Ron Koertge - Ringside lyrics

It all started when a new teacher held up this picture and asked, “What's going on here?” Everybody said how pretty the yellow house was, the pink blossoms, the blue sky. I said, “It's creepy. The sidewalk leads right to the cellar.” The teacher beamed and the McKenzie brothers made fists. I ran for the library faster than usual. I asked Miss Wilson for more by the same guy. She could only find one—Stag at Sharkey's. I looked at that painting every day. I looked at every inch. I looked until I was at ringside, until I was the fighter in the modest black trunks. When Bobby McKenzie finally caught me and bloodied my nose, I put my head against his and hit him with my right and to my surprise he winced and went down. “Stag at Sharkey's,” I bellowed. He looked at me like I was crazy, scrambled to his feet, and ran.