
sie schläft jetzt mit mir, und ich bin dein Freund.
Stell dir vor, da stiegen noch andere drüber,
so bleibt's unter uns, und mir ist's auch lieber.
Du mußt mir nicht danken, ist doch normal,
bestell' noch'n Bier und erledigt der Fall.
Sie nennen ihn Nobi.
Er ist nicht groß, er ist nicht klein,
ziemlich stark, fast schon ein Mann.
Im zweiten Lehrjahr,
dort fällt er nicht auf,
er ist nicht gut, auch nicht schlecht,
na ja, so lala.
Er liebt Jeans und T-Shirts,
anders sah'n die Leute aus seiner Straße
ihn noch nie an der Ecke stehn.
Und mit seinen Kumpels frisiert er die Mopeds,
fährt um den Block.
Leute bleiben stehn,
sie sind geschockt.
Und in seinen Gedanken ist er der
King vom Prenzlauer Berg.
Und hat er mal Ärger
mit einem Typ, der sich maust,
setzt es bei ihm aus, zeigt er die Faust.
Er ist schon bekannt dafür, daß er gerne haut,
und man weiß genau:
wen er trifft, der steht nicht mehr auf.
Und so ist es im Klub geschehn
dort bekam er Streit
wegen einem Zahn,
und er führte sich auf wie Dschingis-Khan.
Und der Bruder Alkohol tat ihm dabei gar nicht wohl,
er hat nicht mehr gewußt, was er da tat.
Und in seinen Gedanken ist er der
King vom Prenzlauer Berg.
Als er wieder nüchtern war,
da fühlte er sich ziemlich allein.
Und seine Kumpels heizten ihm ein.
Denn auf Schläger stehn sie nicht
und langsam wurde ihm dann klar,
daß ihm der Thron genommen war.
Morgen werden sie's uns bringen,
morgen tönen die Schalmein
und man führt von allen Dingen
auch das letzte bei uns ein.
Dann kaufst du es dir auf Raten,
dann kauf ich es mir in bar.
Nächstes Jahr ist nicht mehr wichtig,
wie es hieß und was es war.
Morgen tönen die Trompeten,
morgen bieten sie es an:
Einen Firlefanz für jeden,
einen Furz für jedermann.
Morgen werden sie's uns geben.
Morgen wissen wir's genau.
Keine Angst vorm überleben.
Markseidank und Schrottvertrau.
Morgen tönen die Posaunen,
morgen brauchen wir es auch:
Einen Wegwurf zum Bestaunen,
einen umweltfreien Rauch.
Morgen tauschen wir den Schlittschuh-
gegen einen Tennisstar.
Hinterher ist nicht zu fassen,
daß es das gewesen war.
Morgen werden sie's uns bringen,
morgen tönen die Schalmein
Morgen tönen die Trompeten,
morgen bieten sie es an:
Morgen tönen die Posaunen,
morgen brauchen wir es auch:
Hinterher ist nicht zu fassen,
Wenn die Luft nicht mehr trägt
Und sich auf den Atem legt
Wenn mein Lied stehen bleibt
Und mein Wort nicht mehr steigt
Zieht die dunkle Wolke ein
Und um mich her
Wird nicht nur ein Regen sein
Regen so schwer
Wie ein Ring um die Stirn
Wird die Angst mich berührn
mit der Atemlosigkeit
In der Schweigezeit
Die mich duckt und vergäbt,
Die mich verweht
Bis mein Schädel widersteht
Und sich regt.
Und ich lauf in den Sturm
Wer nicht kriecht,wenn er fällt
Wer sich in den Regen stellt
Wer sich muckt und wer sich wehrt
Widersteht
Wenn ich meinem Mädchen was sagen muß
von Liebe und solchem Schmus
dann nehme ich meine Gitarre,
und sie versteht, ohne daß ich was sage.
Lass dich ansehen
Von Kopf bis Fuß
Zeig mir deine Haut als Glanz und Gruß
Ich bin ganz Auge
Ich bin ganz Ohr
Ein Glück wie du kommt nur im Märchen vor
Du hast nichts zu verbergen
Mach dir das mal klar
Du bist wie du bist, erwählt und wunderbar
Wink mir zu
Dass ich dir Wunder wirken kann
Jetzt, nicht irgendwann
Ich bin ganz Auge
Ich bin ganz Ohr
Ein Glück wie du kommt nur im Märchen vor
Ich bin ganz leise
Bin dir vertraut
Wenn du gestattest, küsse ich jetzt die Braut
Lass dich ansehen
Zeig dich ganz
Die Sterne stehen Kopf auf unsern Tanz
Ich bin ganz Auge
Ich bin ganz Ohr
Erzähl mir, dass ich dich noch nicht verlor
Deine Scheu ist mit heilig
Ich lass dir die Zeit
Ich warte bis dein Blick mir sagt ich bin bereit
Denke nie es war einmal
Alles fängt erst an
Glaube daran
Ich bin ganz Auge
Ich bin ganz Ohr
Ein Glück wie du kommt nur im Märchen vor
Ich bin ganz leise
Bin dir vertaut
Perhaps I'll be a flyer
Supersonic seals and speed
Drive faster, further, higher
The folks at home will never believe
The one thing that could stop me
From a chance with some renown
Is learning so I've got to start
Or these blocks will keep me grounded
Perhaps I'll be a fighter
My upper cuts the best they say
Boxing's biggest fighter
Better than Muhammed Ali
But when I start and dream about
Stepping in that ring
My heart pounds fast, I double sweat
And then I start this thinking,
Man, man , man, perhaps I'd better think again
My dreams are big but perhaps I'd better slow down
Perhaps I'll be a rock star
A spotlight suits me fine
The biggest, baddest rock star
The floors will all be mine
But now it seems to slip away
Although I really dig the scene
I tried so hard, I threw in words
I guess I'll be a singer
Man, man, man, perhaps I'd better think again
Damn, damn, damn, perhaps I'd better think again
Manchmal wünsche ich mir Stille,
Hundert Jahre Einsamkeit.
Ich nur und mein eigener Wille
lebten eine Zeit.
Fern vom Dröhnen der Gitarren,
Fern vom Aspaltstaub der Stadt
Spiel ich einmal nicht den Narren.
Ich wär stumm und satt.
Höchstens einer nur, der Blues
Teilte mit mir Brot und Bier.
Liefen dann auf allen Vieren,
Daß sich keiner verlier.
Doch ich kenne mich, die Stille
Triebe mich zu dir zurück.
Hin zum Dröhnen der Gitarren,
An manchen Tagen sage ich mir:
Die Hälfte ist rum und du bist immer noch hier
und nicht auf'm Mond und nicht unterm Gras,
noch immer hablvoll vor dem halbleeren Glas.
an solchen Tagen kommt es hoch :
Die Hälfte ist rum, worauf wartest du noch?
Halb und halb.
Manchmal ist gar nichts mehr komplett:
Nur noch halbsoviel Haare, eine Hälfte vom Bett
und halblaut kommts aus dem Radio:
Die halbe Menschheit krepiert irgendwo.
Halbgötter tanzen ums goldene Kalb,
so ist die Halbwelt - halb und halb.
Halb und halb.
Im halben Land und der zerschnittenen Stadt,
halbwegs zufrieden mit dem, was man hat.
