The Boneyard
On the thirteenth day of the seventh month
Big Max came into town,
He came with a clutch of plans, he said,
We'd be ‘mad to turn him down! '
He walked right into the council
And he huddled up with the mayor,
The mayor could only see dollar signs
As he sat him down in his chair!
We're just a common old country town,
There's not much happens here,
The town grew up around farmers,
Pioneers of yesteryear!
There's shops and government offices,
A bank and a couple of pubs,
And the highlight of the weekend whirl
Is a night at the social clubs!
We also have two cemeteries,
The ‘Old' one and the ‘New',
There's not been a burial in the Old
Since 1852,
It sits right there, at the edge of town,
All weeds and overgrown,
A bit of an eyesore, tell the truth,
While the New is nicely mown!
The news went round like a forest fire,
Big Max had bought the Old,
He wanted to build a Burger joint
And a Pizza Bar all told,
And then the parking, fifty cars
Should take up all the ground,
Where the bones of our pioneers had lain,
The founders of the town!
The moans and mutterings grew apace,
The mayor was brought to book,
How dare he sell off the hallowed ground?
This Max might be a crook!
The council went in a huddle
And approved the mayor's plan,
They quoted some ancient ordinance
While the people shouted: ‘Scam! '
But then the heavy equipment came
The dozers, trucks and rigs,
With men they hired from the city
To compound his dirty tricks,
While Max looked on, a complacent smile
Was fixed on his ugly face,
‘Just wait ‘til you're tasting the burgers! '
He'd reply, when they'd shout: ‘Disgrace! '
As fast as the headstones tumbled, they
Were laid around the edge,
‘They'll come in handy for fencing,
We won't need to grow a hedge.'
But then the coffins began to rise
And they spilled their cache of bones,
The dozers piled them in heaps, as if
They were shunting piles of stones.
That night, a wind in the eucalypts
Swirled round that hallowed site,
It moaned with a grim and haunted sound
And it howled to the dawning light,
While Max, they threw him out of the pub
And told him he'd have to roam,
With the souls of the dead uncovered there
As his men took off, went home.
The lightning flashed as he walked the streets
And the thunder chilled his spine,
The rain came down in a stream not seen
Since the winter of '59,
He sought relief by a dozer, sheltered
Under a locked up truck,
Then heard a sigh, as a ghost went by
And a hundred more rose up!
He tried to run, but the ground, undone
Was a series of pits and holes,
He ended up to his waist in one,
And turned, and prayed for his soul.
The last of the standing headstones there
Then toppled, and pinned him down,
When the sun rose up in the morning
One of the council found him, drowned!
The ‘Old' has become a pretty park
In the shade of the eucalypts,
The headstones laid, flat to the ground
In a lawn that is kept well clipped,
The pioneers have been laid to rest
Once more in their holy ground,
And we're more than blessed, though I must confess,
There isn't a burger in town!
27 May 2012
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Welcome To Sleazy Town
One hand on the controller
One hand on the re-wind
You can even watch it all in slow mo
cos you just sit at home all day
Now you got plenty of time
If you want some real live action
And the videos too tame
If you wanna touch some heat
But you dont know how to light that flame
If you want some satisfaction
Instead of studying the freeze frame
I used to have this spot on main street
It was bounding, it was hot
It was dark, it was dirty
But dull it was not
The joint was jumping every night
But now its just a parking lot
This city was cruel
This city was keen
This city was alive
This city was mean
Till the office blocks and parking lots
Came and closed this city down
I could stand outside
The kids hung round
And the neon sign said
Welcome to sleazy town
Welcome to sleazy town
Sleazy, sleazy town
Everybody hung loose
It was cool and easy
People used to meet and have a good time
Down in sleazy town, sleazy town, sleazy town, sleazy town
Then the corporations came along
And bought this piece of ground
The leases all went up
And so the buildings all came down
They built the motorways and shopping malls
And they killed off sleazy town
This city was cool
This city was keen
This city was alive
This city was till the office blocks and parking lots
Came and closed this city down
I could stand outside, the kids hung round
And the neon sign said
Welcome to sleazy town
Welcome to sleazy town, sleazy, sleazy town
City hall killed off that scene
Now sleazy town is just a dream
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Ghost of Deacon Brown
In a backwoods town
Lived Deacon Brown,
And he was a miser old;
He would trust no bank,
So he dug, and sank
In the ground a box of gold,
Down deep in the ground a box of gold.
