Durham’s image has always been less than stellar. It’s the gritty factory town to complement Raleigh’s yuppies and Chapel Hill’s hippies. But that image has taken a further beating with the Duke lacrosse rape charges and the prosecutorial misconduct and outrageous demonstrations against the players and the team. At the Chris Hillman/Herb Pedersen concert last night in Carrboro I learned just how much that unsavory image is abroad in the land. As Hillman introduced the song “Sin City”, which he co-wrote with Gram Parsons, he said, “This song is about Durham.” Here are the lyrics:

THIS OLD TOWN’S FILLED WITH SIN
IT’LL SWALLOW YOU IN
IF YOU’VE GOT SOME MONEY TO BURN
TAKE IT HOME, RIGHT AWAY
YOU’VE GOT THREE YEARS TO PAY
BUT SATAN IS WAITING HIS TURN

THIS OLD EARTHQUAKE’S GONNA LEAVE ME IN THE
POORHOUSE
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS WHOLE TOWN’S INSANE
ON THE THIRTY FIRST FLOOR
A GOLD PLATED DOOR
WON’T KEEP OUT THE LORDS BURNING RAIN

THE SCIENTISTS SAY, IT’LL ALL WASH AWAY
BUT WE DON’T BELIEVE ANY MORE
‘COS WE’VE GOT OUR RECRUITS
AND OUR GREEN MOHAIR SUITS
SO PLEASE SHOW YOUR I.D. AT THE DOOR

A FRIEND CAME AROUND
TRIED TO CLEAN UP THIS TOWN
HIS IDEAS MADE SOME PEOPLE MAD
HE TRUSTED HIS CROWD
SO HE SPOKE RIGHT OUT LOUD
AND THEY LOST THE BEST FRIEND THEY HAD