Ich sah in meinem Traum heut Nacht
Ein Haus aus Glas
Ich selbst dadrinnen unsichtbar
Gefangen saß
Um mich herum da war
Über mir, unter mir war
Und auch ich selber war
Auch meine Haare - Glas
Und wenn ich durch die Wände sah
da waren Blumen im Gras
Doch wenn ich nur einen Schritt gemacht
Stieß ich schon gegen Glas
Gläserner Traum, wann wach ich auf
Gläserner Traum, wie komm ich raus
Gläserner Traum, wann wach ich auf
Und des Nachts als Mondlicht fiel
In mein Haus aus Glas
Merkte ich mein Schatten fehlt
Und es wuchs der Haß
Ich schlug die gläsernen Wände ein
Das Kristall zerbrach
Doch auch ich in Scherben fiel
Und am Boden lag
Gläserner Traum, wann wach ich auf
Gläserner Traum, wie komm ich raus
Had a dream
had a drowning dream l was in a river of pain
only difference this time
I wasn't calling out your name yeah
has it ended before it's begun
you hold on
and I try to run but
anybody heading in my direction
away from the city
anybody wanna
change the way they feel step inside
doesn't really matter where you wanna take me
away from the city
I wanna start again
I wanna start again
I wanna take it back
I wanna start again
funny how those friends forget you when you tire of their
games
you miss a show or a party that blows
and they' ve forgotten your name, yeah
and you wonder what you've become
they pull you back when you try to run
well anybody heading in my direction
away from the city
anybody wanna change the way they feel step inside
doesn't really matter where you wanna take me
away from the city
I wanna start again
I wanna start again
I wanna take it back
I wanna start again
I left the me I used to be
I wanna see this through
I left the me I used to be
if only you'd see it too
well I wonder what you've become
There's a harvest each Saturday night
At the bars filled with perfume and hitching a ride
A place you can stand for one night and get gone
And it's clear, this conversation ain't doing a thing
'Cause these boys only listen to me when I sing
And I don't feel like singing tonight all the same songs
Here in these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
There's nothing here to hold on to
Could I hold you?
The situation's always the same
You got your wolves in their clothes
Whispering Hollywood's name
Stealing gold from the silver they see
But it's not me
Here in these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
There's nothing here to hold on to
Could I hold you?
Calling out, somebody save me
I feel like I'm fading away, am I gone?
Calling out, somebody save me
I feel like I'm fading
No, no, no
No, no, no
No, no, no, no
Deep city lights, girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
And there's nothing here to hold on to
Let?s watch it burn
Let?s watch it burn
Let?s watch this city burn the world
Let?s watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there?s nothing left of her
Let?s watch this city burn the world
My body doused in ash with two empty cans of gas
The only evidence they have is a police sketch of my mask
And it's hard at times to ask if you could save my heart for last
And it's hard to face the facts when the darkness fades to black
It's not just make believe, when they make me take a seat
And they put amphetamines in the air and make me breathe
So come on and grab your children, look out for burning buildings
And villains who pillage, they're killin' by the millions
And billions of people die for a lost cause
So now I pray to my nation destroyed under God
It's the end of the world
All my battles have been won but the war has just begun
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?
Till the skies bleed ashes and the fuckin' skyline crashes
They catch us with the matches and ignite the flame
And all the hopes of a youth deemed fuckin' insane
They say take the pill, in God we trust, go and kill
God loves us as in life, as in death, breathing till there is no breath
I will not die in the night but in the light of the sun
With the ashes of this world in my lungs
But who am I to say let's all just run away
Grab your saints and pray and we'll burn this world today
It's the end of the world
As in Heaven, as in Earth, we?ve been dead since our birth
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll use the trees as torches, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll flood the streets with corpses, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll watch the city fuckin' bleed, do you wanna burn it with me?
And bring the world to its knees, do you wanna burn it with me?
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
This place ain’t familiar yet but I’m sure I could fit in here.
My neighbours stay up late at night.
I like this big city atmosphere.
On every wall around our block there are posters that I like.
There are major changes in the air.
I can feel it’s heartbeat pump.
And the wages I get from the cleaning job pays the rent but not much more.
But it’s a halftime job and the afternoons are free.
I think I like this city.
I think I like this city.
I can’t believe I’m here and that I don’t fear tomorrow anymore.
I think we might be headed for a great time.
So look at me, tell me what you see and give me a left cheek kiss.
If this is not called happiness I don’t know what it is.
So take a deep breath, tell me what you smell.
I smell a good time in my life.
If this is not called happiness I don’t know what it is.
I used to say I don’t believe in this.
Now it’s as obvious as a kiss.
I know what I’ve been waiting for and I am glad I’ve done my time.
I’m on a bicycle to the market place.
I got some music in my ears.
And every day I met people I know, almost all my friends are here.
The wages I get from the cleaning job pays the rent but not much more.
But it’s a halftime job and the afternoons are free.
It’s a halftime job and the afternoons are free.
It’s a halftime job and the afternoons are free.
I think I like this city.
I think I like this city.
I can’t believe I’m here and that I don’t fear tomorrow anymore.
I think we might be headed for a great time.
So look at me, tell me what you see and give me a left cheek kiss.
If this is not called happiness I don’t know what it is.
So take a deep breath, tell me what you smell.
I smell a good time in my life.
If this is not called happiness I don’t know what it is.
I think I like this city.
I think I like this city.
I think I like this city.
I'm a poor pilgrim of sorrow
Thrown into this wild world alone
No hope have I for tomorrow
I decided to make Heaven my home
Sometimes I'm thrown and driven
Sometimes I don't know where to run
I've heard of a city called Heaven
I've decided to try to make it my home
In a city called Heaven
I decided to make it mine
My mother's already in glory but
My father's still walking in sin
My brothers and sisters walk about me
The truth is sinking in
I've been good, I've been wicked, boy
Teach me to forget all that I know
I've heard of a city called Heaven
And that's where the hell I'm gonna go
In a city called Heaven
When I ramble down
In my paltry crown
I hear that things will change
But nothing will change
And you tumble down
In your tattered gown
They say things will change
But nothing will change
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the love you'll gain
Through the years of strain
Oh the life to gain
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the life
You can drink your wine
From your earthly vines
They say things will change
But nothing will change
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the love you'll gain
Through the years of strain
Oh the life to gain
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the life
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the love you'll gain
Through the years of strain
Oh the life to gain
Through the loss, the pain
Oh the love you'll gain
Through the years of strain
Memories
Are fading
You were once mine
Never unkind
A long sigh
A soft caress
Now a slience
An emptiness
I'm alone
Staring through
The past I knew
I miss you
Streets are empty
Space surrounding
Sighs soft lullabies
Blurred reflection
A passing perfection
Scarring deep inside
Need a place to hide
From the rain
The cold breeze
Brings you back to me
I smell you in the air
I'm broken beyond repair
Patience
In short supply
I can't replace you
I wouldn't want to try
I'm alone and maybe
It's what should be
Do you miss me
Isolation will repeat
I feel so incomplete
Streets are empty
Space surrounding
Sighs soft lullabies
Blurred reflection
A passing perfection
Scarring deep inside
Need a place to hide from the rain
Streets are empty
Filled with millions
Cold, with empty souls
Searching everywhere
Nothing's ever there
The night inside me grows
I disappear below
Streets are empty
Space surrounding
Sighs soft lullabies
Blurred reflection
A passing perfection
Scarring deep inside
Need a place to hide from the rain
Streets are empty
Filled with millions
Cold, with empty souls
Searching everywhere
Nothing's ever there
The night inside me grows
In the heart of the city
On a lonely Friday night
Well, you been walking in the shadows
While the rest walk in the light
Girls all look so pretty
The big ones and the small
But they don't look in the shadows
So they don't see your kind at all
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
Well, in the heart of the city
You got some money left to spend
Even the barman thinks you are funny
'Cos you came without a friend
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
This could be the night when it all comes together
If you let yourself get better
This could be the night the light shines down on you
You're just a little old country fool, yeah
This could be the night when it all comes together
If you let yourself get better
This could be the night the light shines down on you
You're just a little old country fool, yeah
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
You're just another lonely soul
Walkin' round this rock and roll, yeah
You're just another lonely soul
Day After Day
Way Of A Struggle
Commercial Dishonor
Day After Day
Crawling And Bleeding
Disorientation
Madness
Stay Conscious, Slave
This Product Is Right For You
Brand New, Fresh Clean
Lay Down And Trust Me
Give All What You've Got
Disorientation
Madness
Serpent
Clock
City
Discharge And Command Me
The Truth
Aggression
This Wound Will Be Open Soon
tired of living this country life, its time to move up
from the south
it seemed to have something for us, but now it's time to
hit the bus
60 miles of where its at to finally get things back on
track
so cmon boy, just take us home
to the city, that's where we belong
things have changed but still the same, like bars and
crowds with different names
24 hour grocery stores where the kids hang out just like
before
is this the place that we are sure could be Paris, London
of Tokyo
boy it's great to be back home, the city that's where we
belong
boy it's great to be back home, the city that's where we
belong
the city that's where we belong
we need excitement from a change but that doesn't mean
that we will stay
the beginning feels like oh so great, but soon it turns
to just okay
see, I've known this place for much too long, I'm always
one to be moving on
but still it's great to be back home, the city that's
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement.[1][2] Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.
