If Someone’s House Is Burning

They lived in Santa Rosa since ’83
They had 60 seconds to get in the car and flee
The entire neighborhood, for twenty blocks around
Except for lonely chimneys, burned to the ground
With ash and sweat pasted on their skin
They drove to El Cerrito, where a friend said “please come in”
If someone’s house is burning and they need to get away
You give them a place to stay

They once lived in Port Arthur, but then the hurricane
Buried houses and refineries in an ocean of rain
They paddled to the highway and found they were not alone
As a trucker took them all the way to San Antone
They were greeted by a cousin with a smile and a tear
“As long as you need to stick around, you’re welcome here”
If someone’s house is flooding and they need to get away
You give them a place to stay

They once lived in Honduras, but then there was a coup
When a gang shot up their house, they did what they had to do
That they had to leave the country, there wasn’t any doubt
They ran out the back door and headed out
To get across the Rio Grande they nearly died
But then they met their uncle who just said “come inside”
If someone’s house is under fire and they need to get away
You give them a place to stay

hThey grew up in Chicago in a high-rise tenement
After it was bulldozed they up and went
Headed to the west coast, where others had gone before
Where someone laid out a palette on their floor
When the wrecking ball is swinging and people need a place to land
You can look the other way or extend your hand
If someone’s home’s being demolished and they need to get away
You give them a place to stay