Lyrics This Is My Town - Mark Kozelek

This Is My Town

Had dim sum this morning at Lai Hong Lounge
After I kissed her goodbye and she went off to work
They sat me down with a group of old ladies and I smiled at them
And they smiled back at me
Picked up my chopsticks, they giggled
They were impressed with my chopstick skills
They were polite, and they reached out and poured my tea
And in return, I poured their tea
I got up to leave, they said, «You're nice, you’re funny»
I said, «Well thank you, you’re all very sweet and charming»
While I left I told the waitress, «You see that table over there?
It’s on me»
It’s on me
And I walked up Pacific from Chinatown
I’ve sung about this walk so many times, but yeah I’m still around
I looked down at Sally’s and I’m still spellbound
This is my town, this is my town
This is a young person’s town, this is a homeless person’s town
This is a tourist-friendly town, this was a gold miners' town
This was gentleman Jim Corbett’s town, this is the Grateful Dead’s town
And this is also my town
This is my town, this is my town
Now I’m walking along the edge of Golden Gate Park
The cold ocean wind pinches my face and it’s getting dark
I walk into the Cliff House, the hostess says, «Do you have a reservation, sir?»
I said, «Yes I do, my name is Mark»
I leave the Cliff House and it’s a darker shade of dark
I walk past the other buses charging up and whizz in awe
I hear a foghorn and smell the cypresses' wet bark
Go to the front desk, the lady said, «Can I get your name?»
I said, «Sure, my name is Mark»
My name is Mark
I picked up a guitar and I plugged it in
A 1960 Jazzmaster Sunburst here at the Seal Rock Inn
But it doesn’t matter what guitar I play, or if the neck is thick or thin
It doesn’t matter if the amp is a Fender Champ or a Fender Twin
I pick up whatever guitar may happen to be lying around
And I can pick up a garage sale guitar that my father found
It doesn’t matter if the strings are round, wound, or they’re flat-wound
This is my sound, this is my sound
And here from my room, 209
Out my window I see the top of the treeline
I look at my bed and I see the light flashing on my cell, I pick it up
«I'm sorry to hear that your uncle died, I remember him well
And he played the flamenco guitar very very well
As I recall, we passed it back and forth one day before he fell ill
As I recall, your aunt looked after him with so much love and care
Before she passed away not long before him, she was always there
I know that you’re down today, I know that you are feeling blue
But know that their love was long and true
Their love was true, and I’m here for you»
Went to the Mission District this afternoon
Ate an enchilada plate at Taqueria Cancún
I thought, what will I do this week
Some spoken word or croon?
I never really know until I arrive and hear the tune
I finished John Steinbeck’s The Moon is Down
Nazis came and pushed the Norwegians around
But in the end they said, «You can shoot our mayor down, down
This will always be our country, this will always be our town»
«Molly Morden was a very pretty girl
She was our blood and she lured and killed your soldier»
«You can kill our doctor, you can occupy our town
But you cannot kill our spirit, this will always be our town
This is and was and will always be our town»
Now I’m in my neighborhood walking down Hyde Street again
I order my iced tea like I always do, black and unsweetened
I looked at the solar eclipse a few hours too late
Yeah that’s right, I decided to sleep in today
There’s too much talk about what damage the sun
Could potentially do to your eyesight
And my eyes are already getting blurry, and I need my eyes
So I can see into your beautiful eyes
So I can see the gorgeous northern California skies
And so I can read books like William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury
And to watch TV shows like Eastbound and Down
And see the next fight with Tyson Fury
So I can make my way around Chinatown and Japantown
So I can order from the menu when I’m eating dinner downtown
During my break from the studio, where I wrote these words
This is my town