Why must a building burn? lyrics - Maximo Park song

Do you need a flag
To know who you are?
Did you get intentionally left behind?
There's a curve in the road
That I intimately know
And, you know, I got caught on that curve before

Why must a building burn
Before a lesson is learned?

An unoriginal thought
I've often fallen short
If I could bottle the tonic of your laughter I would
A girl running at night
Clutching a rectangle of light
Still fills her lungs with the dust of a life

Why must a building burn
Before the powerful learn?

I saw a picture (I saw a picture)
Beamed right through me (Beamed right through me)
I was stunned to recognise your smiling face
A family photo (A family photo)
One of many (One of many)
I was stunned to recognise your smiling face

I was hoping for a message to tell me you were here
I was waiting for a message to tell me you were here
I was hoping for a message to tell me you were here

I saw a picture (I saw a picture)
On my telly (On my telly)
I was stunned to recognise your smiling face
It was you
It was you
It was you all along