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West Philly Waltz

from The Beginning of the End (demo) by Bad Salmon

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On "the agape rebellion": kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/agape#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20we%20rise%20to%20love,them%20because%20God%20loves%20them

lyrics

Come, gather 'round
Dreamers and clowns
We'll sing you a song
It won't take very long
Just to tell ya. Let me tell ya
About a place, not far from here,
Where everyone you meet is caramel and queer
Come and dwell-ia
In West Philadelphia
Where trolley tracks and trees adorn the byways
There's free jazz every Friday
In the park after five
Where history and hope collide and vibrate
Sure, sometimes it goes sideways
But at least we're alive...

So suck it up
Don't fuck it up
G?!d makes the rules and you play with the hand that She dealt ya
Whatever she dealt ya
Life ain't fair and no one cares
The sooner you learn it, the better to fend for yourself-ia
In West Philadelphia
The bosses and the landlords will abuse you
So you'd better pay dues to a union or two
And crooked cops reserve the right to bruise you
So we've all gotten used to eschewing the blue

And after all the waterfalls, the sinkholes and the guns
The poverty, the violence, and despair
There's something left - just out of reach - it glimmers in the air
A world to repair, if you care
A world to repair, if you dare

The city's always slightly helter-skelter
Kittens scurry for shelter
Witches casting their spells
But that co-op makes you feel a little healthier
And you're probably wealthier
Than somebody else

Remember, my dears,
We're all strangers here,
Except the Lenape
So join the agape rebellion
It's a rebellion
Of brotherly love
Could that be enough?
To feel like a family, finally
Oh, how I fell for ya
West Philadelphia

The car broke down again, so your neighbors come help ya
They lend you an umbrella
As you walk to the El
Where Vernon's got a carrot cake to sell ya
And you're short on the gelt, yeah
But ah, what the hell

credits

from The Beginning of the End (demo), released December 4, 2022
Clarinet - Gabe Preston
Trumpet - Daniel Stern
Accordion, guitar, bass, drums, vocals - Jonathan Leibovic

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Bad Salmon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and reckless bamboozler

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