[Verse 1: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, tight live drums, slap bass, wah guitar] Twenty-nine years on Ninth Street with a squint like a threat Every corner boy stepped back, every deacon broke a sweat Church ladies crossed the road when they saw me coming through Mailman left my package next door, and I don't blame him, would you Called me Mean Marcus, said I'm mad at the sun I was trying to read the bus sign, I was squinting at the one My girl said why you staring like I did you wrong Baby, I could barely see you, I been blurry all along Then the lady at the eye place put a chart up on the wall And I couldn't read the big E, couldn't read a thing at all [Pre-Hook: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, rising, claps on every beat] She put the frames on my face and said look out the door And the trees had leaves, man, I never knew before [Hook: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, full-throated, the whole band in] I wasn't mean-mugging, I just couldn't see Whole block thought I was hard, it was blurry to me Got the frames on my face and the world went crisp Now I see you, and I see what I missed [Verse 2: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, harder, slap bass up front] Walked out on Ninth Street and I'm stopping every block Every brick got edges, I can read the corner clock I can see the pigeons' feet, I can see the bus is the nine I been waiting on the six since high school, that's a crime Corner boys still step back 'cause they ain't heard the news Till I'm grinning ear to ear and complimenting shoes Told Miss Pearl I love her hat and she grabbed her purse in fright Told the deacon have a blessed day, he ain't sleep all night Then I seen my girl up on the stoop, she got freckles on her nose Little gap between her teeth, I been missing all of those [Pre-Hook: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, rising, claps on every beat] She put the frames on my face and said look out the door And the trees had leaves, man, I never knew before [Hook: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, full-throated, the whole band in] I wasn't mean-mugging, I just couldn't see Whole block thought I was hard, it was blurry to me Got the frames on my face and the world went crisp Now I see you, and I see what I missed [Bridge: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, rasp on clear, the band builds two bars and lands] Read the sign, read the bus, read the smile on her, it's clear Read the stars over Ninth Street like I never been here Twenty-nine years in the fog and the fog just quit I ain't mean, I was blind, and the block can't handle it Now the corner boys are waving and the ladies say hello And the mailman knocks on my door like he's known me long ago [Final Hook: Sweat-soaked funk-shouter male lead, full-throated, everything in] I wasn't mean-mugging, I just couldn't see Whole block thought I was hard, it was blurry to me Got the frames on my face and the world went crisp Now I see you, and I see what I missed [End]
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