Old Miss Johnston lived all alone
On the sorry side of town
Broke down cars and burglar bars
On the windows and doors
In case danger comes around

Sittin' in her yellow kitchen
Listenin' to bad news on a Radiant radio
It used to be Louis Armstrong
Then Martin Luther King
Where did everybody go?

Out the window where her garden was
It's not safe to go outside
Old Miss Johnston in the eye of the storm
It was the safest place to hide

And life's a gamble for the broken and the weak
Dealin' with the bangers and the drugs
The whinos weave and amble
And shuffle on down the street
Steerin' clear of all the thugs

And now my city hangs her head in shame
You can't tell the truth from all the lies
Everything changed forever and everything stayed the same
On the night Miss Johnston died