Thanks to Mountain Thyme for sending me the lyrics below, from this Malvina Reynolds song, sung by Pete Seeger.God bless the grass
that grows through the cracks.
They roll the concrete over it
to try to keep it back.
The concrete gets tired of what
it has to do.
So it breaks and cracks
and the grass grows through!
I photographed this patch in the sidewalk concrete on Allen Street yesterday. My favourite sidewalk grass, though, is on Smith Street and runs for about twenty feet, between the subway grates and parallel to edge of the street, and is about a quarter of an inch wide. In summer it is a strip of emerald green that looks a lot like a horizontal painting.
Here's a complete YouTube version by the singer Lemonflower.
Love everything about this post.
ReplyDeleteGrass that grows in cracks, Malvina Reynolds' lyrics, your photo ...
Who knew that a few little green blades of grass and a song could trigger an emotional response? :)
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey Lambert - thank you! Estorbo send greetings to the chat.
ReplyDeleteHi Velva - thanks for visiting!
I would love to know the address of the sidewalk grass you mention, it would be perfect for a student film i'm making! can you please comment with the cross streets, smith st and? thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think it's between Douglas and Butler. A long narrow line of green between the subway grates and the edge of the sidewalk, west side of Smith.
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