No Man's Land
Billy Joel


Artist: Billy Joel
Album: River Of Dreams
Song: No Man's Land
Year: 1993
Top Chart Position: unknown

I've seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines
Blue suits and bankers with their Volvos and their valentines
Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise
Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice
Now we're gonna get the big business
Now we're gonna get the real thing
Everybody's all excited about it

Who remembers when it all began
Out here in no man's land
Before they passed the master plan
Out here in no man's land
Low supply and high demand
Here in no man's land

There ain't much work out here in our consumer power base
No major industry, just miles and miles of parking space
This morning's paper says our neighbor's in a cocaine bust
Lots more to read about Lolita and suburban lust
Now we're gonna get the whole story
Now we're gonna be in prime time
Everybody's all excited about it

Who remembers when it all began
Out here in no man's land
We've just begun to understand
Out here in no man's land
Low supply and high demand
Here in no man's land

I see these children with their boredom and their vacant stares
God help us all if we're to blame for their unanswered prayers
They roll the sidewalks up at night, this place goes underground
Thanks to the condo kings there's cable now in Zombietown
Now we're gonna get the closed circuit
Now we're gonna get the Top 40
Now we're gonna get the sports franchise
Now we're gonna get the major attractions

Who remembers when it all began
Out here in no man's land
Before the whole world was in our hands
Out here in no man's land
Before the banners and the marching bands
Out here in no man's land
Low supply and high demand
Here in no man's land
Like The Last Resort, No Man’s Land
is about the destruction of the
natural world to make room for
increasing urbanization. However,
No Man’s Land goes one step further
and talks about the decline of the
urban society into one of
consumerism. Lines like "No major
industry, just miles and miles of
parking space" and "Thanks to the
condo kings there's cable now in
Zombietown" emphasize the decline
of values in urban areas.
Commercialism has taken over even
further than in The Last Resort’s
depiction of society, possibly
because it was written over 15
years later.