Lyrics to Used to be a City:
David Rovics
I was young once, it was a long time ago
Things were different then, I thought that you should know
This old building was once a factory
We made Stetsons, your grandpa and me
It wasn’t easy, but at least life was going down;
There used to be a city in this town
This rusted railyard had a hotel and a couple of stores
We had good times here between the wars
It wasn’t paradise but there was music in the street
Right there is where your grandparents first had a chance to meet
They got married in that church, I can still see her wedding gown;
There used to be a city in this town
When the change came, it started one by one:
First the layoffs, then the factory was gone,
Then came the highways, the suburbs and Wal-Mart;
That was the final blow that tore this place apart
But it seems like just last year when there were people all around;
There used to be a city in this town
The census says there’s people here but I think someone’s confused
Just look out at these sidewalks, they’re not being used
You know when a city dies, it doesn’t die with grace
It just becomes a ruin, shouting this was once the place
Guess it’s time to leave, but I don’t know where I’d be bound;
There used to be a city in this town
