Oh Joshua fit de battle
'OOhoo,
Joshua fit de battle of,'
When I cried Joshua,
No priest's ram's horn a-blow
On my street,
On my street, oh no,
There's an old woman with a push cart
Going real slow.
Where the avenue meets the boulevard
Where the sign says no stopping, no-time
There's a store, corner store,
Sells paper and smokes and gum,
Last week got held up with a gun.
'Oh, Joshua fit de battle of,'
On my block, on my street, by my home,
There's a woman in high heels
and a red leather skirt
and I go by wondering how she feels
out here, alone.
"How's the night?" I ask
and she says "it's all right,
Night's all right."
'Oh, Joshua fit de battle of,'
City wants me,
Wants me to follow the flashing light
Of the ambulance or pizza
Phone 911 and stay on the line
"What! Haven't got the time?"
"Haven't got the time."
'Oh, Joshua fit de battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit de battle of,
My street, back on my street
End of day,
In the morning,
Open the door.
"Creep stay out-- "
John down the hall shouts:
"More, more."
Shaming John is shaming the neighbour:
"Hey buddy,
Shame on your shame,"
'Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fit de battle of,'
Who's wall go bang bang?
Hate the noise.
Hate the music.
Hate you.
Pass me in the hall and I hate you
and your smiles.
When I want to sleep
Go bang, bang, keep,
Bang, the noise, bang,
Keep, bang, the noise, bang,
I want to sleep.
'Now Joshua he was a good man,
Prayed both night and day
My Lord heard him praying
And victory came that day.'
Fit me in a survey
Of consumer habits.
You know you want to know
My way,
of buying toothpaste.
I grab it hard and fast
Off the shelf,
Buy it and
Use it so its gonna last.
'There's no story that's ever been told
Like the Battle of Jericho.'
No battle 'tween the sidewalk and buzzer
and the buzzer and the door
and the stairs
and the stairs and the door
and you're in.
So close the door behind you
Lock them out.
Lock him out.
Lock her out.
Loch them out of your evening
Of your life:
You are trying to lock the city
Out of your city life.
Oh, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho,
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down.
Oh Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho,
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down.
Spoken Word Performance 1995
/ePublished City of Vancouver's Portrait V2K, 2000
/Print Published Bluesprint Anthology, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2002