Just a stick and a ball and a neighborhood call
And a space big enough for a game...

Third base is Eddie's old shirt
Second is Schmidt's Chevrolet
I had a sure double, I was just rounding first
When Schmidt's Mom drove second away
The grownups all sit on the doorsteps
Watching us play in the street
And the ev'ning feels lazy as softball
As it comes at you slow, sure and sweet

Chorus:

And it's one, two, three and you're out
Two, three, four balls you walk
The bases are loaded, I'm standing alone
Give me a sweet one, I'll bring us all home
These are the best days that I've ever known
Baseball on the block

At night we all listen to our radios
And follow each twist of the game
We know all the numbers, we know all the teams
We know every player by name
All those kids who once played in the sandlots
And did all the stuff that we do
With a ball and a glove and a game that we love
They're not that much different from you

Chorus

It's a hit in the gap, it's a sacrifice fly
It's one hit shut-out through four
It's a Texas-league double, a hit-and-run play
With one in position to score
It's the old "hidden ball" trick, a looper to right
The runners are looking to go
He shakes off a sign, checks the lead-off at first
Here's the wind-up, the stretch and the throw

Chorus

So Willie, say hey, don't you wanna play
Meet me in the street after noon
Gimme low and away and I'll hit 'em all day
To the man who lives up in the moon

©1992 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP) & Joe Hill Music (ASCAP)