This week has seen a lot of hype for Straight Outta Compton, a film about a group and album that I misspent a LOT of my late teenagerhood listening to. In salute to its most creative mind, I thought I would spend this post paying tribute to one of his most famous songs.
Just wakin’ up in the morning gotta thank God
I don’t know, they say my son’s kinda odd
No barkin’ from our dog, no smog
Who wants to take a drive to the fog?
We got our grub on, but didn’t pig out
Goldfish, grahams, and o’s we gotta bring out
Packed ’em up for later as we hit the door
Thinking, will Dar talk, in this 24?
I gotta go, cause I got to get across the bay
And if I use Fastrak, I can hit the fast lane
Had no stop, had no toll lights
Lookin’ in both mirrors no traffic in sight
And everything is all right
No Outside Lands or Giants game traffic to fight
A few more miles and the fam will reach
A place in Northwest San Fran called Baker Beach
Get Dar on the sand and he’s trouble
Last week, messed around and made those hand-straw bubbles
This guy loves a beach like a manta ray
I can’t believe, today was a good day
Dar jumped in the surf and got showered
Didn’t seem bothered by its power
Didn’t matter if his first top got hurt
Cause Mom and Dad brought another shirt
No flexin, for once he looked in the right direction
When we did a picture session
Almost seemed like he knew we wanted a smile
Hadn’t happened for a while
Shake em up, shake em up, shake em up, shake up
Watch the waves come in, and watch em break up
With a splish-splash, flish-flash, crish-crash,
Dar didn’t even get a rash
Dar picked up the crash flow
And we watched the boats come and go
Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central L.A.
Today was a good day
Looked at the Golden Gate Bridge
Country’s best landmark is what it is
It’s ironic, it’s summer and the wet fog is out
Yet we’re stuck in a record-setting drought
Dar found a little creek
And had more fun than he’s had in a week
He loves to play with sand
And today the sand stayed on his feet and his hands
Wife rested on a towel
Dar’s brother played with a rake and trowel
Dar went back to the ocean
On the waves he’s coastin’ like a three-wheel motion
I was glad everything had worked out
Dropped my ass in the waves and surfed out
Today was like one of those fly dreams
Got to see the lighthouse flashin’ those high beams
No helicopter lookin’ for a surfer
Six in the evening got the veggieburgers
Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp
And it read “Dar swims like a shrimp!”
Some days my hands are just thrown up
Other days Dar’s more like a grown up
Or like a kid who’s gonna be okay
Today was a good day