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Artist List   /   The Little Wretches   /   Red Beets and Horseradish


         

12. Duquesne

Red Beets and Horseradish
by The Little Wretches

       
Lyrics:

She’s out the door before the dawn,
She walks six blocks for breakfast.
She don’t like to eat alone.
God bless the waitress.
Leave a fifty cent tip.
But the small talk ends with Hello.
She grabs her purse, her scarf and her coat.
Joins the crowd at the bus for the morning commute.
It’s a forty-minute ride to the place downtown.
That’s where she worked for twenty years,
It’s a Wendy’s now.
It used to sell men’s suits,
A tailor shop downstairs.
The best friends she ever had
worked with her down there.
Marella, Maria, Hungarian Mary
Speaking Portuguese, Greek, Slovak and Italian
I wonder where they are now?
They weren’t young like me
And I’m seventy-eight.
They might not even be alive anymore.

Up one block and over two,
there’s a church where I like to sit.
I never learned to read English but I open a Bible.
It’s like holding the hand of a friend.
I could stay at home, sure,
but I’d go out of my mind
In all these long years,
I’ve never wasted my time
The candles, the statues,
the echo of prayers
There’s a service at noon…
And then where?
Say hello to Father Frank
and catch the bus home
Turn on the radio
and wait by the phone
Pictures of grandchildren taped to the wall.
Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?
Maybe my Patsy will call.

In Duquesne, you can’t afford to retire
In Duquesne, you work till your time is expired
We came halfway around the world to be here.
For this? For what? Somebody’s bright idea.
We never really believed it would be paved with gold.
I guess there’s no place on earth that it’s good to be old
Like me.
Just wait. You’ll see.
Just wait. You’ll see.

Up one block and over two,
there’s what’s left of the five-and-ten store
In its heyday, it used to have a little lunch counter
That only served breakfast, of course.
It’s a pharmacy now, And a nice nice man
makes sure that you take the right pills.
And that’s important, you know,
Sometimes these old people like me forget.

These Americans, let me tell you,
And I’m one of them, you understand,
They live in homes they didn’t build,
Eating food they didn’t grow,
Traveling roads they didn’t clear,
Work for bosses they don’t know.
Somebody picks up your garbage,
Get your water through pipes
And your power through cables
Like a God-given right
These Americans, let me tell you
And I’m one of them you understand
They want to kill you if you try to tell them
That this isn’t really God’s plan.

In Duquesne, you can’t afford to retire
In Duquesne, you work till your time is expired
We came halfway around the world to be here.
For this For what Somebody’s bright idea.
We never really believed it would be paved with gold.
I guess there’s no place on earth that it’s good to be old
Like me.
Just wait. You’ll see. Just wait. You’ll see.


                 
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This Wednesday, August 13, 2025
ALBUMS
Various Artists Songs We've Been Trying To Tell You About (And Others We Haven't), Vol. 14 [JFH Music]

This Friday, August 15, 2025
ALBUMS
Mark Bishop Grandkids - EP [Sonlite]
The CCC Collective Brooklyn Culture (independent)
Equippers Worship Awe [DREAM Worship]
The Final Witness Beneath The Altar [Rottweiler]
Grammatrain Flying Collector's Edition CD [Girder]
Grammatrain Lonely House 30th Anniversary Edition CD [Girder]
Katy Nichole Honest Conversations [Centricity]
REFVGE REFVGE 1 [Syntax]
Relentless Pursuit Apocalypsis (independent)
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM]
Joel Vaughn Feel It - EP [DREAM]

SINGLES
ANTHNY no stages - Single [Provident]
Johan Åsgärde Coming Home - Single [Gotee]
Dave Barnes Everything But Mine - Single (independent)
Pat Barrett I've Got A Fire - Single [Capitol CMG]
Chris Caro Pain Pt. 3 - Single [Syntax]
Jeff Deyo There is a Fire - Single [NWN]
Drenae Dead Seed - Single [Syntax]
F'rael Pardon My Grace - Single [Syntax]
Jeremy and Adrienne Camp Worthy Of It All / I Exalt Thee (Jeremy and Adrienne Camp Version) - Single [Sparrow]
Linc Worship I Know - Single (independent)
Steven Malcolm All God - Single [Curb]
Jeannie Ortega Little Girl is Gone - Single [Syntax]
outr.cty Testin' Your Luck (ft. Selah the Corner & Dre Murray) - Single [Syntax]
Matt Redman Let Me See Jesus / Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (feat. Charity Gayle) - Single [Integrity]
Rhymes in Harmony Beautiful Name - Single [Syntax]
Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, & Elevation Worship So So Good (Live) - Single [Fair Trade]

VINYL
Grammatrain Flying Vinyl [Girder]
Grammatrain Lonely House 30th Anniversary Edition Vinyl [Girder]
Newsboys Going Public Vinyl [Girder]

Next Friday, August 22, 2025
ALBUMS
Lecrae Reconstruction [Reach]
Lizzie Morgan Not My Will [Provident]
Josiah Queen MT. ZION [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
Dust and Grace Hallelujah - Single [MTS]
Good Weather Forecast Today (feat. Elijah Thomas) - Single [DREAM]
Roxanne Grace Try Again - Single [DREAM]
Mainstream Worship Invitation - Single [DREAM Worship]
V1 Worship Been So Faithful - Single [DREAM Worship]



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