Charleston, SC July, 2000

© Andrew Calhoun

Hurricanes ravage Charleston
But the big black bugs come crawling back
And fine old homes still stand in grand array
Rebuild your businesses, and stay,
Charleston's a proud old town
Boys climb cannons in the battery
Masked gulls snatch bread from ducks in the Cooper
Try the shrimp and grits
A maid eats chicken from a stryo box
Which flag's gonna fly?
Go on and dance,
Your cause wll fail,
The ghosts prevail,
Charleston's a proud old town

John C. Calhoun's up in Marion Square
Before the old Citadel, columned in the air
Too high to reach, but the base inscription
Reads, "Truth, Justice and the Constitution."
On a clear evening his shadow falls
Across a monument to millions killed
Plus eighty resident survivors of Hitler's master race.
It reads, "On the day, one who has escaped will come to you,
That you may hear it with your own ears."
Your cause will fail,
The ghosts prevail,
Charleston's a proud old town.

Stop at Jestine's Kitchen for some Gullah soul food.
She lived to be a hundred and twelve,
And someone who loved her named their place for her,
Where you learn about her life, and eat well, and listen to old jazz.
After service as a fort, a tobacco inspection house, and a military college,
The Citadel's a hotel now, painted a dismal pink.
Breakfast is complimentary. Sit and read the paper.
The lobby's brightened by the paintings of Gullah artist Jonathan Green.
There's something borrowed from Grandma Moses, but the shapes are freer,
And these walls vibrate and sing with the strength of a wild, unbroken dream
Your cause will fail,
The ghosts prevail,
Charleston's a proud old town.