In a hot summer city where the sidewalks are gritty
And some faces aren't pretty to see,
In a spot that was shady I met an old lady who asked,
“Would you like to share my tree?"
So I sat for awhile, as she waved, winked and smiled
At the people who all filed by,
She said, “Boy, what's their hurry?
They all look so worried!"
I just sat there without a reply.
As I listened to the stories of her failures and glories
I was sorry that she felt old and gray
And when I walked away too, somehow I knew
I'd be singin about her today...
She goes down to the paper stand to visit with the kind old man
Who told her she reminded him
of younger days, his wife named Kim
Who used to tell him funny jokes
that she had heard from both her folks
Who lived up in Sault Ste. Marie
and kept them in their memory...
She's got a sister and a grandmother, grandfather, big brother,
A father and a mother as well,
But for all that she knew, they'd pass her by too,
She hadn't seen ‘em in so long she couldn't tell.
Tell me, why are there street people
When there are church steeples only a block away?
Are they there by their choice, or can we even hear their voice
When they've got something to say?
Just think of this lady whose life seems so shady
And maybe she'll help you to see
That she's alive too, just like me and you
But she's living in her memory...
She wakes up on the city street
with hopes she'll find someone to meet,
Who'll stop awhile and set a spell, and hear the tales she has to tell
Of people that she used to know and places that she used to go,
These things that she wants you to see,
The portraits in her memory...
So go out on the city streets and wait awhile, you're sure to meet
A person who is looking for a little love, and nothing more,
Who longs to call someone a friend. Someone who's willing to defend
This lonely person's dignity, preserved within their memory...
Street People
©1988 Jerry Mills
Boom Zing
Reprinted with permission
www.jerrymills.com
|