For example, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts an article of incorporation approved by the local state legislature distinguishes a city government from a town. In the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, a city is traditionally a settlement with a royal charter.[1] Historically, in Europe, a city was understood to be an urban settlement with a cathedral.
Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process. A big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban centers for employment. Once a city expands far enough to reach another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis.
There is insufficient evidence to assert what conditions gave rise to the first cities. Some theorists, however, have speculated on what they consider suitable pre-conditions, and basic mechanisms that might have been important driving forces.
The conventional view holds that cities first formed after the Neolithic revolution. The Neolithic revolution brought agriculture, which made denser human populations possible, thereby supporting city development.[3] The advent of farming encouraged hunter-gatherers to abandon nomadic lifestyles and to settle near others who lived by agricultural production. The increased population-density encouraged by farming and the increased output of food per unit of land created conditions that seem more suitable for city-like activities. In his book, Cities and Economic Development, Paul Bairoch takes up this position in his argument that agricultural activity appears necessary before true cities can form.
According to Vere Gordon Childe, for a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus of raw materials to support trade.[4] Bairoch points out that, due to sparse population densities that would have persisted in pre-Neolithic, hunter-gatherer societies, the amount of land that would be required to produce enough food for subsistence and trade for a large population would make it impossible to control the flow of trade. To illustrate this point, Bairoch offers an example: "Western Europe during the pre-Neolithic, [where] the density must have been less than 0.1 person per square kilometer".[5] Using this population density as a base for calculation, and allotting 10% of food towards surplus for trade and assuming that city dwellers do no farming, he calculates that "in order to maintain a city with a population of 1,000, and without taking the cost of transportation into account, an area of 100,000 square kilometers would have been required. When the cost of transportation is taken into account, the figure rises to 200,000 square kilometers...".[5] Bairoch noted that this is roughly the size of Great Britain.
Theorist Jane Jacobs claims that city-formation preceded the birth of agriculture though offers no support for this theory. Unfortunately, Jacobs does not lend her theory to any reasonably strict definition of a city, but her account suggestively or vaguely contrasts what could be thought of as primitive city-like activity to the activity occurring in neighboring hunter-gatherer settlements. To argue this view, she suggests a fictitious scenario where a valued natural resource leads to primitive economic activity - she takes obsidian as an example. The stock of obsidian is controlled and traded with neighboring hunting groups. Hunters who do not control the stock travel great distances to barter what they have, valuing obsidian because it "makes the sharpest tools to be had".[6] This activity brings more people to the center as jobs are created and goods are being traded. Among the goods traded are seeds of all different sorts, stored in unprecedented combinations. In various ways, some accidental, the seeds are sown, and the variation in yields are observed more readily than they would be in the wild. The seeds that yield the most grain are noticed and trading them begins to occur within the city. Owing to this local dealing, the city dwellers find that their grain yields are the best, and for the first time make deliberate and conscious selection. The choices made now become purposeful, and they are made among various strains of already cultivated crosses, and their crosses, mutants and hybrids.[6]
Theorists have suggested many possible reasons for why people would have originally decided to come together to form dense populations. In his book City Economics, Brendan O'Flaherty asserts "Cities could persist—as they have for thousands of years—only if their advantages offset the disadvantages" (O'Flaherty 2005, p. 12). O'Flaherty illustrates two similar attracting advantages known as increasing returns to scale and economies of scale, which are concepts normally associated with firms. Their applications are seen in more basic economic systems as well. Increasing returns to scale occurs when "doubling all inputs more than doubles the output [and] an activity has economies of scale if doubling output less than doubles cost" (O'Flaherty 2005, pp. 572–573). To offer an example of these concepts, O'Flaherty makes use of "one of the oldest reasons why cities were built: military protection" (O'Flaherty 2005, p. 13). In this example, the inputs are anything that would be used for protection (e.g.: a wall) and the output is the area protected and everything of value contained in it. O'Flaherty then asks that we suppose that the area to be protected is square and each hectare inside it has the same value of protection. The advantage is expressed as: (O'Flaherty 2005, p. 13)
, where O is the output (area protected) and s stands for the length of a side. This equation shows that output is proportional to the square of the length of a side.
The inputs depend on the length of the perimeter:
, where I stands for the quantity of inputs. This equation shows that the perimeter is proportional to the length of a side.
So there are increasing returns to scale:
. This equation (solving for Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): s in (1) and substituting in (2)) shows that with twice the inputs, you produce quadruple the output.
Also, economies of scale:
. This equation (solving for Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): I in equation (3)) shows that the same output requires less input.
"Cities, then, economize on protection, and so protection against marauding barbarian armies is one reason why people have come together to live in cities..." (O'Flaherty 2005, p. 13).
Similarly, "Are Cities Dying?", a paper by Harvard economist Edward L. Glaeser, delves into similar reasons for city formation: reduced transport costs for goods, people, and ideas. Discussing the benefits of proximity, Glaeser claims that if you double a city size, workers have a ten-percent increase in earnings. Glaeser furthers his argument by stating that bigger cities do not pay more for equal productivity than in a smaller city, so it is reasonable to assume that workers become more productive if they move to a city twice the size as they initially worked in. However, the workers do not benefit much from the ten-percent wage increase, because it is recycled back into the higher cost of living in a bigger city. They do gain other benefits from living in cities, though.
City planning has seen many different schemes for how a city should look. The most commonly seen pattern is the grid, used for thousands of years in China, independently invented by Alexander the Great's city-planner Dinocrates of Rhodes and favoured by the Romans, while almost a rule in parts of pre-Columbian America. Derry begun in 1613, was the first planned city in Ireland, with the walls being completed five years later. The central diamond within a walled city with four gates was thought to be a good design for defence. The grid pattern was widely copied in the colonies of British North America.
The Ancient Greeks often gave their colonies around the Mediterranean a grid plan. One of the best examples is the city of Priene. This city had different specialized districts, much as is seen in modern city planning today. Fifteen centuries earlier, the Indus Valley Civilization was using grids in such cities as Mohenjo-Daro. In medieval times there was evidence of a preference for linear planning. Good examples are the cities established by various rulers in the south of France and city expansions in old Dutch and Flemish cities.
Grid plans were popular among planners in the 19th century, particularly after the redesign of Paris. They cut through the meandering, organic streets that followed old paths. The United States imposed grid plans in new territories and towns, as the American West was rapidly established, in places such as Salt Lake City and San Francisco.
