Young Riddick Bowe

Eating a po boy and Mother's next to a photo of a young Riddick Bowe
How can you look at a young Riddick Bowe
Without looking deep down into your soul
I always take the table next to the photo of a young Riddick Bowe
If the table at Mother's is available
I think about him digging deep against Evander Holyfield
And how he only came home with a silver at the Olympics
When he was going for the gold
And the low blows he took from Golota that retired him
I picture him in a hospital bed, laying there, healing up

Then I drifted off to other thoughts, walking down North to South Peters
You know, under the freeway, in the gentrified Arts District
Yeah, down South Peters, I cross over to Constance
And take a right on Race and sit at the cafe all alone
Checking my phone, checking in on my sister
Or texting someone or another
I only got a few friends, plus my father and my mother
So if you see me sitting there alone and you recognize me
It's not a bother to say "hi"
But please, for no longer than five minutes, please no longer
Cause deep down, I'm listening to myself, street roamer
It ain't nothing personal, at heart I'm just a loner

Cause I'm always hurting a little and doing some soul searching
If you're ain't hurting a little bit
Then you're probably ain't doing much soul searching
If everything in your life is okay, then thank you for sharing
But for me it's not exactly that way
If you're jumping up and down with how okay you are
I don't buy it for a second, the world is just too fucked up
And I'm too fucking smart for you
I know better, I know better, I know better, I know better
You show me a big tough guy and I'll show you a little bedwetter

I'm watching American Bigfoot, it takes place in southeast Ohio
It was funny for thirty minutes, then you called me
You said it's raining back in San Francisco
I said, "It's raining down here in New Orleans too, you know"
I looked outside and yeah, it's raining, the tourists have left
So I make a reservation at Delmonico
Honestly, there are moments when I'm totally at peace
Like right now, when I'm walking down the street
I just tune out all the bitches and the headaches that be pestering me
And now I'm walking down Magazine down to Constantinople
Looking for John Kennedy Toole's house
I'm gonna take me a photo of his house
That's gonna be my project for the day
And send the photo to my friend who loves his book
It's good to have a hope for the day, even in the simplest way

A lamp broke this morning, yeah, my lamp is shattered
They were coming to inspect my windows
When I wasn't expecting them and they caught me off guard
I reached for my lamp, the most beautiful lamp I ever had
I misgauged the distance and my hardwood floor
Was covered in lampshade glass and it made me so sad
And I thought of all the songs I'd written
Under the light of that art deco lamp
And all the books I've read
Under the light of that beautiful art deco lamp
And all the love I've made
Under the light of the art deco lamp
Shattered because they came to inspect my windows
That it turns out had already been inspected

Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe
Young Riddick Bowe

And what can you do
Lamps break and I bitched about it long enough
I called my sister and my girl and they reminded me
How people lose their entire homes in fires and floods
They were right, it was a petty thing to complain about
In the grand scheme of things
But it was the first possession I put in my house in New Orleans
I remember when it was just that lamp and a mattress on the floor
And you and me and I get stuck in the mud
And get overly sentimental and feeling down about things
My girlfriend said, "You need to get out of bed today
And have some kind of goal," and I said, "Okay"
And I ate a grilled shrimp po boy
That was next to the photo of young Riddick Bowe