when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?
topsiders!

I get to thinking and what a mind-blow
all the folks that float this boat
sure, we're all brothers but with different gigs
and the engine room was the mission mens'

we took the hitch, the black gang crew
deliverin' torque right to the screw
under the deck, we'd hear the topsiders' feet
everyone wailing their own beat

still see them sailors in my brain
fixin' their faces to their names
cadena, mugger, robo, ginn
baiza, brewer, stevenson
holtzman, bostrom, hart, dukowski
rollins, the kirkwoods, spot, carducci
norton, ward, claasen, mould
and the boat's main painter, pettibon

when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?

when a black gang man climbs up the stairs,
sticks his head out the hatch and what does he see?
topsiders!

Copyright: BMG Rights Management
Writer(s): MIKE WATT