Cities of America

They kind of look alike
Cities by the water
Little buildings, quiet corners
The days are almost identicial
April here, there July
And if I could, I would
Put it all together
Bottle the perfect weather
Take the time to make it right
Live and die a little each night
The cities of America
They're all the same, I love them

I walked away
I drove like thunder up the hill
Down another, around a bend
Kind of like the summer night
Back in '78
Dad drove us for ice cream
In the Pennsylvania countryside
While Prove It All Night played
For the first time ever, on WMMR

I had a job to do in 2006
Wait it out, until the show was over
Be strong and silent 'til the show was over
Be strong and loud when we went across town
To the Midwest bar, with the Midwest mouths
But I'd said all I wanted to say already
In the summers of '86 and '97
I had nowhere to go but down
The next day, she drove me to the airport
That felt like a bus station
Portraying a train station
And I haven't been to Milwaukee since

I feel better today
San Diego plays itself
Like a shadow of its former self
I remember back in '95
I got the phone call that Dad had died
And I don't know why but
The next day I drove and just kept driving
To the edge of town, past the edge of town
To the edge of big smaller towns
From North Hollywood to San Diego
In almost record time

Today, I broke the record
Down the fat and filthy 405
To the down and dirty 5
To the achy 805
Same towns, no darkness today
Just sun and good graces
Yes, I'll go places

I'll wait here on the patio
And write about another night
One I drove too slow
Ended up on the wrong side of Philadelphia
Followed the sun back to the north
Listened to Steely Dan sing of Haitian Divorce
23 years before I got myself an American one

Never trust memory
When it's only memory

Yes, all the cities look alike
When you're waiting under red umbrellas
That remind you of your family
That remind you of your honeymoon
That remind you not to speak too soon
Always trust your life
It's your only life

April 14, 2007