On the Beach

It all began in grammar school and on the beach
Everybody graduated
There we were
Off we went to junior high
There we were
Everybody graduated

Off we went to high school
Except one of us
On the beach he was and there he stayed
He saw the Hobie Cat, the beginnings of it
Polyurethane
Longboard, shortboard, every board
On the beach
He saw it
On the beach

Roll Willie
Roll Willie
You saw it all, Willie
On the beach
You’re not a bum, Willie
Never a bum, Willie
But in years to come, Willie
‘Twas in reach

Some went to college
Some went to war
Some came back crazy
Some were crazy before
Willie saw acid
Willie saw fear
Willie saw freebase
But Willie’s still here
On the beach, on the beach
Still on the beach, still on the beach

They’re building a railroad, downtown to here
That’s what they say
They said it sixty years ago
But they’re building it today

The lifeguard towers you used to live in
Comin’ down
Man, they’re comin’ down
The lifeguard towers
Where you’d hold forth for hours
About the polyurethane
The Hobie Cat
The big longboards and the shortboards too

Wille, if it ever rains again
Don’t sleep under the pier
Those twenty foot sets we used to lie about
Well they’re here now, Willie
And they’ll take you out

Roll Willie roll
You never get old
You look just like you used to look
A hundred years ago
On the beach
On the beach
Nice to see you, Willie
Still on the beach

On the beach
On the beach
Nice to see you, Willie
Still on the beach