He hid his gold,
As has been told,
He remembered that he did it;
But sad to say,
On the very next day,
He forgot just where he hid it:
To find his gold he tried and tried
Till he grew faint and sick, and died.
Then on each dark and gloomy night
A form in phosphorescent white,
A genuine hair-raising sight,
Would wander through the town.
And as it slowly roamed around,
With a spade it dug each foot of ground;
So the folks about
Said there was no doubt
'Twas the ghost of Deacon Brown.
Around the church
This Ghost would search,
And whenever it would see
The passers-by
Take wings and fly
It would laugh in ghostly glee,
Hee, hee!—it would laugh in ghostly glee.
And so the town
Went quickly down,
For they said that it was haunted;
And doors and gates,
So the story states,
Bore a notice, 'Tenants wanted.'
And the town is now for let,
But the ghost is digging yet.
poem by James Weldon Johnson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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What Changed Here?
except for the new landmarks
the erased bank of the
river, a new route
a new name of the street
another mayor of this town
and a few of his
selected council, a new market
cemented roads, and
a purple colored mall,
new faces of children
a set of migrants,
nothing really changed here
the town still bears the mark of torture
silenced screams, disappearing souls
still seeking the hall of justice,
bodies in pain, faces shrinking,
disfigured bones
unaccounted names of children
used for the choked revolution
these matters still hold the truth
in both hands, they still exist and hound
and howl
and haunt us.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Victim Of Bad Journalism
One morning he comes to you
Introducing himself as the journalist from the city
And he comes to interview you about this little conflict
About you and the mayor of this town
What can you tell him, except the truth
In good faith you say you do not want to be popular
And be likable by the mayor’s taste like you do not want
To be his stamp pad maintaining your independent stand
On the issue of life and death of his enemies
On the issue of you as the pillar of justice and the mayor
As another pillar of his own, vis-à-vis the people’s will
The voice of this miniature democratic society
He jots down every word that you say as he asks
More questions which you answer with all candid honesty
Like you have been this judge for the past 12 years
And the mayor simply dislikes your being passive
To his programs for justice (in his subtle way
Of telling you what really pleases him)
You tell you live in peace, in independence
Free from any dictates, except your conscience
Tomorrow morning the paper headlines read
“Town Judge calls Mayor a Stamp Pad! ”
Your wife asks you what is this all about?
And you are silent; you sip your coffee carefully
You read the paper again, you breathe some more
You are silent than ever, you ponder some more
These powerful people around you do not deserve the
Dignity of your answer and you do not want to see the face
Of that journalist again; He successfully made you feel
That in this town, honesty can be very serious offense.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Love Is Stronger Than Justice
This is a story of seven brothers
We had the same father but different mothers
We keep together like a family should
Roaming the country for the common good
It came to pass one faithful day
We found ourselves down mexico way
The town, the mayor, the p.t.a.
Pleading on their knees with us all to stay
Wed only stopped for a few burritos
But they told us of the trouble with los banditos
A poor little town in need of aid
My brothers and me had never been afraid
The age of chivalry is not dead
Lomesome nights in a coyboy bed
Thered be a bride for every man
Who chased away the evil gang
Love is stronger than justice
Love is a big fat river in flood
The outcome was predictable
Our banditos were despicable
Of blood we lost a dozen litres
A small price to pay for las senoritas
The town mayor was happy but his face was glum
The maidens numbered only one
But there werent seven brides for seven brothers
I knew I had to get rid of the others
Love is stronger than justice
Love is thicker than blood
Love is stronger than justice
Love is a big fat river in flood
Mother told me I was the clever one
The seventh son of a seventh son
It all ended so happily
I settled down with the family
I look forward to a better day
But ethical stuff never got in my way
And though there used to be brothers seven
There other six are singing in heaven
Love is stronger than justice
Love is a big fat river in flood
song performed by by Sting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Garden of Helen de Grues
She'd bought the old McWilliams place
In the Valley of Compère,
After McWilliams hanged himself
In an orgy of despair,
The Banks were ripe to foreclose on him
When his stocks went through the floor,
And he shot and wounded the bailiff
Nailing the notice to his door.
