China My China - Brian Eno

In the haze of the morning, China sits on Eternity

And the opium farmers sell dreams to obscure fraternities

On the horizon the curtains are closing

Down in the orchard the aunties and uncles play their games

Like it seems they always have done

In the blue distance the vertical offices bear their names

Like it seems they always have done

Clocks ticking slowly, dividing the day up

These poor girls are such fun

They know what God gave them their fingers for

To make percussion over solos

China my China, I’ve wandered around and you’re still here

Which I guess you should be proud of

Your walls have enclosed you, have kept you at home for thousands of years

But there’s something I should tell you

All the young boys, they are dressing like sailors

I remember a man who jumped out from a window over the bay

There was hardly a raised eyebrow

The coroner told me 'This kind of thing happens every day'

You see, from a pagoda, the world is so tidy