Pietermaritzburg
I know that you can see me
Sitting underneath my tree
Blanket in a packet
Puppy on my knee
I have a sorry story
I'd like to share with you
Can't promise you'll like it
But I promise you it's true
I'm sixty seven years today
Been unemployed for ten
I used to have a family
But that was way back when
Can I trouble you for five bucks?
Or a cigarette or two
You look like you're decent
And charitable too
Maybe I'll buy liquor
Maybe I'll buy bread
The one that kills me quicker
Is the one that cools my head
I'm a poor man from Pietermaritzburg
And I'll watch your car for you
You're right I see you
As I try to park my car
My kids are in the back seat
My husband's at the bar
Strawberry sunburn
Mouth of missing teeth
You'll ask if you can help
To pack my groceries
And sure, I'll give you five bucks for cigarettes or booze
You've had a life of bad luck
And I drink for comfort too
You're a poor man from Pietermaritzburg
I have a father just like you
But let me tell you one thing
Before I let you go
I might not look like much
But there's a few things that I know
I used to have a pretty wife
Lovely children too
I've hurt the people close to me
And I have dished out bruises too
So go and find your husband
And drag him from the bar
Before the sheriff comes to take your house and your car
Somewhere here in Martizburg
I have a daughter just like you
We live here in Maritzburg and we live side by side
The distance that's between us
Has never felt so wide
Staring at each other
From across the great divide
I'll think of you this evening
As I put my kids to sleep
My husband drunk and snoring
In front of the TV
I'll think of my old mother
And how she used to say
The downfall of a man
Is never far away
I'll come buy a quartz beer, forget about the bread
We're never getting out of here and we'll both still end up dead
But being poor in Pietrmaritzburg
Is like dying every day
