Digger

The Diggers were a group of young idealists who decided to feed people when the city refused to provide public services to the thousands of young people flocking to San Francisco to find out what it was all about. The Diggers opened a free soup kitchen in the Panhandle and became a symbol of the free spirit of the spiritual awakening.  Though it proved unsustainable, the Diggers taught a lesson to the greater community about people taking care of each other, even if the city fathers would not.  

Digger

You’re a digger
when you light the fuse
and you see your reflection
in the spit and boo’s.
When you got nothing left you can figure,
you’re a digger.

You’re a digger
when the food is free
in the panhandle,
that’s the place you wanna be.
When it’s free though the fixin’s are meager,
you’re a digger.

How high?  Let it be?
So much freedom you lose your edge
and then oh no, it ain’t me babe.
You can’t remember sleeping in your own bed. 

You’re a digger
when the flowers talk
and the trees can teach you
the way to walk.
When your pipe dreams are makin’ you bigger,
you’re a digger.

Oh no!  My oh my!
One got blessed while the other died,
and oh no, it’s ok!
Don’t think twice ‘bout the news today.
You’re a digger
when you hold your own
in the face of the power
that can break your bones.
When the cops start callin’ you nigger,
you’re a digger. 

You’re a digger
when you dance for freedom
and the guns are loaded 
and they’re aimed at your knees ’n
with a heart stopping click of a trigger,
you’re a digger.

Copyright © 2005, 2014 by David Larstein, all rights reserved.  

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