The city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills from the sea
And you see five of those seventeen hills
Through the iron grille in cell block E

The city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills from the Bay
You could see nine of those seventeen hills
From the lead roof of cell block A

Papa came here as a sailor
Jumped a ship in '53
And when he ran, my mama drank herself to death
I guess I got that dirty gene
Yeah, it's about all he left to me

This city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills from the bay
You'd see twelve of those seventeen hills
From the downpipe of cell block H

Flaming hair and her name was Irene
The prettiest thief you ever seen
We robbed a store and she shot an armed guard
But mine was the face on the DVR
They ran us down on the delta
In a freight yard rusting in the sun
But all I wanted was a place among those hills
I didn't mean to hurt no-one, no
Least of all the girl I love

The city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills to the sky
I spread her ashes at the foot of those hills
The seventeenth hill is where she lies

If I can bribe some crooked lawyer
To smuggle in a hacksaw blade
Tide tables, and a yard or two of twine
I'll ride the driftwood in the Bay
Let the wind decide my fate

This city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills from the Bay
And the silhouette of those beautiful hills
Is right at the end of this old storm drain

This city rises on seventeen hills
Seventeen hills from the bay
The last thing I saw was all seventeen hills
In between crests of the ocean waves
The towering crests of the ocean waves