Sleeping in Public
Jefferson Berry
© 2022 Urban Acoustic Music
Outside the scenery just rolled on by.
A little hitch on the train tracks
as he opened his eyes,
“Where were you just now” he asked himself.
Trying hard to remember
His dream and how he felt.
Then he looked around to see
who was there.
On the commuter train,
did anyone care
That it had been a hard day
and he was whipped
Fighting the shame of
Sleeping in Public
A nicely framed photograph hangs on the wall
In the living room of a suburban home.
It’s an image of days gone by
reminding those he loved
He was more than normal,
He was more than enough.
A bad luck in markets
hit him one day;
Left his family
with bills they couldn’t pay.
From lost to loser,
he let it all slip.
Now you can find him downtown,
Sleeping in Public.
Sometimes you’ll take a break,
sometime the break takes you.
Dreams of modern living in America,
it’s true--
You don’t have to fight
but you can never quit,
End up overwhelmed and
Sleeping in Public
Made the connection to the Broad Street line,
Fairmount Station at a quarter to nine.
There on the station floor
beneath the city street,
Just for a moment,
their eyes had a chance to meet.
The broken broker
who had come in from the rain
Asked the comuter if he could
spare a little change
To replace this bottle of
Night Train Express
I know what it looks like,
I’m just such a mess
But just like you I’m no stranger
to success
No one will blame either of us for
Sleeping in Public