When The Wind Comes Up
The spring of 2023 in and around San Francisco was fiercely windy, especially in the afternoons. When the wind came up and blew my hat away —yet again — I began composing this song. I have the freedom to go back inside but I put myself in the position of someone who does not. The song began along those lines and then took a surprising turn.
When The Wind Comes Up
(Jody Stecher/Vegetiboy Music BMI)
When the wind comes up in the afternoon and blows my hat away
I’d rather be home tween walls & roof but all the same I stay
No roof, no floors, my job’s outdoors It pays and all like that
I won’t shirk, I like my work but I also like my hat
When the heat comes down in the summer and merrily bakes my head
I’d rather be north on a mountain in a cooler clime instead
In the heat I fry under the sky to earn my daily bread
I won’t sob, I like my job, but I also like my head.
Chorus:
When the stars come out in the midnight and the moon shines down on me
I’d rather be out in the desert where I can clearly see
When the snow comes down in the winter freezing my tootsies blue
I’d rather make tunnels on my hands and knees like we all used to do
When my ship comes in in the future & all my debts are paid
We’ll all eat onion ice cream and never be afraid
Clothes and shoes will all be free for all the girls and boys
And the government will govern instead of making noise
Chorus:
When the news comes out in the morning we’ll know each word is true
Football fans do not like beer, Wyoming voted blue
We’ll sit and watch the dachshund and pussycat parade
We’ll look to the sky as pigs fly by eatin’ eggs that a buffalo laid
Chorus:
When the stars come out in the midnight and the moon shines down on me
I’d rather be out in the desert where I can clearly see
When the snow comes down in the winter freezing my tootsies blue
I’d rather make tunnels on my hands and knees like we all used to do