It’s character assassination, that’s what it is,

Which you package up as a shiny new gift.

When you ignore the history of my home,

The market, the view, all the life that I’ve known.

Facing fire, riots, the blitz, been butt of the joke.

We just grew stronger; the community awoke.

And I’m not some nimby; I want new people here.

I wanna diversify the mix – not to gentrify streets clear.

I wanna celebrate our cultures but not for spurious awards,

But because I give a shit and the identity it affords.

So-

You can turn my town into a shopping centre.

Contract all the houses to the highest paid renter.

But you will never rip me from the warp and the weft.

Because when you tear down the buildings,

We’ll be the only thing that’s left.