By The River, Or Under The Bridge

she said. It’s hard, you know, when
there’s nothin’ but the river, in summer,
or under the bridge when it rains, is
the only place you got. I guess it’s why
I couldn’t take it no more, ended
up in that ward, you know. It was nice
to take a shower and put on clean
clothes, to have a bed for a while
and eat every day. If I could only
have done better before, I might not
have so far to go now, right? It’s okay,
 
’cause after the hospital, welfare’s
gettin’ me an apartment and Good Will
vouchers I can use to get some nice
furniture. It’ll be real nice now, me
and him will be okay, and he’ll stay
straight and you can come over to
see us. We’ll be okay now, right?

Yeah, I ain’t been around cause of 
I shoulda got up and stayed with
him. I didn’t hear him go out,
just come back, and I told him
lay down now, and sleep, but
he didn’t wake up. Overdosed
before, but we always got there
in time. I had to do everything,
you know, the funeral and all,
cause I’m all he had. No one
else, at all, no one. He never had
a chance, did he? And, I don’t want
ever to go out or see nobody now,
but maybe I’ll come sometimes,
cause you treated us like people,
remembered our names and all,
gave us that ride that time. Maybe
once in a while I’ll try to come back
and do your church thing some time,
right?