To adopt the catch phrase of a photographer friend, 'True story.'.
Story behind the song
Reminiscence of my misspent mid-seventies youth.
Lyrics
I was in a pool hall out on Lake St. in the town where I was growing up.
South Minneapolis aint as bad as the Southside of Chicago and that's one reason I'm still alive.
I was trying to make a call out from a payphone.
I couldn't stand up any more.
And the cord to the receiver was too short to reach more than half way to where I sat down on the floor.
Earlier that afternoon we were @ Kelly's house. High school kids drinking sloe gin.
Tasted like cough syrup and Kool-Aid someone brought some 3 grain Tuinals in.
I washed a couple down and waited - nothing happened.
I necked another saying, "These things aint that strong." but as it turned out I was wrong and just impatient.
I was in a pool hall I met Rob from up in Camden on the north side.
I don't recall just how he got there but the plan was that we'd spend the night @ my place.
Rob must have got me off the floor and got me walking.
It must have been winter. I remember how the sloe gin looked thrown up upon the snow bank.
And that's another reason I'm still alive.
The next day Rob told me that he had told my parents I'd been drinking. That was true in part.
Life's a story that has sex in the beginning and death @ the end.
Now I'm not sure what made me take the time to write this, other than just say, "Thanks a lot!" to Robert and, "I'm still alive. And I hope you're still alive"