17 Hills

The city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills from the sea

And you see five of those seventeen hills

Through the iron grille in cell block E

The city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills from the Bay

You could see nine of those seventeen hills

From the lead roof of cell block A

Papa came here as a sailor

Jumped a ship in '53

And when he ran, my mama drank herself to death

I guess I got that dirty gene

Yeah, it's about all he left to me

This city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills from the bay

You'd see twelve of those seventeen hills

From the downpipe of cell block H

Flaming hair and her name was Irene

The prettiest thief you ever seen

We robbed a store and she shot an armed guard

But mine was the face on the DVR

They ran us down on the delta

In a freight yard rusting in the sun

But all I wanted was a place among those hills

I didn't mean to hurt no-one, no

Least of all the girl I love

The city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills to the sky

I spread her ashes at the foot of those hills

The seventeenth hill is where she lies

If I can bribe some crooked lawyer

To smuggle in a hacksaw blade

Tide tables, and a yard or two of twine

I'll ride the driftwood in the Bay

Let the wind decide my fate

This city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills from the Bay

And the silhouette of those beautiful hills

Is right at the end of this old storm drain

This city rises on seventeen hills

Seventeen hills from the bay

The last thing I saw was all seventeen hills

In between crests of the ocean waves

The towering crests of the ocean waves