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A Crooked Line

from A Crooked Line (2001) by Darryl Purpose

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about

written by Darryl Purpose and Paul Zollo

lyrics

A shadow in an overcoat crosses the intersection
Of 9th and Pico with a loaded gun
I turn and I start moving in the opposite direction
First I walk, then I start to run
They say the shortest path between two points must be a straight one
But nothing’s straight inside this heart of mine
When obstacles get in my way and I need to evade them
The shortest path is still a crooked line

Ragged old bedraggled men like destitute coyotes
Take Alvarado to MacArthur Park
With Russian circus refugees from strip-mall karaoke’s
They lie down in the prehistoric dark
And the sons of the federales have been smoking crack since morning
While Temple Street pachucos, just drink wine
And shoot their guns at heaven and start singing a capella
While I go walking down this crooked line

CHORUS:
A Crooked line, A Crooked line
And the shortest path between two points
Is still a crooked line

Now I walk these streets with mi amigos encorvados
Streets I’ve been on since I was thirteen
Dreaming of the day when I’m no longer be haunted
By all the ghosts of Chavez Ravine
The ghosts of my grandparents, mi abuela y abuelo
Who lost their homes in 1949
To clear the way for Dodger stadium to be constructed
They all got driven down that crooked line

CHORUS:
A Crooked line, A Crooked line
And the shortest path between two points
Is still a crooked line

But once there was a barreo where bougainvillea blossomed
A little paradise where horses ran
Nestled in the canyon like a poor man’s El Dorado
As perfect as the day that the world began
Now I wonder if this vast expanse of laundromats and taco stands
Was part of God’s original design
Or maybe just a huge mistake that He allowed mankind to make
When we went walking down that crooked line

CHORUS:
A Crooked line, A Crooked line
And the shortest path between two points
Is still a crooked line

credits

from A Crooked Line (2001), released January 1, 2001
Acoustic Guitar and Vocals: Darryl Purpose
Violin: Daryl S
Pedal Steel: Dan Tyack
Banjo: Dave Carter
Electric Guitar: doug Wintch
Bass: Keith Lowe
Drums: Todd Gray
Background Vocals: Evan Brubaker
Piano: David Lange

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all rights reserved

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about

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Darryl Purpose Denver, Colorado

Darryl went to Las Vegas at 19 and became a professional blackjack player, which he still calls the 'only real job I've ever had'. He is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
Since 1996, he has toured extensively and released 8 albums of original music.
Darryl's last two albums spent weeks at #1 on the RMR radio charts. Next Time Around and Still The Birds ... more

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