The Saddest Public Telephone in San Francisco

ONE NIGHT THE FAT GIRL WITH ONE BROKEN CHA CHA HEEL
THE NEXT NIGHT OR THE SAME NIGHT THE BOY WITH GREEN EYES OF STEEL
THEN THE FAT GIRL NO THAT GIRL WHO WAS NO KIND OF GIRL AT ALL
PICKED UP THE SAME PHONE ALL ALONE TO MAKE A CALL

ON POLK STREET WHERE FOLKS MEET IN THE CITY BY THE BAY
THERE STANDS A PHONE BOOTH THAT PEOPLE WALK BY EVERYDAY
FOR FOUR SOLID NIGHTS I WATCHED THEM ALL COME ONE BY ONE
THEN THEY’D ALL DISAPPEAR THE MOMENT THAT THEY WERE ALL DONE

I SWEAR I SAW MANNY DOMINICAN KING OF FAKE PEARLS
WHOM I’VE NEVER SEEN WITHOUT TWO OR THREE PRETTY YOUNG GIRLS
CRYING…NO SOBBING…RIGHT INTO THE SAME SAD PHONE
WELL I’VE CERTAINLY NEVER SEEN HIM CRYING AND NEVER ALONE

THERE WAS FRANK WHO WOULD THANK YOU AND QUIETLY ROB YOU BLIND
AND KATIE WITH COGNAC TO WARM YOU WHEN THE NIGHT WAS UNKIND
ONE BY ONE ALL OF THEM EVEN SOME I’D NEVER SEEN
DIRTY SAD FACES WHOSE TEARS COULD NOT WASH THEM CLEAN

I THOUGHT I WAS SURELY LOSING MY MIND WITHOUT DOUBT
OR MAYBE THE VICTIM OF SOME SAVAGELY CRUEL BLACKOUT
JUST WHY WERE THEY CRYING THEIR HEARTS BROKEN OPEN WIDE
WERE THEIR HEARTS BLACK AND UGLY AND RUINED DEEP DOWN INSIDE?

SOME WHORES ON THIS STREET WERE DISCREET WHEN GIVEN THE CHANCE
WAS IT THE DEVIL CALLING TO OFFER THEM ONE FINAL DANCE?
OR WAS IT UNREQUIETED LOVE WHO’D TURNED ITS COLD CHEEK ONE LAST TIME?
WAS IT SOMEBODY’S BABY, SOMEONE’S MAMA AT THE END OF THE LINE

FINALLY I WALKED TOWARD IT AND I PICKED UP THE PHONE
THE STREETS WERE SUDDENLY EMPTY I WAS ALL ALONE
I LISTENED CLOSELY BUT THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE LINE
I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS I WAS HOPING TO FIND

I SET IT DOWN GENTLY AND QUICKLY I CROSSED THE STREET
GOT INTO A CAB AND LISTENED TO MY OWN HEARTBEAT
AND THEN TEN MINUTES LATER I WAS SAFE FROM ONE THING I KNOWFROM THE SADDEST PUBLIC PAYPHONE IN SAN FRANCISCO