"Places Of The Deh"
"Fire-engines wail past / Pipes smoking from Streets / Police paid to harass / Slaves to street-corner chains / [...] / We keep hearin' such lies / We keep hearin' new lies / We keep hearin' News lie"
“Places Of The Deh”
Cites of the Deh—Eh—Eh—Eh
Where ya gonna Go—Oh—Oh—Oh
What ya gonna Do—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh
Fire-engines wail past
Pipes smoking from Streets
Police paid to harass
Slaves to street-corner chains
Surreal city
Real-real city
Homeless in Stations
Lie all day in rows
Prints of Perfumes and Jeans
Above piss-stains on Stairs
Surreal city
Real-real city
Cites of the Deh—Eh—Eh—Eh
Where ya gonna Go—Oh—Oh—Oh
What ya gonna Do—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh
We keep hearin’ these lies
We keep hearin’ these lies
We keep hearin’ these lies
Factories are abandoned
Offices on State Street stare like empty eyes
Rust grows on clothes-lines
And we’re supposed to make FRENCH FRIES
We keep hearin’ such lies
We keep hearin’ such lies
We keep hearin’ such lies
Millions shot up with Coke and gunfire
Thousands rounded up for Log
Yet the News is never on
Why people got to live like DOGS
We keep hearin’ such lies
We keep hearin’ the new lies
We keep hearin’ the News lie
Into the Valleys
Into the Valleys
Into the Valleys
Cows on the hillsides
Mist over Tract=Homes
Houses like Lego
Ramps dinosaur-bones
Cruisin’ the Malls
Cruisin’ the Malls
Cruisin’ the Malls
Aisles arcades of Shops
Specialties franchised
Teens compare their hair
The same everywhere
Cruisin’ the Malls
Into the Valleys
Across the land
Plsces of the Deh—Eh—Eh—Eh
Where ya gonna Go—Oh—Oh—Oh
What ya gonna Do—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh
Across seats in Cars
Ride sober faces
With eyes brown and green
With smiles like the Earth
Un’ground city
Real-real city
And the teens dream
And all people dream
With hopes like the stars
With hope like their STARS
Amid
Cites of the Deh—Eh—Eh—Eh
Where ya gonna Go—Oh—Oh—Oh
What ya gonna Do—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh
“Places Of The Deh” has come sounding and pounding to mind over the past few days, as we in 2024 continue to experience the most bald-faced and not-so-delightful lies from News on, say, Airports’ overhead screens, as well as through Social-Media platforms such as Ex-Twitter X.
This Suspect Many band and I recorded “Places Of The Deh” as, I think, the very last Track of 14 done in a Three-Day Lock-Out within the insular paradise of the Olde West studio, south of Market Street, San Francisco, December 1989.
Great musicians, very creative and EXACT, as I’m often so lucky to have. GEORGE CREMASCHI on Fretless Bass, JOHN BAKER on Keyboards, JOHN KARR and (I think) DHYANI DHARMA MAS on Electric Guitars, and our guest RANDY GALLERIN on Drums-Set.
“Places Of The Deh” came from visits to New York City in May and July of 1989.
RELATED
One Track with the Suspect Many on YouTube
Bio on the All About Jazz Website.
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