The Ballad of Ego Brown

Words and Music 1990

This is a song about Ego Brown
Trying to make a living in the capital town
Trying to make a living in an honest way
But the government boys say no way

Ego Brown had no place to stay
Scraping by down Washington way
Got sick and tired of the homeless blues
Hit the street to shine some shoes

Now you might not think shinin' shoes
Is any kind of job for a man to do
And you got a lot of people on your side
But for the man himself it was a source of pride

'Cause Ego Brown did it right and fast
Gave them shoes a shine that was bound to last
Did it so well that he had to expand
Hired himself another homeless man
And the homeless man he told his brother
And the brother went out out and he told another
And pretty soon mister Ego Brown
Got a new kind of man on the streets of the capital town

But Ego Brown didn't know about Jim Crow
How could he a-knowed he was gonna get Jim Crowed?

This is a song about Ego Brown
Trying to make a living in the Capital Town
Trying to make a living in an honest way
But the government boys say no way