Chattanooga lyrics - Corey Smith

Once upon a time there was a man, who traveled round with a guitar in his hand
For the sake of the story, we’ll say his name was Corey
The point of which I’m sure you’ll understand

One night in Chattanooga, Tennessee he drew fire from the local authorities
Strangely enough, he didn’t break any laws
They just said he pissed the wrong guy off

At a bar called Rhythm and Brews, Corey pulled a crowd though the crowd wasn’t huge
He was happy as hell, he was loving his life,
Making money for his children and his wife

Then in came a badge and a gun
a man we’ll call Officer John
He was doing his job, come to make an arrest
But someone in the balcony poured a beer on his chest

Oh, John got fightin’ mad
He started cussin’ and fashin’ his badge
He couldn’t find the culprit to vent his rage
So he blamed Corey and the song he was singin’ on the stage

Keep in mind Corey didn’t know
About the cop or the beer until after the show
But when it all came to an end
They said he’d never play in Chattanooga again

Flash forward five long years
Corey turned out to have a hell of a career
When a new club opened off of Market Street
They invited Corey there just after opening week

Folks came out in droves
Demand was high, every ticket was sold
The crowd was loud, the fans were hyped
And it was all shaping up to be a hell of a night

Then in came Officer John
He remembered Corey and the song he had sung
Evidently he was still pissed off
Started making demands that Corey’s mic be turned off

Meanwhile Corey made a speech
About respecting the law and honoring the police
But John already made up his mind,
“This man is subversive. And he’s crossing the line.”

He made threats to the owner of the club
“You’re gonna have a problem if you don’t pull the plug.”
The club didn’t feel like fighting
They knew Officer John would pull their liquor license

So when Corey started singing his most popular song
For a passionate crowd 1400 strong
The conspired to kill the PA
Like it was Red China not the USA (hey!)

Damn there was nearly a riot
It’s all on video, there’s no way they can deny it
It was censorship at its worst
And there’s a damn good reason that amendment is first

If we don’t check power then power checks us
And power ain’t always just
You see John kept pushin’ ‘til he got pushed back
Corey was in the corner now he’s on the attack

He ain’t backin’ down til he gets his way
He vows to go back to Chattanooga one day
He’s gonna sing at the top of his lungs
“Fuck the Po-Po!”
Questions anyone?