Todd Snider America's Favorite Pastime Lyrics

dock ellis didnt think he would pitch that day
back in 1970
when he and his wife took a trip to the ballpark
a little bit differently
so by the time he hit the bullpen
half the world had melted away
thats about the time coach murtaugh said
hey dock your pitching today

taking the ground the mound turned into
the icing on a birthday cake
the lead off man came up and turned into
a dancing rattle snake
the crowd tracked back and forth
in waves of color under the sun
the ball turned into a silver bullett
his arm into a gun

i took a look all around the world one time
finally discovered
you cant judge a book

three up three down for three straight innings
in a zero zero tie
as all those batters names came ringing
from some voice out of the sky
hallucinating halloween scenes
each new swing of the bat
his sinker looked like it was falling off a table but nobody was hallucinating that

i took a look all around the world one time
finally discovered
you cant judge a book

by the top of the fifth he was up one to nothing
and giving the padres fits
by the top of the seventh he was up two to nothing
and they still had'nt got any hits
with one out left to go in the game
the batter looked like a little child
the birthday caking was shaking
and those waves of color were going wild

when he finally mowed the last man down
he was high as he had ever been
laughing to the sound of the world going around
completely unaware of the win
and while the papers would say he was scattered that
day
he was pretty as a pitcher could be
the day dock ellis of the pittsburg pirates
threw a no hitter on lsd

i took a look all around the world one time
finally discovered
you cant judge a book