She got the place for a snap, they said,
Knocked down to the only bid,
The neighbours went to the auction just
To see what the stranger did,
One finger up at the starting price
And she stared the sniggers down,
A South American beauty, she
Was new to our border town.
The weather was hot and sultry as
It was at that time of year,
More humid down in the valley, too
Uncomfortable living there,
We wondered whether she knew just what
She'd bought, it wasn't the views,
Old Mac had planted all carnivores
She found, did Helen de Grues.
The place was a tropical stew down there
But there wasn't a single fly,
With all of the Venus fly-traps there
They came and they saw, to die,
The river meandered past her place
But mosquito's were nowhere around,
For all of the pesky insects there
That place was a killing ground.
We thought that she'd rip them out, but no,
She added a thousand more,
Brought species from South America that
We'd not even heard of before,
There were pitfall traps like you've never seen
And they grew like steam in the heat,
And they took small birds and reptiles when
They'd not had enough to eat.
The Mayor called on Helen de Grues
To tell her the latest spin,
The council was seizing half of her land,
And putting a highway in,
She fought like a savage tigress,
Took the councillors all to court,
‘You're far too late, ' said the magistrate,
‘You should have checked on what you'd bought! '
The plans allowed for an easement, they
Could do with it what they would,
And a highway down to Disaster Bay
Was planned, submitted, approved,
But Helen put a good face on it,
Invited the councillors down,
She put on a spread, on the land where they said
They would rip her plants from the ground.
The councillors never went back again,
Most of them never got home,
The giant Nepenthes saw to that
As they stripped each one to the bone,
The Mayor was lost by the river bank,
She said he couldn't be sillier,
‘It wasn't a plant, ' said Helen de Grues,
‘But a giant Crocodilia! '
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dirty Old Town
I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
Kissed a girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Clouds a drifting across the moon
Cats a prowling on their beat
Springs a girl in the street at night
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Im going to make me a good sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fire
Will chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
song performed by by Pogues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hell Of A Town
Its a hell of a town
Theres smoke coming up through the holes in the ground
Its a hell of a town
Plenty of devils for taking you down
Any time of night and day
Its a hell of a town
Getting drunk on the tears of a clown
Its a hell of a town
Steppin out in a bulletproof gown
So get out of my goddamn way
Im walking here
Im talking here
Its a hell of a town
Swimming out where the ships run aground
Its a hell of a town
Always room on the merry-go-round
So step up and be damned today
Im walking here
Im talking here
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Flying On The Ground Is Wrong
Is my world not falling down
Im in pieces on the ground
And my eyes arent open
And Im standing on my knees
But if crying and holding on
And flying on the ground is wrong
Then Im sorry to let you down,
But youre from my side of town
And I miss you.
Turn me up or turn me down
Turn me off or turn me round
I wish I could have met you in a place
Where we both belong
But if crying and holding on
And flying on the ground is wrong
Then Im sorry to let you down,
But youre from my side of town
And I miss you.
Sometimes I feel like Im just a helpless child
Sometimes I feel like a kid.
But baby, since I have changed
I cant take nothing home.
City lights at a country fair
Never shine but always glare
If Im bright enough to see you,
Youre just to dark to care.
But if crying and holding on
And flying on the ground is wrong
Then Im sorry to let you down,
But youre from my side of town
And I miss you.
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Oxford Town
Oxford town, oxford town
Evrybodys got their heads bowed down
The sun dont shine above the ground
Aint a-goin down to oxford town
He went down to oxford town
Guns and clubs followed him down
All because his face was brown
Better get away from oxford town
Oxford town around the bend
He come in to the door, he couldnt get in
All because of the color of his skin
What do you think about that, my frien?