Other forms may include a radial structure, in which main roads converge on a central point. This was often a historic form, the effect of successive growth over long time with concentric traces of town walls and citadels. In more recent history, such forms were supplemented by ring-roads that take traffic around the outskirts of a town. Many Dutch cities are structured this way: a central square surrounded by concentric canals. Every city expansion would imply a new circle (canals together with town walls). In cities such as Amsterdam, Haarlem, and also Moscow, this pattern is still clearly visible.
Towns and cities have a long history, although opinions vary on whether any particular ancient settlement can be considered to be a city. A city formed as central places of trade for the benefit of the members living in close proximity to others facilitates interaction of all kinds. These interactions generate both positive and negative externalities between others' actions. Benefits include reduced transport costs, exchange of ideas, sharing of natural resources, large local markets, and later in their development, amenities such as running water and sewage disposal. Possible costs would include higher rate of crime, higher mortality rates, higher cost of living, worse pollution, traffic and high commuting times. Cities will grow when the benefits of proximity between people and firms are higher than the cost.
The first true towns are sometimes considered to be large settlements where the inhabitants were no longer simply farmers of the surrounding area, but began to take on specialized occupations, and where trade, food storage and power was centralized. In 1950 Gordon Childe attempted to define a historic city with 10 general metrics.[7] These are:
This categorisation is descriptive, and it is used as a general touchstone when considering ancient cities, although not all have each of its characteristics.
One characteristic that can be used to distinguish a small city from a large town is organized government. A town accomplishes common goals through informal agreements between neighbors or the leadership of a chief. A city has professional administrators, regulations, and some form of taxation (food and other necessities or means to trade for them) to feed the government workers. The governments may be based on heredity, religion, military power, work projects (such as canal building), food distribution, land ownership, agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, finance, or a combination of those. Societies that live in cities are often called civilizations.
Early cities developed in a number of regions of the ancient world. Mesopotamia can claim the earliest cities, particularly Eridu, Uruk, and Ur.[citation needed] After Mesopotamia, this culture arose in Syria and Anatolia, as shown by the city of Çatalhöyük (7500-5700BC). It is the largest Neolithic site found to date.[citation needed] Although it has sometimes been claimed[citation needed] that ancient Egypt lacked urbanism, several types of urban settlements were found in ancient times.
The Indus Valley Civilization and ancient China are two other areas with major indigenous urban traditions. Among the early Old World cities, Mohenjo-daro of the Indus Valley Civilization in present-day Pakistan, existing from about 2600 BC, was one of the largest, with a population of 50,000 or more.[8] At a somewhat later time, a distinctive[citation needed] urban tradition developed in the Khmer region of Cambodia, where Angkor grew into one of the largest cities (in area) of the world.
In the ancient Americas, early urban traditions developed in the Andes and Mesoamerica. In the Andes, the first[citation needed] urban centers developed in the Norte Chico civilization (also Caral or Caral-Supe civilization), Chavin and Moche cultures, followed by major cities in the Huari, Chimu and Inca cultures. The Norte Chico civilization included as many as 30 major population centers in what is now the Norte Chico region of north-central coastal Peru. It is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, flourishing between the 30th century BC and the 18th century BC.[9]
Mesoamerica saw the rise of early urbanism in several cultural regions, including the Preclassic Maya, the Zapotec of Oaxaca, and Teotihuacan in central Mexico.[citation needed] Later cultures such as the Aztec drew on these earlier urban traditions.
This roster of early urban traditions is notable for its diversity. Excavations at early urban sites show that some cities were sparsely populated political capitals, others were trade centers, and still other cities had a primarily religious focus. Some cities had large dense populations, whereas others carried out urban activities in the realms of politics or religion without having large associated populations. Theories that attempt to explain ancient urbanism by a single factor, such as economic benefit, fail to capture the range of variation documented by archaeologists.[10]
The growth of the population of ancient civilizations, the formation of ancient empires concentrating political power, and the growth in commerce and manufacturing led to ever greater capital cities and centres of commerce and industry, with Alexandria, Antioch and Seleucia of the Hellenistic civilization, Pataliputra (now Patna) in India, Chang'an (now Xi'an) in China, Carthage, ancient Rome, its eastern successor Constantinople (later Istanbul), and successive Chinese, Indian and Muslim capitals approaching or exceeding the half-million population level.[citation needed]
Keith Hopkins estimates that ancient Rome had a population of about a million people by the end of the 1st century BC,[11] after growing continually during the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st centuries BC.[12] Alexandria's population was also close to Rome's population at around the same time, the historian Rostovtzeff estimates a total population close to a million based on a census dated from 32 AD that counted 180,000 adult male citizens in Alexandria.[13] Similar administrative, commercial, industrial and ceremonial centres emerged in other areas, most notably medieval Baghdad, which according to George Modelski, later became the first city to exceed a population of one million by the 8th century instead of Rome.[14]
While David Kessler and Peter Temin consider ancient Rome to be the largest city before 19th century London,[15] George Modelski considers medieval Baghdad, with an estimated population of 1.2 million at its peak, to be the largest city before 19th century London.[14] Others estimate that Baghdad's population may have been as large as 2 million in the 9th century.[16]
Agriculture was practiced in sub-Saharan Africa since the third millennium BC. Because of this, cities were able to develop as centers of non-agricultural activity. Exactly when this first happened is still a topic of archeological and historical investigation. Western scholarship has tended to focus on cities in Europe and Mesopotamia, but emerging archeological evidence indicates that urbanization occurred south of the Sahara well before the influence of Arab urban culture. The oldest sites documented thus far are from around 500 AD including Awdaghust, Kumbi-Saleh the ancient capital of Ghana, and Maranda a center located on a trade rout between Egypt and Gao.[17]
Cities of Late Antiquity underwent transformations as the urban power base shrank and was transferred to the local bishop (see Late Roman Empire). Cities essentially disappeared, earliest in Roman Britain and Germania and latest in the Eastern Roman Empire and Visigothic Spain.[citation needed]
During the European Middle Ages, a town was as much a political entity as a collection of houses. City residence brought freedom from customary rural obligations to lord and community: "Stadtluft macht frei" ("City air makes you free") was a saying in Germany. In Continental Europe cities with a legislature of their own were not unheard of, the laws for towns as a rule other than for the countryside, the lord of a town often being another than for surrounding land. In the Holy Roman Empire some cities had no other lord than the emperor. In Italy medieval communes had quite a statelike power.
In exceptional cases like Venice, Genoa or Lübeck, cities themselves became powerful states, sometimes taking surrounding areas under their control or establishing extensive maritime empires. Similar phenomena existed elsewhere, as in the case of Sakai, which enjoyed a considerable autonomy in late medieval Japan.
While the city-states, or poleis, of the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea languished from the 16th century, Europe's larger capitals benefited from the growth of commerce following the emergence of an Atlantic trade. By the early 19th century, London had become the largest city in the world with a population of over a million, while Paris rivaled the well-developed regionally traditional capital cities of Baghdad, Beijing, Istanbul and Kyoto. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas the old Roman city concept was extensively used. Cities were founded in the middle of the newly conquered territories, and were bound to several laws about administration, finances and urbanism.
