Rise (Oh My City)

by Bethlehem and Sad Patrick

 

Walking down these dark city streets
Too early for early    and       too             late                 for late
The corners are empty under starless skies
And that old moon won’t even show               her face
The busses beep, the taxis elbow and curse
They’re all jostling to get to that red light first
Me I just want back to bed and back to black
And that makes it, and that makes it all, all the worse

Oh my city, it’s           time for            you to rise
Rub your eyes and stretch out in the light
The city takes its toll in nickels and dimes
Those who can’t pay the fare, you know you pay the fines
The less you have the less you shall receive, don’t you know it shouldn’t be that way, but
Still you see it, still you see it all, all the time
Oh my city, it’s time for you to rise
Rub your eyes and stretch out in the light
The sky fades from black to dirty gray
Another downtown dinosaur has lost his way
He lumbers along the Ave looking for scraps
Then belches and rumbles on his way
Oh my city, it’s           time for            you to rise
Rub your eyes and stretch out in the light
Oh why do you           tell                   me       these lies
Selling right for wrong and wrong for right
Hush your self now, don’t say a word            If you can’t show me, I don’t want to know
Hush your self now, don’t say a word             If you can’t show me, I think I should just go home

 

Bethlehem and Sad Patrick blend her strong, soulful vocals and unique percussion with his sparse, melodic playing and nuanced songwriting to create powerful songs and their own unique sound. Bethlehem is a singer, songwriter, and percussionist who was described as “Germantown’s next rising star” by WHYY/NewsWorks Philadelphia after the release of her first solo album, “Bigger Than Music”. Sad Patrick is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was kicked out of the Calliope School of Folk Music when he started using “jazz” chords in protest songs. Together, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick create powerful songs of love and other struggles and deliver them in compelling performances.