He sleeps through half his days
But he acts like he's expecting something soon
Air guitar, purple haze, reruns in the afternoon
Profane and hard to please
His shelves are bare
Hard up so he relieves himself
Right in the chair
And the sidewalks grooved by the years
Oiled with the drops of broken hearts
This town is all deaf ears
Basically concerned with looking sharp
Ah but they're pulling out the heart of the city
These streets have always been the ink that fills the pen
These faces are the paint we dip our brushes in
Lately everyone's so clean
Everyone's so mild
Is this the same place that use to drive the poets wild?
It's all about a fast one
It's all about a buck
I may feel a bit miscast sometimes
But never really stuck
Night is an alto riff
Cascading down
Steel rubs against itself way below the ground
Where the Redbirds have been running
Since a nickel let you ride
The concourse of bloodlines
All crammed up inside
But it doesn't get as dark these days
At least that's what I found
Broadway is a theme park
And the ashtray's all skipped town
And artists on life support
Glamour is the star
You can't raise the conscience by lowering the bar
They're towing away the heart
They're extinguishing the heart of the city
Jay bellerose... drums
Paul ossola... upright bass
Duke levine... baritone guitar, mandola
Larry campbell... el. guitar
Kenny white... ac.guitar, B3
Ada dyer, catherine russell... backing vocals