Most towns remained far smaller places, so that in 1500 only some two dozen places in the world contained more than 100,000 inhabitants: as late as 1700 there were fewer than forty, a figure which would rise thereafter to 300 in 1900. A small city of the early modern period might contain as few as 10,000 inhabitants, a town far fewer still.[citation needed]
The growth of modern industry from the late 18th century onward led to massive urbanization and the rise of new great cities, first in Europe and then in other regions, as new opportunities brought huge numbers of migrants from rural communities into urban areas. In the United States from 1860 to 1910, the invention of railroads reduced transportation costs, and large manufacturing centers began to emerge, thus allowing migration from rural to city areas. However, cities during those periods of time were deadly places to live in, due to health problems resulting from contaminated water and air, and communicable diseases. In the Great Depression of the 1930s cities were hard hit by unemployment, especially those with a base in heavy industry. In the U.S. urbanization rate increased forty to eighty percent during 1900-1990. Today the world's population is slightly over half urban,[18] with millions still streaming annually into the growing cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
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Modern cities are known for creating their own microclimates. This is due to the large clustering of heat absorbent surfaces that heat up in sunlight and that channel rainwater into underground ducts.
Waste and sewage are two major problems for cities, as is air pollution coming from various forms of combustion,[19] including fireplaces, wood or coal-burning stoves, other heating systems,[20] and internal combustion engines. The impact of cities on places elsewhere, be it hinterlands or places far away, is considered in the notion of city footprinting (ecological footprint). Other negative external effects include health consequences such as communicable diseases, crime, and high traffic and commuting times. Cities cause more interaction with more people than rural areas, thus a higher probability to contracting contagious diseases. However, many inventions such as inoculations, vaccines, and water filtration systems have also lowered health concerns. Crime is also a concern in the cities. Studies have shown that crime rates in cities are higher and the chance of punishment after getting caught is lower. In cases such as burglary, the higher concentration of people in cities create more items of higher value worth the risk of crime. The high concentration of people also makes using auto mobiles inconvenient and pedestrian traffic is more prominent in metropolitan areas than a rural or suburban one.
Cities also generate positive external effects. The close physical proximity facilitates knowledge spillovers, helping people and firms exchange information and generate new ideas.[21] A thicker labor market allows for better skill matching between firms and individuals. Another positive external effect of cities comes from the diverse social opportunities created when people of different backgrounds are brought together. Larger cities typically offer a wider variety of social interests and activities, letting people of all backgrounds find something they can be involved in.
Cities may, however, also have a positive influence on the environment. UN Habitat stated in its reports that city living can be the best solution for dealing with the rising population numbers (and thus still be a good approach on dealing with overpopulation) [22] This is because cities concentrate human activity into one place, making the environmental damage on other places smaller.,[23] letting the cities have a positive influence; however, can only be achieved if urban planning is improved[24] and if the city services are properly maintained.
There are probably as many different ways of conceiving what a city is as there are cities. A simple definition therefore has its attractions. The simplest is that a city is a human settlement in which strangers are likely to meet.
The difference between towns and cities is differently understood in different parts of the world. Indeed, some languages other than English use a single word for both concepts. Iberian languages typically use a three-way designation (Catalan: “poble”, “vila”, “ciutat”; Galician: “aldea”, “vila”, “cidade”; Portuguese: “aldeia”, “vila”, “cidade”; Spanish: “pueblo”, “villa”, “ciudad”—respectively “village”, “town”, “city”); Italian: “villaggio”, "paese" “città”—respectively “village”, "village/town", “city/town”; , but other Romance languages don’t (French: “village”, “ville”).[citation needed]
Even within the English-speaking world there is no one standard definition of a city: the term may be used either for a town possessing city status; for an urban locality exceeding an arbitrary population size; for a town dominating other towns with particular regional economic or administrative significance. In British English, city is reserved for very large settlements and smaller historic settlements with a Cathedral (e.g. Lichfield), while smaller settlements without a Cathedral are called towns, and smaller still are villages and hamlets.[citation needed] In the US city is used for much smaller settlements.
Although city can refer to an agglomeration including suburban and satellite areas, the term is not usually applied to a conurbation (cluster) of distinct urban places, nor for a wider metropolitan area including more than one city, each acting as a focus for parts of the area. And the word "town" (also "downtown") may mean the center of the city.
Australia's most populous urban areas are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
The official term "city" is given to any Australian statistical division with a minimum of 10,000-25,000 people (varying by state); which is defined either as a contiguous urban area or a local government area (LGA).[26]
For instance, within the wider urban area known as Perth, Australia's fourth most populous urban area, the City of Perth is a relatively small LGA geographically speaking, which also includes the Perth CBD. Informally, in Australian English the word city is used by Australians to describe the most prominent Central Activities District in their proximity. Some local areas containing such activities districts have ambiguous titles that actually use the word city either as or in their title, for instance for a long time the central locality of Brisbane and Canberra are officially simply "City".[27] Due to Australia's high urbanisation, this often refers to the state's capital city. For example, residents of Mandurah saying "going to the city" is more likely to mean the Perth CBD but almost never in the context of the City of Perth. Conversely, residents of Townsville would likely be referring to the Townsville CBD than City of Townsville or Brisbane.
Local government in Australia can apply for City Status. Prior to the Federation of Australia, local councils from the Australian colonies applied directly to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom and were proclaimed a city, a title of some prestige, was assessed on factors such as area, population and rateable revenue. Since the turn of the century, local government acts in each state specify the criteria and thresholds and applications are made to the Governors of the Australian states. Population thresholds currently exist under Local government acts in most states including New South Wales (1919 - 25,000);[28] South Australia (22,000);[29] Western Australia (30,000)[30] and Tasmania (10,000)[31]. In Victoria under the Local Government Act 1989 where until recently city status was based on rateable revenue, there is no current minimum threshold, however applications must be assessed to be "predominantly urban in character" rather than on population. Today successful application may result in additional state or federal attention for additional funds for infrastructure. However for various reasons, some councils neither seek or receive city status: for instance, Shire of Melton – in Melbourne's west – with a population of over 80,000 (2012) decided after several years of community consultation to defer applying for city status until it reaches 150,000.[32]
Some former satellite cities have merged into larger cities (for instance, Ipswich, Queensland and Dandenong, Victoria), informally they are sometimes still called cities, although according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics they are officially only part of a larger metropolitan area or conurbation and as such are sometimes called Activity Centres by planners.
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Azerbaijan recognizes 69 urban settlements as cities. The largest, with just over two million inhabitants, is the capital Baku. See: List of cities in Azerbaijan
In the Belarusian language two words mean "city" or "town" - "горад" (horad) and "места" (miesta), where "horad" translated as "fortifying miesta", or "stronghold". The term "miesta" translated as "town without fortifying"[33] and meaning modern town. In the contemporary Belarusian language term "horad" is used more often, in spite of lexical inexactitude of this term. The smallest population of a city of Belaruse officially not named "horad" or "miesta" it is used a name "urban-type settlement" ("паселішча гарадскога тыпу", "paselyscha haradskoha typu") and also (informal or with historical sense) "мястэчка" ("miastechka").
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Brazil is divided into states (Portuguese: estados) and these into municipalities (municípios); there is no county or equivalent level. Brazilian law defines a "city" (cidade) as the urban seat of a municipality and establishes no difference between cities and towns; all it takes for an urban area to be legally called a "city" is to be the seat of a municipality, and some of them are semi-rural settlements with a very small population. Municipalities always have the same name as their corresponding cities, and the terms município and cidade are often used interchangeably, even by the government itself, although this is not technically correct. However, except for the Federal District (the area of the national capital city, Brasília), which has special status and no municipalities, all land in Brazil is in the territory of some municipality. Thus, even in the country's remotest wilderness areas, one is still technically under the jurisdiction of a "city," or at least of its government. Brazil's largest cities are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, both located on the heavily urbanized South East coast.
