Kingpin of the Playground

from Gold Rush Town by Kate Isenberg

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lyrics

Jimmy was my little boyfriend. We were 11.
Going steady was the new trend; he'd not be left out.
I never knew why Jimmy chose my brown hair and freckles.
Could it be we ran the same speed in races at recess?
I was the luckiest girl. Jimmy blew my tomboy world.

Sing for Jim, once kingpin of the playground.
Are you still the biggest fish in a small pond,
Or are you a middle-aged man with haunted eyes,
Boys on skateboards pass you by?

Is there a soul in all the wide world who does not quake
To look inside the dark locker, the dark heart of the fifth grade?
I held on for my life to the thread of a brand name.
I made a shelf for my life on the heft of little Jimmy's name.
He was the luckiest boy, and his youth, the shiniest of toys.

Sing for Jim, once kingpin of the playground.
Are you still the biggest fish in a small pond,
Or are you a middle-aged man with haunted eyes,
Boys on skateboards pass you by?

The bell is tolling for Jim now. School's out.
High school's coming soon, and the man you'll be swoops down.
You can't fight that darkling bird,
But you can fight your ugly duckling girl.

One summer day before the sixth grade, Jimmy called to make his break.
I could hear other boys on the line, cackling jackals.
What had I done but give a damn? Unforgivable!
For this, their gossip sicked me good, cruel and unusual.
I'd turn those jackals' heads today, and I'd be laughing on my way.
But to look in Jimmy's face, I'd quake, and I would match him pace for pace.

I would sing for Jim, once kingpin of the playground.
See, you're still the biggest fish in this small pond.
Summer days, I see you haunting the minimart,
Stealing gum or some unwanted little girl's heart.
You were always fast, fast as a summer day.
But you are slow, slow as shame, to fade away.

credits

from Gold Rush Town, released April 1, 2010

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Kate Isenberg image

Kate Isenberg Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles-based Kate Isenberg’s lyrics recall Joni Mitchell; her alternate-tuning guitar riffs, the dexterity and accessibility of John Mayer. On stage, Isenberg captivates audiences with an emotionally direct presence akin to Sufjan Stevens or Laura Veirs.
Her albums have received critical recognition and nationwide radio play. She has toured top songwriter venues around the U.S. ... more

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