Hub City Survivor

You raised me
Praised me
Would lift me up
And make me listen to Buddy’s Rave
Then you beat me
Broke me
Tried to smoke me
An’ turn me into a slave
But I fought back
With original thought
Just like I always do
Spent ten years making a hand-made present
That I could give to you
But you didn’t want me
Didn’t love me
‘Cause I was young and brash
Spent ten years choppin’ legs from under me
Try to make me bend and kiss your ass

A man came home
‘Bout in ‘86
‘Cause he needed to lick his wounds
Deep, deep down
In the back of his mind
He knew he was headed for his tomb
You asked him sweetly
To do you a favor
‘Cause you thought it might be fun
And he went and built something bigger
Than we’d dreamt of ‘fore he was done
When the day came that he met his Maker
You all turned the other way
You didn’t want
The word to spread
That you had known that he was gay
Joy and light and brightness
Were the things he reveled in
When he passed away
You cast away
Him for his flagrant sin

Two beautiful girls lay in your hard ground
And you never even cared
The most talented son you ever had
Is also lying there
On the other side of the stock yard
Where you will never see
Lies the remnants
Of the carnage
You’ve inflicted on my family
Don’t tell me ‘bout Bobby Knight
Prairie dogs and The Strip
Don’t offer me
Restitution
For the things from me you ripped

I know the truth
Behind the lies
That you don’t want the world to see
High horse morals
And empty minds
Make up your community
You praise a man who makes his “art”
Like the guy on PBS
Radio personalities
Stage shows that are a mess
Proud of your churches
Big parking lots
But what you don’t want the world to know
The number of people
Up and down Indiana
That don’t even bother to go
You’re a haven for the shallow
Cowardly and proud
They can’t do what they want
They kiss your ass
Then they’re allowed

-- Rich Warren, 10/06