Papa danced on olvera street

Across the way from Union Station
is our family's favorite stand
You can take a seat and
eat and drink,
hear the mariachi bands
L.A.'s oldest road is a market place
run by charming and kind latinos
You'll ignore faint scents of sewage
once you've tasted them taquitos

There was that day the world
seemed brighter,
the hot green sauce a little hotter
(You know you've got
a good batch
when your eyes begin to water)
And I believe God laughed
along with our
surprise at happy feet
Papa stood straight up
and did a little dance
there on old Olvera Street

Couldn't help himself
'cos the day was warm
and the company was sweet
and strangers laughed too
at the sight that
made our day complete
With his family gathered
on Father's Day,
his love ran wide and deep
and Papa said so
with his little dance down on old Olvera Street

Above us loomed Avila Adobe,
oldest house in Los Angeles
Did I really see that second sight
that nearly brought me
to my knees?
Encarnacion Abela,
Francisco The Rancher's
grieving widow
watchin Papa dance
(I swear her sad ghost smiled there
in the upper story window)

She couldn't help herself
'cos the day was warm
and the sight was oh so sweet
The crowd laughed too
at that joyous soul
who made our day complete
With his family gathered
on Father's Day
dad's love ran wide and deep
and he said so with his little dance
down on old Olvera Street

In a world that wounds us
time to time
that glimpse of grace
was so sublime
and though the Angels now live
in Anaheim,
they flew in just for a peak
at that miracle
of a fandago
down on old Olvera Street

Amd jeavem knows I love that man
he's more than half of who I am
It's the thing I'm beginning
to understand
I wish my heart had moved my feet
and I had joined my Daddy
when he danced that day
down on old Olvera Street