Me and my gal, my gals son
We got met with a tear gas bomb
I dont even know why we come
Goin back where we come from
Oxford town in the afternoon
Evrybody singin a sorrowful tune
Two men died neath the mississippi moon
Somebody better investigate soon
Oxford town, oxford town
Evrybodys got their heads bowed down
The sun dont shine above the ground
Aint a-goin down to oxford town
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ghost Town
This town is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs have been closed down
This place is coming like a ghost town
Bands wont play no more
Too much fighting on the dance floor
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
We danced and sang as the music played in any boomtown
This town is coming like a ghost town
Why must the youth fight against themselves?
Government leaving the youth on the shelf
This place is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Cant go on no more
The people getting angry
song performed by by Prodigy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dirty Old Town
(ewan mccoll)
Found my love by the gaswork croft
Dreamed a dream by the old canalkissed my girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town, dirty old towni heard a siren from the dock
Saw a train set the night on firesmelled the spring on the sulfured wind
Dirty old town, whoa-oh, dirty old townwere goin to take a good sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fireand well chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town, dirty old towndirty old town, whoa-oh, dirty old town
And oh well chop you downoh, dirty, dirty, dirty old town
Dirty old town, dirty old townand oh whoa-oh dirty old town
Chop you down one of these days
song performed by by Rod Stewart
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Never-Ending Tease
Well, there was nothing else to do,
homework had been assigned
to late tomorrow, after lunch,
and this was just a day, too good
to stay inside and let the world go by.
I walked, which I would never do
without a cause, toward the edge
of our small town, where students
of the arts and sciences co-habited.
There was a pub, about two miles away,
it was the logic of the destination
which attracted me, a sunny day it was.
A rhythmic sound disturbed my mind,
it was created by a hoe between the stalks
of golden corn in a small garden by the road,
and God had seen to it, a maiden with red hair
had been commanded to be waiting just for me.
I struck, not being shy beyond my horniness
up a small talk which quickly led to conversation.
She had a smile that would have told the weeds
to seek their pleasures in the field, somewhere.
Strangely enough I never offered her my services,
but there was talk all afternoon until the night.
Turned out her dad had been the mayor of the town
for twenty years and he was tough with his two girls,
he was a gentleman and had a heart of gold,
but there were canons standing by at City Hall.
We were just children of a time that you will miss,
there was a sweetness to humanity to please
our expectations of a world that saw a kiss
as celebration of the never-ending tease.
poem by Herbert Nehrlich
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Fox
The Fox went out on a chilly night
He prayed for the moon to give him light
For he had many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o
He had many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o
He ran till he came to the farmers pen
The ducks and the geese were kept therein
He said a couple of you are gonna grease my chin
Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o
A couple of you are gonna grease my chin
Before I leave this town-o
[BRIDGE (Mandolin)]
He grabbed the great goose by the neck
He threw a duck across his back
And he didn't mind the quack, quack
And the legs all danglin' down-o, down-o, down-o
He didn't mind the quack, quack
And the legs all danglin' down-o
Well the old gray Woman jumped out of bed
Out of the window she popped her head
Cryin' John, John the great goose is gone
The Fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o
John, John the great goose is gone
And the Fox is on the town-o
[BRIDGE (Fiddle)]
He ran till he came to his nice warm den
And there were the little ones 8, 9, 10
Sayin' Daddy, Daddy better go back again
It must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o
Daddy, Daddy go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town-o
The Fox and his Wife, without any strife
They cut up the goose with a fork and a knife
And they never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones
song performed by by Nickel Creek
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Town And Country
Touched by a butterfly on my way home
Flying who knows where
Walking down that dusty road
Without a care
The sun was shining up in the country
And bells were ringing downtown
Clouds were moving slow and lazy
While I was kicking around
And feeling out the town and the country
Feeling out the town and the country
Up on the hill I got a better look
I watched the river run brown (watched the river run brown)
And then I heard those songbirds singing
The country sound
When I got home I sat in my kitchen
And turned the television on (turned the TV on)
The news wasn't good so I didn't listen
I started clicking around
Thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country
Thinking of the town and the country
In the morning everything will be the same
Open up your world (watch the children play)
In the sun or rain
Thinking of the town and the country
A thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country (fade)
song performed by by America
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Town & Country
Written by dewey bunnell and gerry beckley, 1998
Found on human nature.
