Luyện nghe bài hát The Priest They Called Him

"Fight tuberculosis, folks"
Christmas Eve, an old junkie Christmas seals
On North Street
The "Priest" called him
"Fight tuberculosis, folks"

People hurried by, shadows on a distant wall
It was getting late and no money to
He turned into a side street and the wind hit him like a knife
Cab stop just ahead under a

Boy got out with a
Thin kid in prep clothes
Familiar face, the Priest himself
from the doorway.

"Reminds me of something a long ago"
The boy, there, with his
Unbuttoned, into his pants pocket for the cab fare
The cab drove and turned the corner
The boy inside a building

"Hmm, yes, maybe," the suitcase was there in the
The boy in sight
Gone to get the keys, likely, have to move fast
He picked up the suitcase and for the corner
Made it, glanced at the case
It didn't look like the the boy had or any boy would have
The Priest couldn't put his on what was so old about the case
Old and dirty, poor quality leather and
Better see inside

He into Lincoln Park
Found an empty place and opened the
Two severed legs that belonged to a young man
With dark skin, shiny black leg
in the dim streetlight
The had been forced into the case
And he had to use his knee on the back of the case to them out
"Legs, yet," he said and walked quickly away the case.
Might bring a few dollars to

The buyer sniffed
"Kind of a smell about it"
"It's just leather"
"Well, joker didn't cure it"
The buyer looked at the case with disfavor
"Not right sure he killed it, whatever it is
Three is the best I can do and it
But since this is Christmas and the Priest"
He slipped three bills under the table into the Priest's dirty
The Priest faded into the street shadows, and furtive
Three didn't buy a bag, nothing less than a nickel
Say, remember that old Addie told me not to come back
Unless I paid him the three I owe him
Yeah, isn't that a fruit for ya, your stack about three lousy cents
The was not pleased to see him

"Now, what do you want? I you!"
The laid three bills on the table
The doctor put the money in his and started to scream
"I've had trouble! People have around!
I may my license!"
The Priest just sat
Eyes, old and heavy with years of junk, on the face
"I write you a prescription"
The doctor open a drawer
And slid an ampule the table
"That's all I have in the office!" The doctor up
"Take it and get out!" he screamed,
The Priest's expression did not

The added in quieter tones
"After all, I'm a man
And I be bothered by people like you"
"Is that all you have for me? One lousy G?
you lend me a nickel?"
"Get out, get out, I'll the police I tell you"
"All right, doctor, I'm going"

Of it was cold and far walk to rooming house
A street, room on the top floor
"These stairs," coughed the
There pulling himself up the bannister
He went into the
Yellow panels, toilet dripping
And got his from under the washbasin
Wrapped in brown paper, to his room
Get every drop in the

He up his sleeve
Then he a groan from next door
18, the Mexican kid lived there
The had passed him on the stairs
And saw the kid was
But he never spoke because he didn't want any juvenile
Bad news in any

The Priest had had enough bad in his life
He heard the groan again, a he could feel
No that groan and what it meant
"Maybe he had an or something.
In any case, I can't enjoy my priestly
With that coming through the wall"
walls you understand

The put down his dropper
Cold hall and on the door of Room 18
"Quien es?"
"It's the Priest, kid, I live door"
He could someone hobbling across the floor

A slid, the boy stood there in his underwear shorts
Eyes black with pain, he to fall
The Priest helped him to the bed
"What's wrong, son?"
"It's my legs, seor,
And now I am medicine"

The could see the cramps
Like knots of wood in the young legs
Dark black leg hairs
"A few years ago I damaged in a bicycle race
It was then the cramps started"
And now he has the leg cramps
With junk interest

The old Priest stood there, the boy groan
He inclined his head as if in prayer, went and got his dropper
"It's a quarter G, kid"
"I do not much, seor"

The boy was sleeping when the Priest Room 18
He went back to his and sat down on the bed
Then it hit him like heavy snow
All the junk yesterdays
He sat there, received the fix
And since he was a priest
was no need to call one