#lou marsh

On the streets of New York City When the hour was getting late There were young men armed with knives and guns Young men armed with hate And Lou Marsh stepped between them And died there in his tracks For one man is no army When the city turns its back And now the streets are empty Now the streets are dark So keep an eye on shadows And never pass the park For the city is a jungle When the law is out of sight And death lurks in El Barrio With the orphans of the night He left behind the chambers Of the church he served so long For he learned the prayers of distant men Will never right the wrongs His church became an alley And his pulpit was the street And he made his congregation From the boys he used to meet And now the streets are empty Now the streets are dark So keep an eye on shadows And never pass the park For the city is a jungle When the law is out of sight And death lurks in El Barrio With the orphans of the night There were two gangs approaching In Spanish Harlem town The smell of blood was in the air The challenge was laid down He felt their blinding hatred And he tried to save their lives And the answer that they gave him Was their fists and feet and knives And now the streets are empty Now the streets are dark So keep an eye on shadows And never pass the park For the city is a jungle When the law is out of sight And death lurks in El Barrio With the orphans of the night Will Lou Marsh lie forgotten In his cold and silent grave? Will his memory still linger on In those he tried to save? And all of us who knew him Will now and then recall And shed a tear on poverty Tombstone of us all For now the streets are empty Now the streets are dark So keep an eye on shadows And never pass the park For the city is a jungle When the law is out of sight And death lurks in El Barrio With the orphans of the night

This is one of the songs on this album that I had never heard before. Which feels tragic in a way. Additionally I have never heard of Lou Marsh before and simple google search only told me about a sports journalist with an uncomfortable history. But that’s not who Phil is singing about. 

Will Lou Marsh lie forgotten In his cold and silent grave? Will his memory still linger on In those he tried to save? Feels very poignant.  From what I have been able to gather though, the Lou Marsh in this song was a minister who was very focused on helping troubled youth, it was his life’s work. And so Phil begins this sombre tale about a man who gave his life to help people that nobody else was willing to help. By all accounts he did make some differences in young men’s lives, showing them respect that they likely hadn’t been shown before. It’s not a story about any mistakes Lou Marsh might have made, it’s about the horrors of poverty and how a hero fought for a better life for these young people. 

For one man is no army When the city turns its back