Perhaps coming from America Clinton doesn't know what a gasworks is or looks like . Gasworks are industrial plants which produce gas from coal in the the process of which they emit a disgusting smell. They appears as hideous oval-shaped , grey lumps of metal dominating grim and gritty urban landscapes.

The song contrasts the love and dreams of a sensuous young man in springtime to the oppressive ugliness of his industrial surroundings .
For a picture of what a gasworks looks like in all its glory see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raver_mikey/2334376874/