From the recording Chico
Lyrics
It was early on a Saturday morning
Chico was on the south sice of the t racks
Do a little business with the brothers
See his lady on the way back
The gunshot echoed through the ally
One by one the shadows all take shape
Chico saw the sunrise in the switchblade
too late to make any escape
Battered, bleeding and broken
his life was hanging by a thread
The hours crept by so very slowly
He knew that any minute he'
d be dead
Down the road came father Fernando
his collar was stiff and white and new
He looked down on Chico and deep in his heart he knew what he should do
Then he thought 'people might start asking questions
and wonder what I was doing here
As he walked on by, he said a little prayer; Good God, hi this man know you are near
Jumpin Johhny came by on his skateboard, saw Xhico and thought 'sucks to be you'
he said 'i don't think I can really help you
Any wayI gotta roll - later dude.
Well you know Johnny could have put him on his skateboard Fernando could have called for a ride
But Johnny was in too much of a hurry
And Fernando had a problem with his pride
This could have been the way the story ended - God knows too many stories end that way
But for a little girl named Keesha who walked by at the end of the day
Keesha worked long hours at the diner
She was on her way home to the hood
She saw Chico and she wept, deciding to do what she could
She was not strong enough to lift him
So she made a sled from cardboard in the street
dragged him 13 blocks to the shelter
Then emptied her purse so that he could stay a week
Who was the neighbor?
where did mercy shine through?
Who was the neighbor?
Who are you?