Tales from a Nomad from No Man's Land (Live at Tambaleo, Austin, TX, 4/21/2004) - Tony Anderson
Composed by:Tony D Anderson
While I was thinkin' back to the 1980's
About the **** war
Now they say we've spent more on this war
Than all the other wars combined
It was around this same time
That all this started up
A whole lot of mental hospitals
Shut down for good
All the occupants just spilled on out
Into the neighborhoods we'll call 'em homeless
Did we the people do this
Then I jumped up 1991 to Portland Oregon
Started meetin' a lot of Vietnam veterans
Native American Indians
Who had a particular liking
A respect an affinity
For the thunderbird
And I stopped and I listened to what they had to say
On that average six seven eight hour day
I'd be outside strummin' away on Morrison Avenue
Yeah see those people on the street
They only folks who didn't have
Any place to go I was on their home turf ya' know
Except that one day the banker on his lunch break
You stop to lilsten to cry
He said he wish to could
He wanted to trade places with me
I said no thanks
Well it doesn't matter how old you are
When it hits you if it's true
Propaganda points to what time tells
Fact or fiction which makes for better news
Ah someone just play me a good song or two
That helps get me through
Well I noticed something kind of interesting
Sort of disturbing around the holidays
Especially Christmas
Anybody out there on the streets maybe looked
A little undesirable begging with a paper cup bacon
They drove 'em clear outta' downtown
Swept 'em off the sidewalks like a high pressure
Power washer steam cleaner
On Hollywood Boulevard
One day one of the cops came up to me he said
Tony those folks
They're bad for business
When the shoppers' see 'em it makes 'em all depressed
They don't wanna' buy anything
I said oh what a mess
I saw a lot of fancy cars choking down main-street
While pretty girls skip to the beat of a lonesome heart
I got to thinkin' I realized there's no parking lots
For thoughts on stars each one wishing for what
The others got
Learnin' what I learn moneys a concern
Sometimes I leave behind
Situations strike complications outta your control
I'm broke but I manage to find
The right places at the right times
Well it doesn't matter how old you are
When it hits you if it's true
Propaganda points to what time tells
Fact or fiction which makes for better news
Ah someone just play me a good song or two
That helps get me through