San Francisco Lyrics

Touching down at SFO I feel the turbulence

Of a city churning swiftly like the wind that wildly whips

Down the shoreline of the shining sea that stretches out of sight

That Balboa breathlessly beheld in dazzling delight

Hilly heights and valleys turned from wilderness to trails

And the advent of the auto turned those trails to thoroughfares through which

Tourists toting tripods take the trolley to the top

While wispy whiffs of warming weed are wafting where I walk

The sound of shoes that slap against the slightly sticky bricks

Meld with mellow melodies of jazz musicians on the block

Beams of morning sunshine gleaming off the Golden Gate

Echo rippling red reflections underneath the interstate

The sunset bathes the boulevards in liquid saffron light

Glinting brightly like the metal that brought miners to this site

This site that shook with fear and trembling in 1906

Turning miles of thriving districts into piles of timber sticks

Which then served as kindling wood to stoke an all-consuming blaze

And its fiery tongues licked livelihoods away for three whole days

The epicenter altered SF's center to an altar

As sirens sang in unison like chorus from the psalter

The mortal orange aura overswept the city's arteries

And prompted generosity from London and the Carnegies

Forest fires foster firs despite their blackened branches

Just as San Francisco rose up like a phoenix from the ashes

I stride down Sacramento Street to try and catch the MUNI

Thinking I can triumph in this land of opportunity

At least that's how the Chinese saw it in the 19th century

Leaving everything behind for just a chance at entry

Sailing like sardines with diet'ry deficiencies

No fish or meat on the high seas would spread disease efficiently

The fare was paid for ferries bearing barely enough barrels

Just stare down the unfairness of the terrible yellow peril

Take a spike, and drive it into wooden railroad ties

Go on strike, but then they'll stop up all your food supplies

And erase you from the picture to let racists take the credit

So that painting of the golden spike, you may as well just shred it

Anxieties of unemployment simmered in disquiet

'Til the bias boiled over in defiant racial riot

It started at a laundromat at Leavenworth and Geary

When a gang broke in and beat the Chinese owners quite severely

Belligerence turned dire when they lit the place on fire

As their prejudicial ire rallied thousands to the mire

The insurgents all emerged with scents of lingering detergents

As the surging crowd tried purging foreigners as a deterrence

Mobbing, robbing, lobbing their incendiary doses

And then sabotaging rescuers by cutting fire hoses

Segregated, spat upon, these immigrants were beaten down

Relegated to the city streets we now call Chinatown

Despite intrusions and the institution of exclusion

They endured the persecution with a fervent resolution

The green roof of the Dragon Gate now testifies the story

About how this people persevered pursuing greater glory

The Castro buildings blend and blur in boldly bright display

As I contemplate the changes from the '40s to this day

When the blue discharge averted gays from military service

While the closeted were nervous that the subject would resurface

They were subject to harassment on a dime in any quarter

Back when sexual minority meant mental health disorder

Like the time they ordered cops to drag some drag queens from a diner

And attempted to arrest them for their feminine attire

A lawman with a badge proceeds to badger and debase

'Til an exasperated patron splashes coffee in his face

The entire place erupts in deleterious hysteria

As salt and sugar shakers fly across the cafeteria

People pelting platters cause the window panes to shatter

And the cups to spill and clatter as the protesters get madder

And begin to fiercely brandish heels and purses in the fight

Before burning down a cop car and a newsstand in the night

The only news to understand was unforeseen aggression

Tell the press that we refuse to stand for this obscene oppression

Cafe sit-ins were the standard, even an obsession

Sev'ral years before the Stonewall Riots stood for self-expression

Courageously they faced all of the hatred of the raids

And tenaciously prevailed over the fateful plague of AIDS

Today the pride flag waves on every corner in June heat

As waves of celebrators all parade down Market Street

Millions of stories ringing radical resilience

Civilians resisting all repression with their brilliance

From persevering migrants overcoming hateful violence

To LGBT vibrance shaking up the weary silence

And as I watch the sunset fade into a violet haze

I wonder if this city is a home to spend my days

Will I rise up and taste victory like heroes in our history

Or quietly in misery become an untold mystery

The magic of this valley is attractive to accept

Because we see how far we've come but we don't know how much is left

Do we dare to share these narratives of American success

To value all the valiance of those that could progress

Or do these venerations just avoid the conversation

And ignore all the injustices in our generation

From the workers suffering today from labor exploitation

To the homeless veterans in dire need of restoration

Our fathers killed the prophets, now will we pocket the profits

Or come back to being honest and make good on what was promised

Whether toppled in the tremors or consumed by burning embers

Now the tales of hard-won splendor are to learn from and remember