Gianni's hadn't opened yet
But, the bar was going strong
If you listened, in the distance
You heard the working of a song
The regulars were present
The Captain, Soldier and the kid
The bartender was cleaning
'Cause that was what she did
The sun, well, it was shining
It was a great day all around
And in the alley sat The Blues man
Sitting still upon the ground
Nothing, any different
Than most any other day
The street folk passing greetings
While the Blues man chose to play
The bell above the bar door rang
As a stranger came on in
The dust hung in a sunbeam
Falling from the old bell of tin
In back of old Gianni's
The Blues man played a Dylan tune
He slid right into Guthrie
It was a perfect afternoon
The stranger grabbed the bar's end stool
He ordered up and looked around
Then he said, "excuse me barkeep"
"Just exactly, what's that sound?"
She said it was The Blues man
He's a legend on the street
The man said, "sounds intriguing"
"He is someone I should meet"
The Captain ordered up a shot
The juke box started playing
In the corner sat an old man
Not quite sure if he was staying
The barkeep quizzed the stranger
Said "You're off the normal route"
"Most stranger get directions"
Then he pulled a card out of his suit
He said his name was Edwards
He wasn't lost, he had a plan
He'd heard about the music
Now he came to meet the man
"It says here you do A & R"
"You can sit here and can listen"
"But, The Blues man isn't gonna talk"
"You have nothing that he's missing"
The music in the bar was rock
Out in back, a bluesy lick
You could listen to the tunes inside
Or go out back, you had your pick
"Can I at least go out and see him?"
"You can but won't get far"
Then she put his card with others
She had collected in a jar
"You see those cards all in there?"
"Thirty three more just like you"
"Have come around here snffing"
"Like he's some creature in a zoo"
"See that girl there in the corner?"
The man nodded that he did
"Talk to her, she'll tell you"
"She runs the book store, she's his kid"
The Blues man played some Chapin
Let loose on Thunder Road
Took a small sip from his hip flask
It was hidden, rarely showed
The man asked for an ashtray
Was told "you cannot smoke in here"
"But, the old man in the corner..."
She said sssshhhh, and poured a beer
"The folks round here have stories"
"Some good, and some are bad"
"He's the only one that I let smoke"
"The old man's story is quite sad"
"Stick around a while, see"
"Just what makes the street click"
"There's a hundred different stories"
"Look around and take your pick"
"But, what about The Blues man?"
"I can give him things he hasn't got"
"You will learn sir, that possessions"
"Make him something he is not"
"He plays music in the alley"
"He does't know if you are there"
"He plays what his soul is feeling"
"He'll play to you, or to the air"
"Your best bet, is to sit here"
"Leave him be, don't light the fuse"
"You may set him on a tangent"
"And he just may lose his muse"
"He's a part of everybody here"
"He's a savior, and a sage"
"He's The Blues man to the street folk"
"But, he's from a different age"
"Have a beer, talk to his daughter"
"Play some darts, the beer's on me"
"My advice, I hope you'll take it"
"Is to let The Blues man be"
"Go back to where you came from"
"Tell the folks who sent you here"
"That The Blues man declined nicely"
"And then you two shared a beer"
He smiled, looked to the corner
Ordered one more, "I concur"
"while you're pouring out my lager"
"pour one more drink for her"
He went off to the corner
Introduced himself and sat
Never mentioned his profession
And that they say is that
The Blues man played some Johnson
The A & R man stayed a while
He looked back toward the barkeep
She looked back, and shared a smile