Touched by a butterfly on my way home
Flying who knows where
Walking down that dusty road
Without a care
The sun was shining up in the country
And bells were ringing downtown
Clouds were moving slow and lazy
While I was kicking around
And feeling out the town and the country
Feeling out the town and the country
Up on the hill I got a better look
I watched the river run brown (watched the river run brown)
And then I heard those songbirds singing
The country sound
When I got home I sat in my kitchen
And turned the television on (turned the tv on)
The news wasnt good so I didnt listen
I started clicking around
Thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country
Thinking of the town and the country
In the morning everything will be the same
Open up your world (watch the children play)
In the sun or rain
Thinking of the town and the country
A thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country (fade)
song performed by by America
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Young Man's Town
You wake up one morning and it's passed you by.
You don't know when and you don't know why.
You feel like an old memory hangin' round.
And man, you've gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
You knew this day was comin' all along.
So why bitch and moan and say they done you wrong?
Just teach 'em what you know an' pass it on down,
'Cause man, you gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
Chorus:
It's a young man's town,
Full of young man's dreams.
And all God's children
Gotta learn to spread their wings.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground,
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town.
You always seem to be the last to know.
Man, that's just the way that the story goes.
There's nothin' you can do when the fields have turned brown.
Man, you gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
Chorus:
It's a young man's town,
Full of young man's dreams.
And all God's children
Gotta learn to spread their wings.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground,
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground.
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town...
song performed by by Vince Gill
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Young Man's Town
You wake up one morning and it's passed you by.
You don't know when and you don't know why.
You feel like an old memory hangin' round.
And man, you've gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
You knew this day was comin' all along.
So why bitch and moan and say they done you wrong?
Just teach 'em what you know an' pass it on down,
'Cause man, you gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
Chorus:
It's a young man's town,
Full of young man's dreams.
And all God's children
Gotta learn to spread their wings.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground,
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town.
You always seem to be the last to know.
Man, that's just the way that the story goes.
There's nothin' you can do when the fields have turned brown.
Man, you gotta face it, it's a young man's town.
Chorus:
It's a young man's town,
Full of young man's dreams.
And all God's children
Gotta learn to spread their wings.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground,
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town.
Sometimes you gotta stand back,
And watch 'em burn it to the ground.
Even though you built it,
It's a young man's town...
song performed by by Vince Gill
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fire Tonight
Well, theres a hot wind blowing tonight in the east,
And I heard that the park is filled tonight with police.
On the radio theres nothing but a man saying
To stay inside.
Well, I remember what you said on the telephone,
That you didnt feel like it was safe to stay alone.
And you would get yourself to me if you could find
A way across the line.
But theres fire tonight on your side of town,
Orange light in the sky without a sound.
Fire tonight on your side of town.
I watch and wait for you to come around.
Well, theres a faint sound of sirens tonight in the air,
And I heard that the downtown streets tonight are bare.
On the tv here theyre telling me the roads are all
Closed down.
You said that if you couldnt take the car youd walk
Instead.
It was the last thing you said before the line went dead.
And now Im waiting by the window holding all the things
Of yours Ive found.
But theres fire tonight on your side of town,
Orange light in the sky without a sound.
Fire tonight on your side of town.
I watch and wait for you to come around.
I know we always said that we were free.
I know we never thought this would succeed.
But now your face is all that I can see.
But theres fire tonight on your side of town,
Orange light in the sky without a sound.
Fire tonight on your side of town.
I watch and wait for you to come around.
song performed by by Information Society
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ghost Town
This town is becoming like a ghost town;
Many of our local shops are closing down.
Once upon a time, this town was really hopping,
But now people go elsewhere for their shopping.
The life from our town has been sucked out,
And nowadays there is hardly anyone about.
Local people go to other towns and cities:
That it has ended up this way, is a real pity.
The town's population is rapidly growing,
But trade in our shops is rapidly slowing.
Many units stand empty for years and years:
Owners found the rents were just way too dear.
We need some life breathed back into town;
We need to turn this situation back around.
Of help for new businesses, we need much more,
So that our town can be the place it was before.
poem by Angela Wybrow
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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