TRIVIAL PURSUIT by Tom Jensen
We’ve lost power over here in New York City
People say it’s pitch black
Along the whole East Coast
A woman cried out,
“I miss the skyline – it’s so pretty”
She said, “I’ve been walking around here
Feeling just like a ghost”
I heard a man say that the gin mill’s closed
As he continued on walking down the road
Sad and alone with no place to go
I sat on the sidewalk as this little kid came
So angry at the world
‘Cause he couldn’t play video games
We’ve lost power over here in New York City
People say it’s pitch black
Along the whole East Coast
I heard a young thug cuss
‘Cause he couldn’t listen to P. Diddy
It seems nothing happened
When he turned on his radio
An elderly woman complained
Because she couldn’t get the weather
I told her if she gets too hot
To then just sleep in the nude
And if she gets cold then go put on a sweater
She must have thought that I was either sick or rude
I thought I gave her good advice
But now I wish I never met her
We’ve lost power over here in New York City
People say it’s pitch black
Along the whole East Coast
There was this sad old vet I met
And I asked him, “Hey sir, what’s troubling you?”
He answered that there’s no money in the kitty
Since they had to close the V.F.W.
A young girl passed by
So I asked her where she’s from
But she was too busy making a call
I overheard that she needed her nails done
She was all disappointed she couldn’t go to the mall
We’ve lost power over here in New York City
People say it’s pitch black
Along the whole East Coast
A drunk stumbled over me while mumbling
That he wanted to black out during a black out
And then he began to boast that he was so witty
A homeless man came and asked me for a cigarette
Explaining he had proof that this was
All a plot by the government
I said as a joke that maybe
Bush was trying to save oil
When he lit up his smoke
I saw that his pants were soiled
We’ve lost power over here in New York City
People say it’s pitch black
Along the whole East Coast
A kid my age stopped and asked me
“What’s going on?”
He asked me if I got stoned
As he pulled out his bong
I told him, “No, no I don’t, nope, not any more”
He said he needed wraps
But he couldn’t go to the store
He told me he was getting high
‘Cause there was nothing to do
As I rested my arm on a post I responded
“Yeah, what a pity”
When he saw my flashlight turn on
He asked me what the Hell was I doing
My answer to him was that I was writing a song