So Long Baby Shoes

Outside New York a young boy was told
The situation here is in control
Watch me boy and you will see
How the earth can provide endlessly

Time went by and the promise went stale
One by one the new crops did fail
Walking round he was feeling heat
He was looking for a hustle on the street

An’ what he had to do, he did
He said “Look at me all, I’m the eyeball kid
I can tell you what I see
For a premium depository”

So long, so long baby shoes
An’ hello to the blues

Step into the ring my son
You’re challenging the heavy gun
You can carry one thing that you know
The rest you must leave here below

Eye to eye the battle raged
The crowd cheered loud on every page
Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Both eyes blinked to tear and dust

And the room fell silent, could it be?
The challenger was walking free
Back onto the dirt below
The eyeball kid stepped down slow

On the mat the big gun swooned
The title belt was all he knew
He watched the crowd file out the door
Without their cheers, he’d fight no more

So long, so long baby shoes
An’ hello to the blues

Outside the tent a cold wind blew
The sun had long stopped peeking through
The crowd heard what the kid had seen
When he left the big gun in the rain

He said “I looked deep into his eye
I saw innocence, I will not lie
Like a shallow pond that seems the sea
His only strength was mystery”

And the crowd let out a gasp and groan
How did we get so far from home?
With a circus tent upon our fields
And a new dog-fight for every meal

And they felt their hunger deep that day
And they watched the tent get blown away
The same wind brought forgotten seeds
Which sowed their hearts eternally

So long, so long baby shoes
An’ hello to the blues

So long, so long baby shoes
An’ hello to the blues