[Intro: palmas, nylon guitar rasgueado, cajon] Hundred and four on Linden and the asphalt starting to sweat Mrs. Ortega on the stoop with a nozzle and a bet [Hook: chanted, group answers, claps] Hose nozzle (turn it) Nine settings on the dial (turn it) Hose nozzle (turn it) Cool the whole block for a while (turn it) Jet for the troublemakers, mist for the old men Shower for the babies, then we spin it again [Verse 1] City put a lock on the hydrant Tuesday noon Then the power quit on Linden in the middle of the afternoon Fans stopped spinning and the fridges started weeping Ice cream man gave away the melting stock and called it even Mrs. Ortega didn't panic, didn't call, didn't wait Dragged out seventy feet of green hose to the gate Tape on every leak like a boxer's knuckles wrapped Screwed a pistol nozzle on and gave the brass a tap Said mijo, nine settings, you're the mayor of the spray I'm too old to stand in the street, so you run it all day I was fourteen with a title and a soggy pair of socks And the whole block lined up on the curb in flip flops [Hook: chanted, group answers, claps] Hose nozzle (turn it) Nine settings on the dial (turn it) Hose nozzle (turn it) Cool the whole block for a while (turn it) Jet for the troublemakers, mist for the old men Shower for the babies, then we spin it again [Verse 2] First came the mailman with his bag and his face red I hit him with the mist and he blessed me and he said Do the left side, kid, and he did a little spin Then he finished out his route damp with a grin on his chin Then the Patel twins in the stroller on the shade side Shower setting soft and they squealed like a water slide Then a councilman in a suit came knocking for votes Said a little mist please, I'm melting in my coat Mrs. Ortega from the stoop said mijo, give him jet Now he's dripping in his loafers and his clipboard's soaking wet He laughed, he left a flyer, and I hollered at the guy I'll vote for you in four years if your shoes are ever dry [Double-Time Switch: stacked, no commas] Hundred and four and the tar going soft and the dogs laying flat under every parked car on the block Fridges are weeping and fans are asleep and the bodega sold the last bag of ice before ten in the morning Grandma in curlers and Pops in a towel and the baby in nothing but diapers and a little sun hat Ortega says now and I click it to shower and Linden Street shivers like somebody opened the beach [Hook: chanted, group answers, claps] Hose nozzle (turn it) Nine settings on the dial (turn it) Hose nozzle (turn it) Cool the whole block for a while (turn it) Jet for the troublemakers, mist for the old men Shower for the babies, then we spin it again [Chopper Burst: triplet bounce, flow switch] Jet to the gutter and cone to the corner a shower for strollers a mist for the mailman a flat for the front steps and the gate Soaker for sidewalks and center for seniors on stoops who keep swearing they're not even hot but they're hot as a plate Angle the alley and full for the families flip it and twist it and click it and kick it the dial is a clock I rotate Nine little settings one little lady one leaky green hose and a hundred and four had to stop and get in line and wait [Breakdown: palmas only, half-time] Clap if you're dripping (clap) Clap if you're dry (clap) Clap for the lady on the stoop With the hose and the side eye [Verse 3] Power came back around nine and the fans hummed awake Everybody drifted in and the street was a lake Mrs. Ortega wound the hose and hung it on the rail Then she wrapped the nozzle in a dish towel, said it's yours and not for sale Said next heat wave it's on you, I'll be watching from inside With my feet up in a bucket and my door propped wide Now it sits on my windowsill, scratched brass and green Nine settings on the dial and the coolest summer I've seen [Final Hook: chanted, group answers, claps] Hose nozzle (turn it) Nine settings on the dial (turn it) Hose nozzle (turn it) Cool the whole block for a while (turn it) Jet for the troublemakers, mist for the old men Shower for the babies, then we spin it again [Outro: palmas, nylon guitar] Hundred and four on Linden and the whole block soaking wet Mrs. Ortega on the stoop, and she still hasn't lost a bet
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