London Breed

I love this great polluted place

Where pop stars come to live their dreams

Here ravers come for drum and bass

And politicians plan their schemes,

The music of the world is here

This city can play any song

They came to here from everywhere

Tis they that made this city strong.

A world of food displayed on streets

Where all the world can come and dine

On meals that end with bitter sweets

And cultures melt and intertwine,

Two hundred languages give voice

To fifteen thousand changing years

And all religions can rejoice

With exiled souls and pioneers.

I love this overcrowded place

Where old buildings mark men and time

And new buildings all seem to race

Up to a cloudy dank skyline,

Too many cars mean dire air

Too many guns mean danger

Too many drugs means be aware

Of strange gifts from a stranger.

It's so cool when the heat is on

And when it's cool it's so wicked

We just keep melting into one

Just like the tribes before us did,

I love this concrete jungle still

With all its sirens and its speed

The people here united will

Create a kind of London breed.

- Benjamin Zephaniah