From the recording The East Side
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Lyrics
The East Side
It’s now just a shell, of what it once was
With its tree lined streets between the river bluffs
There were many long days that we ran about
Amid the single-family homes and the corner Red Owl
We were the ones that trouble could find
We were on our way to school when this kid pulled a knife
A snowy December, I was outside
When she said there was a crash, and that kid had died
Never mind, I come from the east side
I’ve seen some things that keep me up at night
But the friends I made there have been friends for life
We’ve lost and we’ve won... On the East Side
In ‘85, downtown was still alive
It was a 5-minute walk from the East Side
Hang out in the shops with no intention to buy
Pay for one movie and let our friends inside
And as long as I was home by 9
She didn’t ask about how I spent my time
Middle of summer, late July
She’d keep the door unlocked, till after midnight
Never mind, I come from the east side
As far as money goes, we got by
And when a walk to the arcade turns into a fight
That’s just a Saturday night, On the East Side
The trees are all down, Dutch elm disease
It cast a white light on what was beneath
Years of neglect, decades of wage freeze
The single-family home became a duplex for lease
The highway came through and destroyed 4th street
The stores shuttered up, so I decided to leave
Mid October, there’s time for a drive
I can almost see the past, through my watering eyes
Never mind, I come from the east side
I’ve got a soft spot for those times
The parade came by on the 4th of July
And she was still alive…On the East side