© Maria Dunn, 2010

Written for the One Room project, songs inspired by Sharon Nolan's photos of and conversations with seniors living in Edmonton's downtown core in the 1980s. Thank you to Solon McDade for the backing vocals idea!

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Don’t need much, I never did
One room in a place like this
My people always set store
In who you are, not who’s next door
There’s a fancy house on the boulevard
Living’s plush, loving’s hard
As angry footfalls on the stair
Least I feel I’m safe here

You need a place to lay your head--Bed of roses, Bed of coal
You need a place to lay your head--Bedrock, Bedroll

Bedouins from town to town
The Thirties tried to knock us down
Mining all my husband knew
Each layoff meant another move
I never lost him underground
An answer to my prayer profound
Though work was scarce, money tight
We held each other close at night

You need a place to lay your heart…

Ballrooms we could not afford
We always had the kitchen floor
Friends who gathered every week
We sang and tangoed cheek to cheek
Outlived him twenty years and some
And though my dancing days are done
I showed them in my time
Those Ginger Rogers legs of mine

You need a place to lay your heels…
You need a place to lay your heart…

***

Maria Dunn vocal, guitar, accordion
Jeremiah McDade harmony vocal
Terry Morrison harmony vocal
Jerry Woolsey harmony vocal
Solon McDade upright bass