This the first song in an open-ended project where we look at a photo by Diane Arbus and see what sort of song comes out. This tattooed man is the inspiration for “We’re All In Tents.” Lyrics are below.

Tattooed man at a carnival, Md., 1970

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My mother and the bank sent me out on my own / My brother and my dad had left us for the west coast / Some valley somewhere / And they said I had eyes that could shoot lightening / They said I had eyes that could bend nails / The winds they change fast / And we fended for ourselves / Scatter, scatter, scatter / The water from all the storms / The water from all these storms collects somewhere / One tattoo at a time and I just sort of blended in / At first it didn’t feel right but it’s just another tent in your town tonight / And we’re all in tents / Safe little tents / And here I am / Doesn’t the water from all these storms / Doesn’t the water from all these storms collect somewhere