The Toronto Transit Commission has raised the ticket fare fully three times since I wrote this song. But the real story here is how glad I was to have Robin singing along on it; I knew she could relate to this story, and it meant a lot to have her share the telling.
lyrics
Ride the old streetcar down the road, ride the old streetcar down the road, I ride the Bathurst streetcar down the road to the Toronto Western Hospital. To sit with my girl while she shimmy and shakes, to sit with my girl while she shimmy and shakes, she got the epilepsy makes her shiver and shake and the doctor don't know how to make it break. Took a taxi home, I was tired out. A taxi home I was tired out. I took a taxi cross town I was tired out, gonna watch Vancouver kick the Leafs about. When I got in, was a ring on my phone. When I got in, was a ring on my phone, it's the hospital nurse calling me at home, she said "your girl's escaped and she's all alone." She pulled a Wolverine and she's on the loose, she pulled a Wolverine and she's on the loose, she ripped out the IV and she's on the loose and my throat wanna close like a tightened noose. Call her baby daddy tell him the news, call her baby daddy tell him the news, "yes, this is real, no, it ain't a ruse" situation getting heavy I propose a truce. Took a subway to see that the kids are ok, a subway to see that the kids are ok, ok, ok, yeah, the kids are ok, "going looking for your mama, please just sit and play." Found my girl on the streetcar track, found my girl on the streetcar track, looking peaceful down there on the streetcar track, cos she took a lot of pills for to never come back. Hustled her up to a platform chair, hustled her up to a platform chair, got her sitting straight up in a platform chair, she said, "what the hell is this, I was fine down there." The girl's got trouble, yes I know, the girl's got trouble, yes I know, she got troubles I know she got troubles I don't, and I'm helping her carry a heavy load. Ain't doing my work, ain't getting my sleep, ain't doing my work, ain't getting my sleep, ain't no way to get me a good night's sleep, chasing one or another emergency. Tell me what else am I supposed to do? Tell me what else am I supposed to? If you was me and I was you, you'd be singing this song just the way I do.
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