Scenes From The Southside

B. r. hornsby

Well i saw her one day
At the corner cafe
Everybody there knew she's a wonder
I sat there all night
Too shy to say
Honey you could keep me from going under

Oh my my when she walks on by
It's hard not to get lost in the view
How can you know if the feelings a lie
When love comes out of the blue

North, south, east, west
Up, down, all around and all the rest
I'll go anywhere she wants me to go
Of all the girls i've loved she's the best
(she's the one)
Till the dreaming's done

Well i left in the springtime long, long ago
Funny but i never got to know her
Some people tell me she stayed alone
And if things were different
I'd go and show her

But oh my my when she walks on by
It's hard not to get lost in the view
How can you know if it's truth or a lie
When love comes out of the blue

North, south, east, west
Uptown, downbound, and all the rest
I'll go anywhere she wants me to go
Of all the girls i've loved she's the best
(she's the one)
Till the dreaming's done


Oh my my when she walks on by
It's hard not to get lost in the view
How can you know if the feelings a lie
When love comes out of the blue

North, south, east, west
Uptown, downtown and all the rest
I'll go anywhere she wants me to go
Of all the girls i've loved she's the best
She's the one

B. r. hornsby/john hornsby

It's coming any day said the captain
It's coming any day now cried the priest
The people in high places may defend you
But son you better hope they keep the peace

Can't you hear them calling
Can't you see them shine
The city halls are falling
The defenders drink their wine
And when the party's over
Their stomachs start to sag
Defenders, defenders of the flag

The congregation's waiting at the altar
They can't find the preacher anywhere
They found him with the new girl from the choir
Where they store the boxes of the book of prayer

If these guys are the good ones
I don't want to know the bad
You wonder how it happened
They just picked it up from dad
While faded old glory is hanging like a rag
Defenders, defenders of the flag

The flag is flying high over the courthouse
The wheels of justice never stood a chance
The judge is down at charlie's on his lunch hour
Checking out the picture show from france

Carrying a fifth of whiskey
In a dirty paper bag
Threw the ball to home
But they always missed the tag
Faded old glory hanging like a rag
Defenders, defenders of the flag

B. r. hornsby/john hornsby

Sometimes i lead sometimes i follow
This time i'll go where she wants me to go
She said maybe today maybe tomorrow
Go deep in the woods down the low valley road

While no one was lookin on the old plantation
He took her all the way down the long valley road
They sent her away not too much later
And left him walking down the old valley road
Walk on, walk on alone
Walk on, walk on, walk on alone

Out in the hall they were talking in a whisper
Everybody noticed she was gone awhile
Somebody said she's gone to her sister's
But everybody knew what they were talking about

While no one was lookin on the old plantation
He showed her what they do down the long valley road
She came back around like nothing really happened
And left him standing on the old valley road
Walk on, walk on alone
Walk on, walk on, walk on alone

Standing like a stone on the old plantation
The rich old man would have never let him in
Good enough to hire not good enough to marry
When it all happens nobody wins
Walk on, walk on alone
Walk on, walk on, walk on alone

B. r. hornsby/john hornsby

Walking on the sidewalk, roundball under my arm
Everybody knows how you play is who you are
Walking down the road, looking for a game or two
The real moves come through, no matter what they're gonna do
It's down to you

Take me to the old playground
Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time
Take me to the old playground
Where the talk is cheap
And the restless stalk the baseline

The old sage frowns, he says just pass it on around
But all-world junior's pulling up from downtown
For some it's a way out, for some it's a way in
Most of us don't even care
We're just looking for another gym to get in

Take me to the old playground
Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time
Take me to the old playground
Where some play from dreams
And the rest just play for pride

The old man said stop running with those boys
But they know what to do and their folks don't mind the noise
Say hey now, everybody's gonna get along
Just call your own foul when you break the rules
If you make it, take it, so make your move

Take me to the old playground
Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time
Take me to the old playground
Where the talk is cheap
And the restless stalk the baseline

B. r. hornsby/john hornsby

There's a man workin' in a field
See's the rain and it's burning
He's saying this can't be real
As he sees the color of the fields turning
Far away the men too busy getting rich to care
Close their eyes and let it all out into the air
Hoping nobody else would care

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what's going on in the world around you

There's a man working on a boat
Pulling lines from the water
Just trying to stay afloat
Filling the nets is getting harder
Far away they bend the rules so secretly
Close their eyes and let it all out into the sea
Hoping nobady else would see

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what's going on in the air around you

Far away too many leaders let them get their way
Close their eyes and let it all out into the bay
Say they'll clear it up another day

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what's going on in the air around you

Look out, look out for the big boys
Telling you everything they're gonna do
Look out, look out for the fat cat builder man
Turning this into a wasteland
Look out, look out for the back room boys
That say the smokw is gonna blow away
Look out, look out for the men who say it's okay
Sitting in a building far away