SAM
Written by Bridget Ball & Christopher Alden Shaw
As sung by Bridget Ball on "Bricks and Windows" (1993)

1. Eight in the morning Sam gets on the school bus.
He can't wait to see his friend Mike.
But Mike isn't there; he's in south Colorado.
His dad dragged him off there last night.
Mike told Sam he thought that his dad might be coming.
He told him so just yesterday.
The judge says Mike's dad has an awful bad temper,
But Mike loves his dad anyway.

2. The school day is over; Sam walks from the bus stop.
He pulls out his key to the door.
His mom isn't there; she's still working at Wendy's.
Dad doesn't send checks anymore.
A note on the table next to the fig Newtons
Says Sam shouldn't go to the store.
Some neighbourhood kid just got caught in the crossfire.
The newspaper stopped keeping score.

3. Mom comes home with dinner; it's egg-foo-yung takeout
And grandma calls up on the phone.
She moved across town to the new senior complex.
She didn't like living alone.
She says that the complex was built on the playground
In back of the old grammar school.
It's just what she'd hoped for; it's right on the bus line,
And kids aren't allowed in the pool.

4. Sam sits on the sofa and turns on the TV.
His schoolbooks get dumped on the floor.
His mom used to bug him 'bout doing his homework.
She doesn't do that anymore.
He watches a program where all of the people
Live Beverly-Hills kind of lives.
After twelve and a half years of life in the real world,
He know that his TV tells lies.