Sea Man

I walk down to the sea

and I saw this crazy man

He was looking at me

and he said "I have a plan"

Yes, he said "I have a plan"

He was black from the sun

and his eyes were in tears

and his hand was so thick

from the work of the years

Yes, his hand was so thick

from the work of the years

He said "Please come with me

to my home by the sea

We can smoke, drink and eat

and you'll sit at my feet

and I'll tell what I know

while the sea breezes blow

for I've tried to be free

but I'll soon have to go."

And his house was his art

and, nature, his wish

it was sculpted from clay

in the shape of a fish

it was sculpted from clay

in the shape for a fish

And the caves in the back

had been arched into stone

and the creatures he kept

made him far from alone

Yes, the creatures he kept

made him far from alone

"I have only one son

in Chicago for life

He is separate from me

and so is my wife

and I live in the sun

and I hate what they've done

to my beautiful sea

and what they'll do to me"

And we walked from the house

for miles by the shore

and we picked up the trash

that they'd left by his door.

Yes, we picked up the trash

that they'd left by his door.

And the oil and the sludge

got stuck to my feet

and the fish that were dead

were too poisoned to eat.

Yes, the fish that were dead

were too poisoned to eat.

And the blade cut his hand

and it's stiff from the scar

and the butchers, called doctors,

leave you worse than you are

and we're all like the butchers

we cut into life

and we like to see blood

on the end of our knife.

And someday they will come

and bulldoze him down

for he has not a permit

from the kings of the town

No, he has not a permit

from the kings of the town

And the doctors will come

and say he's afraid

and they'll ruin this man

and destroy what he made

And the pictures he kept

will be torn from his hand

with the beautiful house

that he built on the sand