In Bulgaria the word "град" (grad) means city or town, although the word "градче" (gradche) can be used for small cities or towns. The Council of Ministers has the right to give or withdraw the status of the territorial unit and the president sets the name. In 2005 it was introduced that in order for a village to become a city it has to have developed social and technical infrastructure and have a population of more than 3500 people (in the resort cities - more than 1000).
There are settlements with a city status for historical and cultural reasons (Melnik with a population of 358), or for political reasons (Pravets, Kableshkovo, etc.).
In Canada, the granting of city status is handled by the individual provinces and territories. Therefore, city status definitions and criteria vary widely across the country. In British Columbia and Saskatchewan, towns can become cities after they reach a population of 5,000 people,[34][35] but the threshold is 10,000 in Alberta,[36] New Brunswick,[37] and Ontario. In Manitoba, an urban municipality may not be named as a city unless its population meets or exceeds 7,500 people.[38]
Although it has numerous cities in the traditional sense of the term, Ontario also sometimes confers city status on primarily rural areas whose municipalities have been merged into a former county government. Nova Scotia has abolished city status altogether, replacing it with regional municipality status.
In Quebec, there is no legal distinction between a city and a town, as both have the legal status of ville. The province formerly differentiated between ville (town) and cité (city), but no longer does so.
A city is an administrative division in Mainland China. There are three types of cities: a municipality is a provincial-level division (e.g. Shanghai or Beijing); a prefecture-level city is governed by provinces or autonomous regions; and a county-level city is a sub-unit of a prefecture-level administrative division.
There is a formal definition of city in China provided by the Chinese government, commonly seen in maps and textbooks.[citation needed] A minimum 100,000 non-agricultural population in an urbanized area, usually the administrative centre of a county(县, "xian"), is required to establish it in an administrative sense as a city(市, "shi"). By its non-agricultural population is a city classified: 100,000-200,000 a small city, 200,000-500,000 a medium city, 500,000-1,000,000 a large city and >1,000,000 an extra-large city(特大城市).[citation needed] Also, there is an administrative definition based on the city boundary too and a city has its legal city limits.[citation needed] In 1998, there were 668 cities in China. China has the largest urban population in the world although half of its population still lives in rural areas.[citation needed]
Chile's Department of National Statistics defines a city (ciudad in Spanish) as an urban entity with more than 5,000 inhabitants.[39] A town (pueblo), is an urban entity with 2,001 to 5,000 persons, however, if the area has some economic activity, the designation may include populations as small as 1,001. The department also defines Major Cities as provincial or regional capitals with populations of 100,001 to 500,000; Great Urban Areas which comprise several entities without any appreciable limit between them and populations which total between 500,001 and 1,000,000. A Metropolis is the largest urban area in the country where there are more than one million inhabitants. The "urban entity" is defined as a concentration of habitations with more than 2,000 persons living in them, or more than 1,000 persons if more than half of those persons are in some way gainfully employed. Tourist and recreation areas with more than 250 living units may be considered as urban areas.[39]
Denmark abolished the legal distinction between borough (købstad in Danish) and town (by) with the administrative reform in 1970. Before that time boroughs were chartered towns exempt from the county jurisdiction.
In Egypt the word "مدينة" (madina) means city or town and there is no distinction between the two.
The French word for city is the same for that for a town, ville. In France, there is no distinction between a town and a city. There is only a difference between a city or town (ville), a village (village) which is smaller (around 50 to 2000 inhabitants), and a hamlet (hameau) which does not have more than around 50 inhabitants.[40] French people usually make a difference between a city that has more than around 10000 inhabitants (city) and one that has less than around 10000 (town). The number of inhabitants that a city or a village is considered as having may vary among individuals. But petite ville (literally "small town", or town) usually refers to smaller villes and grande ville for the bigger ones.[citation needed] The term métropole (metropolis) or grande ville (big town or city) can be used for the biggest cities.[citation needed]
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The German word for both "town" and "city" is Stadt, while a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants is called a Großstadt (big city). On the other hand, most towns are communities belonging to a Landkreis (county or rural district), but there are some cities, usually with at least 50,000 inhabitants, that are counties by themselves (kreisfreie Städte). In 2006, there were 82 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Germany. Germany's largest cities are Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main while the largest urban area is in the Rhine-Ruhr region with over 12 million inhabitants. Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Stuttgart and Cologne are characterized as world cities or global cities.
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The primary subdivisions for local government in the Republic of Ireland are 29 counties and 5 cities, the latter being Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford. Although Kilkenny is administratively a borough, it is entitled to use the title city for ceremonial and tourist purposes, having been described as such in a royal charter in 1601.
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The term "city" is not a legal term. The Israeli Interior Minister has authority to classify the municipalities and local authorities for local councils. Usually communities larger than 20,000 residents are recognized as municipalities. Under special circumstances, the Minister of the Interior can declare a city municipality with only 5,000 city residents. The smallest municipality in Israel is Or Akiva with less than 15,000 inhabitants. In contrast, Ramat Hasharon remained a local council, though over 35,000 people lived there. The law specifies additional criteria: the level of urban development, stability of the coalition of the local Council, services available to residents, reasonable and proper financial management. The declaration of a settlement as a city is made by the interior minister after a special investigative committee has examined these criteria. Each municipality has a mayor and council, elected in local elections supervised by the Ministry of Interior. The number of council members is determined by the number of city residents: Up to 5,000 residents - 9 members. 5,000 to 25,000 residents - up to 15 members. 25,000 to 100,000 residents - up to 21 members. 100,000 residents and more - 21 to 31 members. Setting the city (as distinct from the legal term here means a geographical term) as presented in the Israeli pavilion in Venice Architecture Biennale in 2000: "A city is a hotbed of people that allows them to simultaneously maintain other relationships with a diverse level of intimacy while maintaining complete anonymity." ("Anonymous intimacy")
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In Italy a city is called a città, a noun derived from the Latin civitas, but towns are also called città. The status of "city" is granted by the President of the Republic with Presidential Decree Law[citation needed]. The largest and most important cities in the country, such as Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin, are called aree metropolitane (metropolitan areas) because they include several minor cities and towns in their areas. In the coat of arms, a golden crown tower stands for a city[citation needed].
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In Japan a city is called a shi (市) where as a town is called a machi or chō (町) and a village is called a mura or son (村). The term for town can be used like the English term when referring to the centre of a large city. The capital city, Tokyo, has a special designation and is also known as ku (区) which is similar to municipal arrondissement in France. The definitions of shi or a city are as follows:
In Malaysia, there are populated areas which are granted city status by law (bandar raya). However, there are also highly urbanised and populated areas which does not have city status, but are sometimes colloquially also referred to as cities. City status is granted to a place within a local government area. Other populated areas which does not have city status are legally categorised as a municipality or town.
The Mexican population is increasingly urban with close to 75% of the population living in cities. The five largest metropolitan areas of Mexico (Greater Mexico City, Greater Guadalajara, Greater Monterrey, Greater Puebla and Greater Tijuana) are home to 30% of the country's population.
In 2004, a joint effort between CONAPO (National Council of Population), INEGI and the Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL) agreed to define metropolitan areas as either:[41]
In the Netherlands a city is called stad, in common with other Germanic languages. In the Dutch language there is no distinction between town and city (both are stad). Small settlements are distinguished similarly as in English, being called dorp (village) or gehucht (hamlet). In medieval times, a settlement had to achieve city-rights to be called a stad. In modern times, there is no Dutch law saying what can be called a city or not, although generally places with more than 50,000 inhabitants are called a city. Settlements between 20,000 and 50,000 are most often called kleine stad or stadje, which literally means "little city". Settlements under about 20,000 may be called dorp, "village". The four largest cities are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, which together form the heart of the Randstad metropolitan conurbation.
