Lyrics My Old Vancouver - Oh Susanna

My Old Vancouver

My old Vancouver
So endlessly green
But one day the sunshine washed my blues away
I wore my tuxedo
From Black and Lee’s
My vaseline flattop, ripped skinny black jeans
To the west side arena
Where the hockey boys play
The Clash City Rockers reigned for a day
And down at the ballroom
Above the arcade
Where X and Black Flag and Dead Kennedys played
The old bowling alley
Was five bucks a play
I was down with the skinheads wasting the day
Then at Luxury Baus
On New Year’s Eve
He kissed me so hard my lips started to bleed
While Femur and Ike
Were down at the mall
The Women’s Brigade stormed city hall
And the girls down on Davie
Try to turn tricks
While we shame the johns who cruise dicks on dicks
So the raging grannies
March on for peace
While the Vancouver Five were detained by police
Meanwhile the artist
Erased his true name
He silk-screened our soundtrack then ate all our brains
And down at the fairgrounds
I went to see Slow
Hamm showed us his jam and the cops stopped the show
So I walk through Gastown
Hastings and Main
Through attics and Indians numbing their pain
And remember young Sarah
Who walked the street
Picked up by a pickup her end she did meet
Now the old 14 Hastings
Took me back home
To sleep in my brass bed so cozy and warm
I guess my Vancouver
Wasn’t so great
So nice to visit now maybe I’ll stay
When I walk that bridge
I’ll be looking out over the west
When my sun finally sets
I’ll walk that bridge to the place that knew me the best
To watch my sun finally set