[Verse 1] Welcome to Portland, here’s the latest plan, Move the problem somewhere else again. Fentanyl smoke by the playground gate? Write an exclusion—now the park looks great. Ninety days out, better move along, Same old crisis, just a different lawn. Dealer checks the map, says, “Not this place,” Walks three blocks and sets up another base. [Pre-Chorus] Round and round, where does it go? Nobody asks if nobody knows. [Chorus] Do the Safe Park Shuffle, Move it down the street. Sweep it from the playground, Drop it at somebody else’s feet. You didn’t stop the crisis, You just changed its address. Call it progress, call it compassion— I call it one big fucking mess. [Verse 2] Move the tent, move the junkie, Move the dealer too. Move the complaint to another block— That’s what Portland likes to do. Police are running call to call, Sirens bouncing off the walls. Another body hits the ground, While City Hall keeps spinning ‘round. [Pre-Chorus] Plant a tree, cut a ribbon, Tell us everything is fine. But moving trouble park to park Doesn’t make the problem disappear with time. [Chorus] Do the Safe Park Shuffle, Move it down the street. Sweep it from the playground, Drop it at somebody else’s feet. You didn’t stop the crisis, You just changed its address. Call it progress, call it compassion— I call it one big fucking mess. [Bridge] How about detox? How about treatment? How about recovery with a little enforcement? Go after dealers. Give cops what they need. Help people get clean Instead of letting the crisis relocate with speed. Because compassion without boundaries Can leave everybody behind— The addict, the resident, the family And the city paying the price. [Breakdown / Chant] Move it here! Move it there! Pretend the problem disappeared! New park! Same mess! Different ZIP code— Call it success! [Final Chorus] Do the Safe Park Shuffle, Spin it one more time. One park gets a makeover, While the crisis crosses another line. You didn’t stop the fentanyl, You didn’t end the distress. You moved the chairs around the city And called the shuffle success. A thriving city’s more than parks With flowers neatly dressed. People have to feel safe getting there— And safe when they head home next. So quit the Safe Park Shuffle. Face the problem instead. You can move the crisis down the street— But you can’t pretend it’s dead. (fade out) it's just a fucking mess nothing more than the disaster we've become, such a fucking mess.