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In New Zealand, a local authority may be proclaimed a city only if it meets certain criteria. Specifically, "a city [...] must have a minimum population of 50,000, be predominantly urban in character, be a distinct entity and a major centre of activity within the region."[42] Some early settlements, such as Nelson and Christchurch, were proclaimed cities by royal charter. Later, laws established criteria for a town to meet before it could officially be proclaimed a city, and these criteria have changed over time. As of 1 November 2010 (2010 -11-01)[update], 13 of New Zealand's 67 territorial authorities will be officially styled cities.
In informal usage, a city is simply a large, important urban centre, regardless of the composition of its local government (which may be a combination of one or more cities or districts). For example, Gisborne, which purports to be the first city to see the sun, has a population of only 44,500 (2006), many of whom live outside the Gisborne urban area; it is, therefore, administered by a district council, not a city council. Some city councils, such as Christchurch and Dunedin, also administer large areas of rural hinterland; the communities in these areas, such as the towns of Akaroa and Middlemarch, are not often thought of as part of their cities, except for certain legal and administrative purposes. Meanwhile, the cities of Wellington and Auckland are generally regarded as single cities, despite Wellington's and, until recently, Auckland's being divided into several local government areas.
Statistics New Zealand has introduced the concept of main urban areas, which have a minimum population of 30,000. The 16 main urban areas identified in 2001 and 2006 correspond closely to the urban settlements traditionally regarded as cities.
In Norway a city is called by and is derived from the Norse word býr meaning "a place with many buildings". Both cities and towns can be referred to as by; however, in recent years, storby (lit. large city) has been used for larger settlements. The status of "town" is granted by the local authorities if a request for city status has been made and the area has a population of at least 5000. An area with a population of at least 50,000 is counted as a "city". Since 1997, cities no longer have special administrative functions.[43]
There has traditionally been no formal distinction between "City" or "Town" in Pakistan, although informal distinctions and status has been as common as in any other country. Several cities in what is now Pakistan were traditionally recognized as cities; in some cases for centuries; Lahore, Multan and Peshawar are examples. After independence and the rapid increase in population that followed caused Karachi to become the nation's largest city, while the rapid industrialisation in the north of the country resulted in new towns increasing greatly in population; such as Sialkot and Faisalabad,these two cities grow in population also because of agriculture,social development and high rate of natural increase, whilst Rawalpindi, traditionally a garrison town became a large city due to the decision to build a new capital nearby. In 2001, a new Act formalised the distinction, by granting the 10 largest cities and metropolitan areas the status of city district, which for the first time gave areas the status of cities.
Congress is the lone legislative entity that can incorporate cities. Provincial and municipal councils can pass resolutions indicating a desire to have a certain area (usually an already-existing municipality or a cluster of barangays) declared a city after the requirements for becoming a city are met. As per Republic Act No. 9009, these requirements include the following:[44]
In Poland the word miasto serves for both town and city. Miasto is the term applied purely on the basis of the administrative decision of the central government, and specifically means either:
These formal distinctions may differentiate larger towns from smaller ones (such as status as a separate powiat, or the conferring of the title prezydent on the mayor rather than burmistrz), but none of these is universally recognized as equivalent to the English city/town distinction.
Poland's largest cities are: Warsaw, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin and Katowice.
As in Spanish, in Portuguese there is a traditional distinction between cities — cidades — and towns — vilas. The difference is defined by law,[46] and a city must have:
In special cases, some towns may be granted the status of city if they possess historical, cultural or architectonic importance.
The Portuguese urban settlements heraldry reflects the difference between cities, towns and villages,[47] with the coat of arms of a city bearing a crown with 5 towers, the coat of arms of a town bearing a crown with 4 towers, while the coat of arms of a village bears a crown with 3 towers. This difference between cities, towns and villages is still in use in other Portuguese speaking countries, but not in Brazil.
There is also the notion of grande área metropolitana (great metropolitan area). There are two main metropolitan areas: Lisbon (the capital), in the centre of the country and Porto in the North. Lisbon Metropolitan Area has a population that exceeds 3 million. Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto has over 2 million inhabitants, although it is part of the Portuguese Northwestern Agglomeration that has, also, about 3 million inhabitants.
Cities and towns in Romania can have the status either of municipiu or oraş. Smaller villages that do not apply to the city status are called comuna/comune (f., sing./pl.) and sat/sate (m., sing./pl.). By 2001 law,[48] published on July 24, 2001 (M.O. number 408), there are 172 cities in Romania, and the minimum requirements for a settlement to be acknowledge as a iii-3rd rank city status are:[49]
In respect to the density of the cities, if it is more than 25 km to the next city, there are further benefits the mayor can access, fundings included.
A municipality is the next status after city-status by the same law, and Romania has 82 municipalities, plus the Municipality of Bucharest.
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There are many large cities in Russia such as Moscow (the capital), Saint-Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Grozny.
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South Africa has three capitals.[citation needed]
South Korea has a system of dividing into metropolitan cities, provinces, a special city (Seoul) and one specially self-governing province (Jeju-do). In South Korea, cities should have a population of more than 150,000, and if a city has more than 500,000, it would be divided into 2 districts and then sub-communities follow as a name of dong with similar system of normal cities. Additionally, if a city's population is over 1,000,000, then it would be promoted to metropolitan city.[50]
Seoul is the world's second largest metropolitan area.[51]
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South Sudan plans to build a new capital that will be called Ramciel.
Sweden canceled the official legal term City (in Swedish: stad) in the year 1971. Only the word municipality (in Swedish: kommun) prevails, making no legal difference between Stockholm and a countryside municipality. Before that there were a number of terms like "stad"/Town, "köping"/large village etc. The definition of City/Town (stad) was merely that it was given such a title. Since the 1980s some municipalities (13 out of 290) being "stad" before 1971, again call themselves town (stad), but only in tourist advertising. This has no legal or administrative significance whatsoever, and the municipalities have to use the word "kommun" by law. In other cases the seat of the municipality is called "town".
Today's Swedish terminology makes no distinction between city and town; both concepts translate to the single word "stad", but sometimes town can be rendered "småstad" ("små" means "small"). Statistics Sweden defines a "stad" as an urban area (in Swedish: tätort) of at least 10,000 inhabitants.
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There have been three separate definitions of a city in Turkey. The older definition, which defined a city as a settlement with more than 20,000 inhabitants is out of use and in the a city is now usually defined as the administrative center of a province (Turkish: il) There are 81 provincial centers in Turkey. Some of the district centers (Turkish: ilçe) are more populous and developed than the provincial centers.
But in 1984, the concept of metropolitan centers (Turkish: Büyükşehir) was introduced. According to definition (revised as of 2004), a metropolitan center is a settlement with more than 750 000 inhabitants. At present 16 of the provincial centers are metropolitan centers.
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There is no difference in the Ukrainian language between the notions of "town" and "city". Both these words are translated into Ukrainian as "місто" ("misto"). In articles in Wikipedia, only the term "city" is used for every Ukrainian locality named "місто". The smallest population of a city of Ukraine can be about 10,000. For towns which officially are not named "місто," the name "urban-type settlement" ("селище міського типу", "selyshche mis'koho typu")is used, and also (informal) "містечко" ("mistechko"). The latter Ukrainian word is related to the word "місто," and can be translated as "small town".
In the United Kingdom, a city is a town which has been known as a city since time immemorial, or which has received city status by letters patent. In England and Wales, prior to 1907 the criterion was simply the establishment of an Anglican Cathedral. For example the small town of Ripon was granted city status in 1836 to coincide with the creation of the Diocese of Ripon, but also in recognition of its long-standing role as a supplier of spurs to royalty.
