The Ballad Of Kathryn Johnston

Old Miss Johnston lived all alone

On the sorry side of town

Broke down cars and burglar bars

On the windows and doors

In case danger comes around

Sittin' in her yellow kitchen

Listenin' to bad news on a Radiant radio

It used to be Louis Armstrong

Then Martin Luther King

Where did everybody go?

Out the window where her garden was

It's not safe to go outside

Old Miss Johnston in the eye of the storm

It was the safest place to hide

And life's a gamble for the broken and the weak

Dealin' with the bangers and the drugs

The whinos weave and amble

And shuffle on down the street

Steerin' clear of all the thugs

And now my city hangs her head in shame

You can't tell the truth from all the lies

Everything changed forever and everything stayed the same

On the night Miss Johnston died