Well I'm walkin' blind down danger street

The street where eyes don't dare to meet

Dirt-doorways frame silhouettes

A teeth-grind-grinning smile of threat

Down here you ask for all you get

These east side angrys'll getchoo yet

Ignore the cat calls look straight ahead

You could wind up the other side of dead

(if you're lucky)



Well I took a glance sideways

Straight into some chicano chick's eyes

They were pretty wild

Like she'd been snortin' some of that cocaine

She was mean for trouble

Boilin' for blood

But I had to say she was stacked

>from the tip of her toes

To her flaming red hair

She's gonna drag me up to her carnal cage of no way out desire



Helphelp

You gotta help yourself

Help mehelp me

You son of a gun

You gotta run muchacho run



Well I was getting to know the neighbourhood

Getting to know how it looked and smelled

Watching the windows

In tenement hell

Love was rape

And love for sale

And death a fact of life

Love was rare

But who careswho cares

When you're living by the knife

Well I took a slug of bitter coffee

Pulled a face as bitter hit me

End up with a new mouth

Carved where my throat used to be

And then I saw him

Tall and proud

Wearing the entire city garbage dump

Around his neck and wrists



And then I saw him

Dirty red chicano sweat bandanna

And colours

Held together by filth and fury

Oh wow-ee-ow

The leader of the shining sinners

The leader of the shining sinners



And she was by his side

This vampira I'd seen earlier

She looked at me the look of scum

Helphelp

You gotta help yourself

Help mehelp me

You son of a gun

You gotta run muchacho run



He walked

Did I say walked? 

Well I mean waaalked

Right up to me at a slow pace

He looked down at me and said

"shee-it!"

My knees were bucklin'

My brow was sweatin'

I stared straight ahead at his knee cap

I had to strike soon



The leader of the shining sinners

Sweet 'n' sharp and

Cool 'n' calm

He lives for them

They die for him

Bitten through with nails of hatred

He takes his band of laughing dead

To gather up the wages of skin



Keep my eyes upon the pavement

Nothing else could save me

In this battlefield of blood and bruises

I'll take this brave stiletto

And with all the courage left in my heart

I'll . . . I'll take the life of the leader of the shining sinners



He lay upon the ground

Coughing up blood

He looked up at me

Yes I was the big one now

And said

"i wanted to shake your hand

You little runt

For having the guts to walk into my neighbourhood

I liked you!"

And with that he died



Leaderless and laughless

The wastrels of the shining sinners

Lay me out like some dead cat on the ground

I taste the taste of human filth

My courage caves in on itself

Now no-one's leading anyone anymore

And I wondered what I did it for

And I wondered what I did it for



Why did I do it? 

Why? 

Why did I do it? 

Why - why did I do it? 

Why? 

Why? 

Why?