Old Man Blanchard took a walk downtown to the edge of the Main Street bridge
I sat myself beside him on the shallow muddy ridge
I asked him why he comes and goes, and why he never stays
He said, son, I've always been here, I have never gone away

I saw the black gold in the streets, and I watched it all go bust
I saw the Great Depression, I saw fortunes turn to dust
The people only see me when I make my presence known
But, they only really love me when I stay inside my home

   Old Man Blanchard, he will run and he will crawl
   Old Man Blanchard, he will rise and he will fall
   The silver city's shining but the skies are turning grey
   Then old Man Blanchard with the wave of his hammer come to take it all away

I looked at him and told him everyone thinks that he's cruel
I said, you've been called a bastard and a traitor and a fool
There are people who would trap you and would throw you in a pen
So what's it like to feel the wrath of 20,000 men?

He stopped to think a moment and he turned to me and said,
They've fought me for a hundred years to keep me in my bed
You can build a wall around me, you can trap me in a dam
But when the day is over, I am just what I am

    [Chorus]

The sky was growing darker, so I went out on my way
As I headed out, I turned around to him to say
You look so tall and mighty but inside you're just like me
You only want to leave this place and head on out to sea
You only want to leave this place and head on out to sea