I’m not the man I used to be
I’m getting used to that
my hair’s mostly gone so
I mostly wear a hat
I’m old and in the way
slow on my feet
still there’s always room for me
on the shady....

I might be from the night
like many girls and boys
the bright lights are not for me
they make too much noise
but shade isn’t darkness
there’s light enough to see
a softer view of everything
on the shady....

in springtime that sun’s welcome
warm and right on time
when it gets too hot to bear
is when I make a beeline
for the shady....

......side of the street
where staying cool’s a breeze
you don’t get hot or bothered
move along at a comfortable speed
stop and talk to the trees
that shield you from the heat
thank them for the sweet relief
on the shady....

I want to hang loose
no schedule to meet
I have no reputation
that I might want to keep
am I a shady character
you know I might well be
what goes on will have its way
on the shady....

in the white light of noon
the brightness makes us blind
we squint and try to make things out
and can’t make up our minds..

on the shady side of the street
people take their time
happy exactly where they are
be it flat or a hill climb
nothing to escape from, nowhere else to be
living life one breath at a time
on the shady...

that’s where you’ll find me
when that old sun comes beating down
that’s where you’ll find me
on the shady side of the street
got it made, in the shade
first grade, see you la-ater
on the shady side of the street

words & music by George Bacon
2022 Cottage Pie Music(BMI)