Inspired by the owner, patrons, and conversationsat a restaurant/bar where I sang for a summer.
Inspired by the owner and patrons of a restaurant bar where I sang in the 1980s.
Zalmi is an immigrant, first generation.
He must have heard the words,
"Give me all your hungry, your poor..."
And thought about "your lonely."
In his bar, he's glad to get your money,
But he's happier just to see his friends
And join them in a drink
Almost silent in his own mourning--
Except to ask for songs that pray for peace
He might as well have said,
"Give me all your tired, special faces...
All your hopes ... and memories...
All your searching for a sympathetic ear..."
CHORUS:
Love is just a nod away,
A smile in sight,
A frown with you.
Love is not a world away.
I hope you know
It's here right now--
And ready when you are.
No drink can soothe like friends who really care
I don't have to know you well to understand your pain
Together we ask questions for which there are no answers
But something makes us put our hearts into each refrain
(chorus)
When I was three, you fought in Vietnam
Many long years later, we meet here--on neutral ground.
You argue, over hawks and doves and who to bomb.
I think about how to mend your broken wings...
Learning to fly...what it means to die...knowing when to cry...
And who's to blame...
(chorus)