They grew up on the side of town Where the Christmas lights hung all year 'round And the sidewalks went unshoveled And the dogs barked all night long They were skinny and they were mean Had parents that were never seen Their hair was always longer Their shirts were always tight And we knew we'd never get to know 'em And we knew we'd never try Those East Side Boys seemed further from us Than any star that hung up in the sky Those East Side Boys never seemed to eat They just smoked cigarettes across the street Stared down at the sidewalks Came to classes late On conference days it was always the same Those east side parents never came Never read their stories Saw their artwork on the walls Once we'd hit the high school Around grade nine or ten One by one they'd disappear And we'd never see those East Side boys again They grew up on the side of town Where the Christmas lights hung all year 'round And the sidewalks went unshoveled And the dogs barked all night long No one seemed to know their names They didn't go to Prom or football games Just wandered through the hallways Like inmates doin' time And we knew we'd never get to know 'em And we knew we'd never try Those East Side Boys seemed further from us Than any star that hung up in the sky East Side Boys? (5X)