Goin' Nowhere Blues

In the corner of the barroom Lives the ghost of Langston Hughes He’s takin’ notes and smokin’ cigarettes Sippin’ slowly on his booze Got them goin’ nowhere blues And on the stage beneath the spotlight Woody Guthrie sings the news He’s always ready for the good fight Never thinkin’ that he’ll lose Got them goin’ nowhere blues Through the back way in the alley Sellin all you should refuse Looks like Jane has finally given in Hey, what the hell it ain’t no use Got them goin’ nowhere blues Out the front around the corner Martin Luther shines your shoes He’s preachin’ justice and equality I guess Martin’s payin’ dues He’s got them goin’ nowhere blues On the other side it’s a free ride You’ve got money you can burn When the ground shakes and the earth breaks Which way you gonna turn Are you ever gonna learn In the poolroom on the table Swillin’ wine and smashin’ cues They locked him up last night for fighting Cesar Chavez blew a fuse He’s got them goin’ nowhere blues All the members of the union All the farm and labor crews They used to be meet here by the dozens They disappeared in ones and twos Got them goin’ nowhere blues So you wonder why they come here They come here to look for clues Pa*sin’ time until they live again To fight these going nowhere views Leave these goin’ nowhere blues To fight these goin’ nowhere views