My City Was Gone

by Chrissie Hynde

I went back to Ohio
But my city was gone
There was no train station
There was no downtown
South Howard had disappeared
All my favorite places
My city had been pulled down
Reduced to parking spaces
Way to go, Ohio

I went back to Ohio
But my family was gone
I stood on the back porch
There was nobody home
I was stunned and amazed
My childhood memories
Slowly swirled past
Like the wind through the trees
Way to go, Ohio

I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
Had been replaced by shopping malls
And muzak filled the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls
Way to go, Ohio

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

by Eddie Vedder

I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can't seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me
All these changes taking place
I wish I'd seen the place, but no one's ever taken me
Hearts and thoughts, they fade away

I swear I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me you wouldn't recall, for I'm not my former
It's hard when you're stuck upon the shelf
I changed by not changing at all
Small town predicts my fate
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see

I just wanna scream, 'Hello!'
My god, it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are, and here I am
Hearts and thoughts, they fade away

Thirteen

by Alex Chilton

Won't you let me walk you home from school?
Won't you let me meet you at the pool?
Maybe Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I'll take you

Won't you tell your dad to get off my back?
Tell him what we said about 'Paint It, Black'
Rock and roll is here to stay
Come inside where it's okay
And I'll shake you

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
Would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it's over, let me know
If it's 'no', well I can go
I won't make you

Can't Lose You

by Derek Webb

So you're gone
But I know you're not so far away
You're a call on the phone
Or a ride on a plane
But that just isn't the same

That's ok
Because I was never home anyway
So now everyone's evolving
And I am just the same
As I was ten years ago

But I don't know
Maybe the simple life
Is more the way to go
But then again
I'm mostly all alone

'Cause I'm losing everyone
But I know I can't lose you
And maybe my time will come
But I know I can't lose you

The older I get
The more that life is making sense
And it's similar to traffic
Or being president
'Cause I'm not the one in control

You grab a hold
I'm just a hammer
Helping to nail the future down
But it's getting hard
Making my friends leave town

But maybe I missed
The nose right on my face
For what's just past it
And maybe I have the gift
That everyone speaks to highly of
Funny how nobody wants it

Masters of War

by Bob Dylan

Come, you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothing
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
While the young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Will it buy you forgiveness?
Do you think that it could?
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul