Propped Against The Wall

[Cheeky Monkey]

PROPPED AGAINST THE WALL
© Tom Guertin, All Rights Reserved

(Verse 1)
Face-down in his vomit, awakened by a truck
Wipes away the rancid mask, spits and struggles up
He opens-wide the dumpster lid to face another day
Crawls over to a puddle to wash his yesterdays away

(Verse 2)
He staggers down to Main Street, shopping cart in-tow
With all of his belongings, he sits along the row
Bummin’ change from passers-by for smokes and alcohol
Beggin’ mercy for the man propped against the wall
He cries...

(Chorus)
I’m livin' in a hell on earth
A wreck without a home
Livin' in a hell on earth
A virtual unknown
Have mercy on me mister
Have mercy as I fall
Have mercy for the homeless man
Propped against the wall

(Verse 3)
He didn't get much schoolin', the words looked all mixed-up
Spent his youth in foster homes, and gettin' beaten-up
They'd send him to a corner just to make him feel small
Laughin' at the little boy propped against the wall

(Verse 4)
Fires burn in garbage cans, he battles to stay warm
Eatin' scraps of tainted meat, a rat in human form
Nighttime is the worst it seems as demons come to call
And have no mercy for the man propped against the wall

(Chorus)
I’m livin' in a hell on earth
A wreck without a home
Livin' in a hell on earth
A virtual unknown
Have mercy on me mister
Have mercy as I fall
Have mercy for the homeless man
Propped against the wall

(Bridge)
He’s had his ups, had his downs
He’s had his smiles, had his frowns
He finds it hard to keep his spirit up
When coins don't fill his empty cup
He cries...

(Chorus)
I’m livin' in a hell on earth
A wreck without a home
Livin' in a hell on earth
A virtual unknown
Have mercy on me mister
Have mercy as I fall
Have mercy for the homeless man
Propped against the wall

(Tag)
Have mercy for the homeless man
Propped against the wall

 

[Fat_Satchel]

Knarly lyrics dude! [sorry! feeling 80's this morn]

I love the blunt imagery right from the 1st line. Im curious what style music this lays on...it sounds like acoustic but could be metal no?

The only line that struck me odd was "a virtual unknown" in the middle of the chorus. Just doesnt fit for me. Reads odd. Prolly flows fine w the music tho huh....

Cool Song.

FS

 

[mikeh]

Very, very good. Vivid images and a subject matter not done to death.

One of the best "songs" I've seen on this site and one of the better "stories" I've seen in lyric form.

 

[Rokket]

GREAT song! Wow.... I want to hear it when it's recorded. I agree with Mike. This is the best lyrics I've seen on the site in some time.

 

[jeff5xo]

Yeah great song dude. I agree with Satchel though on the "virtual unknown" line. Maybe use something like....."not proud to be alone", or "throw this dog a bone". Great job bro!

 

[Emusic]

Very good lyrics. Fed to Phil Collins they would surely be a hit

 

[andyhix]

Nice lyrics. Really. My only question is whether the change from "he" to "I" between the verses and chorus is intentional or what? That's a bit of a pet peave of mine. Who's singing the song? the Bum, or some omnipitent outsider?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Thanks for the kind remarks and feedback, guys.

Satchel, given the "street" nature of the lyric, the music for this song is acoustic folk/rock. Having said that, I can also hear it performed in a Metallica kinda style. Emusic, not sure if it's in the Phil Collins vein, but who knows.

Satchel/jeff5xo, I agree that the "virtual unknown" line can be improved. I'm thinking something like "A bum condemned to roam", but I'll give it more thought.

andyhix, the change from "he" to "I" between the verses and chorus IS intentional. I understand your pet-peeve because I've seen the technique done poorly myself. I attempted to do it right with this lyric, where the singer is the outsider who's observed the protagonist and is telling his story in the verses. I tried to set-up the transition to the singer quoting the protagonist in the chorus by using "He cries..." at the end of V2, V4 (should be there but I forgot) and the bridge. I think this could be made to work well in a full production.

I wondered if anybody picked-up on a sub-theme I tried to address? In V3/L1 "He didn't get much schoolin', the words looked all mixed-up", I'm suggesting that as a young boy, the protagonist was an undiagnosed dyslexic. 30 - 40 years ago (and even longer), dyslexics were often branded as stupid/retarded (although I used dyslexia in this song, the same could be said for some other disorders). In the wrong family/social environment, I wonder how many eventually wound-up living a life like the character in this song. Many, I'm sure. If so, I guess it's pretty important that these days such disorders are diagnosed and treated early. Wuddya think about this sub-theme in the song? Did you recognize it?

Thanks again guys. I appreciate it. I hope to eventually record it, but I'm still a newbie to proper recording and am still assembling the gear since my oldest son recently moved out, thus vacating his bedroom.