DESCRIPTION:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3w9DlIIyvM&fmt=18
Lyrics
Water was running; children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend

We found you hiding, we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands

But ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
your city lies in dust

Water was running; children were running
We found you hiding, we found you lying
Water was running; children were running
We found you hiding, we found you lying
your city lies in dust
ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend

Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes .......

Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend

Your city lies in dust


Single by Siouxsie & the Banshees
from the album Tinderbox
B-side "An Execution", "Quarterdrawing of the Dog"
Released October 18, 1985
Format 7" single, 12" single
Recorded 1985
Genre Alternative rock
Label Polydor (UK)

Geffen Records (U.S.)

Writer(s) Siouxsie & the Banshees
Producer Siouxsie & the Banshees
Mike Hedges
Siouxsie & the Banshees singles chronology
"Overground"
(1984) "Cities in Dust"
(1985) "Candyman"
(1985)

"Cities in Dust" is a song written and produced by English rock band Siouxsie & the Banshees. It was released as the first single from Siouxsie & the Banshees' seventh studio album Tinderbox. The "Cities in Dust" 12 inch single was the first Banshees' single-release in the United States, through Geffen Records.

The song obliquely describes the city of Pompeii, destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 79 CE. Imagery describing the volcano and its magma chamber, the condition of the victims of the eruption, and the subsequent discovery and excavation of the city comprises the bulk of the lyrics.

"Cities in Dust" was a more Post-punk affair than singles released by Siouxsie & the Banshees in the previous several years. It also had more of a pop music melody than past releases from the band, although its cryptic lyrics were still gothic in nature (even mentioning a shrine to Lares Familiares). Its upbeat 4/4 rhythm also made it a hit in danceclubs. "Cities in Dust" peaked at number twenty-one in the UK singles chart. Although not Siouxsie & the Banshees' first song to hit the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, it was their first significant hit, climbing to number seventeen.

Cover versions
Junkie XL covered "Cities in Dust" for his fifth studio album, Booming Back at You (2008).
Pato Fu, a Brazilian band, covered "Cities in Dust" for their album Daqui pro Futuro, released in 2007.
theSTART covered "Cities in Dust" for the movie Resident Evil: Extinction.
The Newlydeads also covered "Cities in Dust" for their self-titled album.