So I’m walking down Commercial Dr today, feeling kinda shitty because I don’t have much money in my pocket let alone in my bank account, when a homeless guy walks up to me and asks for some change. Having nothing I gave nothing and we went our separate ways. This kind of thing happens to all of us all the time — especially in Vancouver. This fella, however, seemed particularly distraught and desperate; maybe he hadn’t been on the street very long and still wasn’t comfortable asking for money; maybe head been at this game for way to long and was at the end of his rope.

You’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with music. I know its a bit petty to romanticize these serious instances and issues by linking them to song, but I can’t help it. Remember Steppenenwolf, the kick ass band that made the tune “Born to be Wild,” well they had this other tune called “Snow Ball Friend” — an incredible song that sums the plight faced by a lot of brothers and sisters pacing up and down streets like Commercial and West Hastings. There is one line in the song that gets me every time and really puts the issue in its simplest form; “He only had a dollar to live on till next Monday.” The simplicity of it is what gets me. I mean standing alone its barely poetic, its just a fact for a lot of people. And what do you do when your in that situation; how do you help yourself when all you have is a dollar? A lot of people say that these types of people put themselves in these situations and therefore don’t deserve pity, but Christ a dollar won’t even get you a hamburger at McD’s.

Listen to the song and let me know what you think or what line stands out for you.

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