Over dale and over hills
I'll take you through the cotton mills
To the ginnels where we played
And where are friendships all were made

Still they came and tore them down
And now we live in Anytown
They came and tore it down
And now this place could be Anytown

Can't forget and won't forgive
The places we've been forced to live
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But rather that than live alone

For they came and tore it down
And now we live in Anytown
They came and tore it down
And now this place could be Anytown

Rags to riches, that's a lie
For some things money just can't buy
Thicker than water blood may be
And comfort still brings misery

For they came and tore it down
And now we live in Anytown
They came and tore it down
And now this place could be Anytown

They took the heart when they ripped it down
And in its place sent Anytown

Summer in the driving rain
I can hear the Oldham train.