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Crack In The Cliff

from Aluminum Oasis by Michael McNevin

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True Story, something I did when I was 14, south of Half Moon Bay. Lucky to live through my teenage years doing this kind of stuff! My brother Pat and his friend Chris who had the driver's license brought me along, as the canary in the cave :). A day and night, a crazy crawl and adventure.

lyrics

Crack In The Cliff
(at Pomponio State Beach, California, south of Half Moon Bay, 1976)

There's a cliff on the ocean, and there's a crack in the cliff  
    Don't know how we knew about it, one day we just did
    Three kids in a pontiac, on a mission to get   
    to the cliff on the ocean, to the crack in the cliff

•   We got to the sand with the sun goin down  
    We hiked up a trail, we didn't look down
    It was steep and it ended at a hole in the ground
    Crack in the cliff, sun goin down

•  Now the hole in the ground was narrow and deep
    Canary goes first, my head then my feet
    It was dark it was dirty, it was a helluva squeeze
    into the crack in the cliff, narrow and deep 
    
       (Refrain)
It's only a hole, we come all this way
We can't quit now, are we chicken or brave
Keep on going I say, keep on going I say 
 
•   Flat on our bellies, barely a crawl 
    An inch at time, like 3 snakes in a hole
    No echoes or light, no end to it all
    To the crack in the cliff, barely a crawl

•   We could feel ourselves breathin the dust in the air
   The sand from the ceiling rubbin off in our hair
    But we all had the feeling we were getting somewhere
    Through the crack in the cliff, dust in the air  

•   Now the ceiling got higher, by the smallest degrees
    50 feet later, we could crawl on our knees
    'Til the hole was a cave, and we were running full speed
    Through the crack in the cliff, smallest degrees

       (Refrain)
It's only a hole, we come all this way  
Can't quit now, are we chicken or brave
Keep on going I say, keep on going I say 

•  Would there ever be light at the end of the tunnel
  The air got cold, we heard a distant rumble
   It took a hard right, and there we were humbled
   By the crack in the cliff, at the end of the tunnel   

•   It was a big open hole, not a one of us talked
     Crept to the edge, a sheer 100 foot drop
     A birds eye view of the sea and the salt
     From the crack in the cliff, not a one of us talked

•   We could hardly believe, we'd be sleepin up here
     We rolled out our bags, our bread and our beer
     We had a midnight picnic and we toasted our fears
     From the crack in the cliff,  crack in the cliff, crack in the cliff

credits

from Aluminum Oasis, released February 2, 2023
Words and Music by Michael McNevin.
Performed by Michael McNevin, vocals and guitars.
Recorded by Tom Prasada-Rao in a Niles CA.
© 2015 Michael McNevin. All Rights Reserved.
Mudpuddle Music (ASCAP).
P.O. Box 2235 Fremont CA 94536.
Artist Webisite: www.michaelmcnevin.com

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Michael McNevin San Francisco, California

Michael McNevin's songs read like short stories, a keen eye for detail for the characters and places in his travels. Shared stages with Johnny Cash & The Carter Family, Donovan, Shawn Colvin, Christine Lavin, Richie Havens. Main-stages at Strawberry, High Sierra, Kerrville, Philly Folk Fest. Kerrville New-Folk winner, “DYI Artist Of The Year” for Performing Songwriter, “Song Of The Year” for WCS. ... more

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