Newest cities created in the United Kingdom were in:
In the United Kingdom, when people talk about cities, they generally include the suburbs in that. Some cathedral cities, such as St David's in Wales and Wells in England, are quite small, and are not routinely thought of as cities due to their small size. Other places such as Reading, Northampton, Luton, Bournemouth and Milton Keynes all harbour populations of over 200,000 inhabitants but are not cities.
Since local government reorganisation in 1974 the title of city has been awarded to a number of local government districts which are not themselves towns. Each of these cities includes a number of towns, villages or rural areas including the urban area from which the city takes its name. Examples include the cities of Bradford, Leeds, Newport, Preston, Wakefield and Winchester.
The situation in London is a historical anomaly: the City of Westminster and the City of London are geographically small but historically significant parts of the Greater London conurbation that have independent city status.[citation needed]
A Review of Scotland's Cities led to the Fair City of Perth, Scotland, initially losing city status, until it won the right to be called a City again in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee competition. By both legal and traditional definition, a town may be of any size, but must contain a market place. A village must contain a church, otherwise it is called a hamlet.[52]
The UK's five largest cities are generally considered to be London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow, but this is based on the population of the conurbation as a whole.[53][54] In terms of formal city boundaries, the largest include Bristol, Leicester, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Sheffield.
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In the United States of America, the classification of population centers is a matter of state law; consequently, the definition of a city varies widely from state to state. In some states, a city may be run by an elected mayor and city council, while a town is governed by the people, a select board (or board of trustees), or open town meeting. There are some very large municipalities which label themselves as towns (such as Hempstead, New York, with a population of 755,785 in 2004 or Cary, North Carolina with a population of 112,414 in 2006 ) and some very small cities (such as Woodland Mills, Tennessee, with a population of 296 in 2000), and the line between town and city, if it exists at all, varies from state to state. The lack of a clear-cut definition of a city in the United States can lead to some counter-intuitive labeling; for example, before it was dissolved in 2002[55] Maza, North Dakota, with only 5 inhabitants, was a city as by North Dakota law any incorporated location is deemed a city regardless of size. California has both towns and cities but the terms "town" and "city" are considered synonymous. The nation's top five largest cities are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.[56]
In some U.S. states, any incorporated town is also called a city. If a distinction is being made between towns and cities, exactly what that distinction is often depends on the context. The context will differ depending on whether the issue is the legal authority it possesses, the availability of shopping and entertainment, and the scope of the group of places under consideration. Intensifiers such as "small town" and "big city" are also common, though the converse of each is rarely used.
Some states make a distinction between villages and other forms of municipalities. In some cases, villages combine with larger other communities to form larger towns; a well-known example of an urban village is New York City's famed Greenwich Village, which started as a quiet country settlement but was absorbed by the growing city.
In Illinois, cities must have a minimum population of 2,500 but in Nebraska, cities must have a minimum of only 800 residents. In Oregon, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa, all incorporated municipalities are cities. In Ohio, a municipality automatically becomes a city if it has 5,000 residents counted in a federal census but it reverts to a village if its population drops below 5,000.[57] In Nebraska, 5,000 residents is the minimum for a city of the first class while 800 is the minimum for a city of the second class. The Constitution of Idaho makes no distinction between incorporated towns or cities.[58]
In all of the New England states, city status is conferred by the form of government, not population. Town government has a board of selectmen or Town Council for the executive branch, and a town meeting for the legislative branch, but unlike the US Government, the executive acts only as an administrative body and cannot override the will of town meeting. New England cities, on the other hand, have a mayor for the executive, and a legislature referred to as either the city council or the board of aldermen.
In Virginia, all incorporated municipalities designated as cities are independent of the adjacent or surrounding county while a town is an incorporated municipality which remains a part of an adjacent or surrounding county. The largest incorporated municipalities by population are all cities, although some smaller cities have a smaller population than some towns. For example, the smallest city of Norton has a population of 3,904 and the largest town of Blacksburg has a population of 39,573. The other U.S. independent cities are Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, Missouri; and Carson City, Nevada.[59]
In Pennsylvania, municipalites with more than 10 persons can incorporate as a borough. Any township or borough with a population of at least 10,000 can ask the state legislature to charter as a city. In Pennsylvania, a village is simply an unincorporated community within a township. Parker, Pennsylvania is known as the smallest city in the United States.
Venezuela's Department of National Statistics defines a city (ciudad in Spanish) as an urban entity with more than 5,000 inhabitants. A town (pueblo), is an urban entity with 2,001 to 5,000 persons.
A global city, also known as a world city, is a prominent centre of trade, banking, finance, innovation, and markets. The term "global city", as opposed to megacity, was coined by Saskia Sassen in a seminal 1991 work.[citation needed] Whereas "megacity" refers to any city of enormous size, a global city is one of enormous power or influence. Global cities, according to Sassen, have more in common with each other than with other cities in their host nations. Notable examples of such cities include London, New York City, Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
The notion of global cities is rooted in the concentration of power and capabilities within all cities. The city is seen as a container where skills and resources are concentrated: the better able a city is to concentrate its skills and resources, the more successful and powerful the city. This makes the city itself more powerful in the sense that it can influence what is happening around the world. Following this view of cities, it is possible to rank the world's cities hierarchically.[60]
Critics of the notion point to the different realms of power. The term global city is heavily influenced by economic factors and, thus, may not account for places that are otherwise significant. For example, cities like Istanbul, Jerusalem, Karbala, Lisbon, Mashhad, Mecca, and Rome are powerful in religious and historical terms but would not be considered "global cities." Additionally, it has been questioned whether the city itself can be regarded as an actor.[by whom?]
In 1995, Kanter argued that successful cities can be identified by three elements: good thinkers (concepts), good makers (competence) or good traders (connections). The interplay of these three elements, Kanter argued, means that good cities are not planned but managed.
In the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term "inner city" is sometimes used with the connotation of being an area, perhaps a ghetto, where people are less wealthy and where there is more crime.[citation needed] These connotations are less common in other Western countries, as deprived areas are located in varying parts of other Western cities. In fact, with the gentrification of some formerly run-down central city areas the reverse connotation can apply. In Australia, for example, the term "outer suburban" applied to a person implies a lack of sophistication. In Paris, the inner city is the richest part of the metropolitan area, where housing is the most expensive, and where elites and high-income individuals dwell. In the developing world, economic modernization brings poor newcomers from the countryside to build haphazardly at the edge of current settlement (see favelas, shacks and shanty towns).
The United States, in particular, has a culture of anti-urbanism that dates back to colonial times. The American City Beautiful architecture movement of the late 19th century was a reaction to perceived urban decay and sought to provide stately civic buildings and boulevards to inspire civic pride in the motley residents of the urban core. Modern anti-urban attitudes are to be found in the United States in the form of a planning profession that continues to develop land on a low-density suburban basis, where access to amenities, work and shopping is provided almost exclusively by car rather than by foot or transit.
However, there is a growing movement in North America called "New Urbanism" that calls for a return to traditional city planning methods where mixed-use zoning allows people to walk from one type of land-use to another. The idea is that housing, shopping, office space, and leisure facilities are all provided within walking distance of each other, thus reducing the demand for road-space and also improving the efficiency and effectiveness of mass transit.
There is a debate about whether technology and instantaneous communications are making cities obsolete, or reinforcing the importance of big cities as centres of the knowledge economy.[61][62][63] Knowledge-based development of cities, globalization of innovation networks, and broadband services are driving forces of a new city planning paradigm towards intelligent cities. Intelligent / smart cities use technology and communication to create more efficient agglomerations in terms of competitiveness, innovation, environment, energy, utilities, governance, and delivery of services to the citizen. Some companies are building brand new masterplanned cities from scratch on greenfield sites.
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