John Prine Photograph by Ron Baker (public domain)
We had an apartment in the city Me and Loretta liked living there Well, it’d been years since the kids had grown A life of their own, left us alone
John and Linda live in Omaha And Joe is somewhere on the road We lost Davy in the Korean war And I still don’t know what for, don’t matter anymore
You know that old trees just grow stronger And old rivers grow wilder every day Old people just grow lonesome Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”
Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more She sits and stares through the back door screen And all the news just repeats itself Like some forgotten dream that we’ve both seen
Someday I’ll go and call up Rudy We worked together at the factory What could I say if he asks “What’s new?” “Nothing, what’s with you? Nothing much to do”
You know that old trees just grow stronger And old rivers grow wilder every day Old people just grow lonesome Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”
So if you’re walking down the street sometime And spot some hollow ancient eyes Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare As if you didn’t care, say, “Hello in there, hello”
down and out in Savannah people passing by Sorry Charlie’s probably don’t know the name of the man sleeping on the bench where customers will wait for dinner at Savannah’s premier oyster bar.
hard times on Savannah streets an armrest for a pillow knowing little about the man with a bandage hand, broken angle a bottle of water on the ground near a cap and sunglasses
there is some tragic irony of a homeless man sleeping on the street outside Sorry Charlie’s Oster Bar in the historic Gibbins Building in the Ellis Square neighborhood
Homeless; – Down by the muddy Mississippi Skinny as a rail, Sleeping under the old Eads bridge Feeling low, dirty, and frail – Homeless; – With less than two coins In both pockets, Empty eyes Look through sunken sockets – Homeless; – So many people walk right on by I wonder how many care, They all keep moving Even though they stare – Homeless; – Lost a job Lost a home, Lost a family Lost all hope – Homeless; – Where will I go from here What should I do, I’m so thankful when the weather’s fair And the skies are blue – Homeless; – Don’t know the day nor season And, yea, it sure gets cold at night, I’ve got an old sleeping bag I’ll be alright – Homeless; – There’s so many of us out here Without a home, Even so I feel so very alone – Homeless; – It’s a tough situation Not pretty, just true, And at any time It could happen to you – Homeless; – Hey buddy… Could you spare a dime, And say a prayer for us … sometime – – I’m just homeless, not less human…
Tucson Door Window — Photo-Artistry by kenne
