With Friends Like These (from Tracks The Musical)

(Click CC to view the video with closed captions.) Tracks is a book musical about the bonds of friendship and love that unite the multicultural riders who board the (proposed) Purple Line light-rail train in Prince George's County, Maryland in 2018. "With Friends Like These" was one of three Tracks songs performed February 17, 2007 in a pitch to receive a development grant from the Action Committee for Transit (www.actfortrans.... The performers were students at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and Gracie Jones of Poolesville High School (as "Melanie"). To learn more, visit www.tracksthemu...
LYRICS (© 2008 Paul Franklin Stregevsky)
BEWITCHING LIKE AN INESCAPABLE POWER,
ITCHING LIKE A ZIT YOU TRY TO IGNORE,
TOE-TO-TOE AT FIFTY JOSTLES AN HOUR,
IT SMACKS YOUR LIPS LIKE A PUS-FILLED CANKER SORE.
SYMPATHETIC ROOTS WILL BLOSSOM
TILL THEY FILL YOUR MARROW LIKE A SOCIAL DISEASE;
'CAUSE FROM THE MOMENT THAT YOU RIDE IT,
YOU'LL FEEL OUR LOVE INSIDE IT,
WHEN RIDING WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE!
(Carla): Here on zee Purple Line, eez like a leetle United Nations, eh José?
(José:)
I SET SAIL AT NIGHT FROM SANTO DOMINGO; ("Adios!")
ENGLISH LEARNED ON PURPLE TRAIN, CHOO-CHOO;
(Carla:)
NOW THIS WETBACK SCHMOOZE IT UP WITH EL GRINGO;
YOU'LL HEAR THEM KVETCHING 'BOUT "ACKS-BLAY"
(THAT'S "YOU-KNOW-WHO"!)
ASIANS READ GAZETTE TO MASTER THE LINGO,
WHITE FOLK TELL THEM WHERE TO GO IN CHINESE;
YES-SIR, THE MORE YOU WANT TO SPANK US,
THE MORE YOU'LL WANT TO THANK US-
YOU'VE NEVER HAD FRIENDS LIKE THESE!
'CAUSE ON THE PURPLE LINE WE TRAVEL, AS THICK AS THIEVES;
WE TUMBLE ROUGH, BUT NO ONE LEAVES;
AND YOU MAY THINK YOU'RE GETTING SICK-
OF OUR HOs AND HEAVES,
WHEN SUDDENLY IT HITS YOU:
OUR PURPLE PALLOR FITS YOU.
WEEK TO WEEK WE'RE ALWAYS WATCHING YOUR BACK SIDE,
CHEEK TO CHEEK, WE'RE TIGHT AS CRACK IN A SQUEEZE-
(slow)
'CAUSE FROM THE MOMENT THAT YOU FOUND US,
A CRAZY GLUE HAS BOUND US:
I'M RIDING WITH FRIENDS,
COLLIDING WITH FRIENDS,
UNITING WITH FRIENNNNNNNNNNDS-
LIKE THESE!
(WITH-FRIENDS-LIKE-THESE, WITH-FRIENDS-LIKE-THESE FRIENNNDS-
LIKE-THEEESE!