Caleb for the Council

Gotta start somewhere, nowhere to go but up
Or how full do you find your cup?
Rents are rising, there’s no rent control
Gotta work two jobs or sell your soul
To make ends meet it just ain’t right
So who here wants to pick a fight?

Gotta start somewhere and it’s within our power
To mandate 15 dollars an hour
New York and Seattle, how about here
Give it a shot, learn to steer
The ship of state, tell the elite
That the rest of us also deserve to eat

Gotta start somewhere or never live it down
Caleb for the Council, Portland-town

Gotta start somewhere, pass some laws
To loosen the grip of the landlord’s claws
Loosen the grip of the industries
Who gave to us this toxic breeze
Loosen the grip – regulate
The armed enforcers of the state

Chorus

Let’s get Caleb on the Council, the glove is thrown
Portland is not your free development zone
Our lungs are not for your coal trains
We don’t need a bigger bridge, we need bicycle lanes
Like the ones they have in Holland, no messing about
It’s not time to be cool, it’s time to shout

Chorus

“Caleb for the Council” has only appeared online as an iPhone Broadside, in 2014.

Professor Nick Caleb ran for Portland City Council, and I thought he needed a campaign song. He liked it.