Along these broken pavements
I let my mind run free
The past and the present
Seem just the same to me
The people I have loved most
Among these stones did dwell
And in the cleanest language
The stories they did tell

They pass, they pass, they pass, they pass
The streets of Edinburgh
Hold half the world for me
In scores, in droves, the living and the ghosts
The streets of Edinburgh
Mean most to me

Depending on your view point
This place is blessed or cursed
And in the years I've lived here
I've seen the best and worst
An air of sordid passion
A look of dirty grace
But not right in your face
It's not that kind of place

They pass, they pass, they pass, they pass
The streets of Edinburgh
Hold half the world for me
In scores, in droves, the living and the ghosts
The streets of Edinburgh
Mean most to me

Down greasy potholed roadways
I watch the traffic crawl
But for the cars and buses
I give no thought at all
I think about the future
I wonder at her health
How with this human wealth
She does renew herself

They pass, they pass, they pass, they pass
The streets of Edinburgh
Hold half the world for me
In scores, in droves, the living and the ghosts
The streets of Edinburgh
Mean most to me