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Pietermaritzburg

from Shifting Boundaries by Dave Starke

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lyrics

PIETERMARITZBURG
I know that you can see me sitting underneath my tree,
Blanket in a packet, puppy on my knee.
I have a sorry story I’d like to tell to you,
Can’t promise that you’ll like it but I promise you its true

I’m 67 years today, been unemployed for 10,
I used to have a family, but that was way back when.
Can I trouble you for 5 bucks or a cigarette or two,
You look like you are decent and charitable too.

And maybe I’ll buy liquor or maybe I’ll buy bread,
The one that kills me quicker is the one that cools my head
I’m a poor man from Pietermaritzburg and I’ll watch your car for you
You're right I see you as I try to park my car,
My kids are in the back seat, my husband's at the bar
Your strawberry suntan, mouth of missing teeth,
You'll ask if you can help to pack my groceries...

And sure I'll give you 5 bucks for cigarettes or booze,
You've had a life of bad luck and I drink for comfort too,
You're a poor man from Pietermaritzburg...I have a father just like you

Let me tell you one thing, before I let you go,
I might not look like much but there’s a few things that I know.
I used to have a pretty wife, lovely children too,
I’ve hurt the people close to me, I’ve dished out bruises too

So go and find your husband and drag him from the bar
Before the Sheriff comes to take your house and your car
Somewhere here in Maritzburg, I have a daughter just like you

We live here in Maritzburg and we live side by side
But the distance between us has never felt so wide
Staring at each other...from across the great divide

I'll think of you this evening as I put my kids to sleep
My husband drunk and snoring in front of the TV
I'll think of my old mother and how she used to say,
The downfall of a man is never far away

So go and buy your quarts of beer, forget about the bread,
We're never getting out of here and we'll both still end up dead
But being poor in Pietermarizburg is like dying everyday...

credits

from Shifting Boundaries, released August 15, 2020

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Dave Starke Eshowe, South Africa

Dave Starke strives to capture human moments in musical form - to sum up a whole host of thoughts and emotions using just his voice and a guitar. He describes the guitar as a “wooden box with strings, tensioned to near breaking point – it’s fundamental, honest and often scary and it’s a good metaphor for the human experience…” ... more

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