Billy Joel nailed back in 1982. re:Allentown

[liberaltrucker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K62DdoFoNeg


Well we are living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms, standing in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance, danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown
But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay

Well we're waiting here in Allentown for the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave if we worked hard, if we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall but they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke, chromium steel
And we're waiting here in Allentown
But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child had a pretty good shot to get at least as far as their old man got
Something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well, I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be getting up today

And it's getting very hard to stay
And we're living here in Allentown

[Dr Fate]

1. But these other lyrics are kind of ass-holish.

You have to learn to pace yourself
Pressure
You're just like everybody else
Pressure
You've only had to run so far
So good
But you will come to a place
Where the only thing you feel
Are loaded guns in your face
And you'll have to deal with
Pressure
You used to call me paranoid
Pressure
But even you can not avoid
Pressure
You turned the tap dance into your crusade
Now here you are with your faith
And your Peter Pan advice
You have no scars on your face
And you cannot handle pressure
All grown up and no place to go
Psych 1, Psych 2
What do you know?
All your life is Channel 13
Sesame Street
What does it mean?
Pressure
Pressure
Don't ask for help
You're all alone
Pressure
You'll have to answer
To your own
Pressure
I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale
But here you are in the ninth
Two men out and three men on
Nowhere to look but inside
Where we all respond to
Pressure
Pressure
All your life is Time Magazine
I read it too
What does it mean?
Pressure
I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale
But here you are with your faith
And your Peter Pan advice
You have no scars on your face
And you cannot handle pressure
Pressure, pressure
One, two, three, four
Pressure

[liberaltrucker]

2. I never meant to imply he was a great social commentator

He got lucky on one song.

[latebloomer]

3. My absolute favorite!

Good video, too.

[Dr Fate]

10. Don't get me wrong- Allentown is a catchy tune w/ good lyrics.

I even had the 45 when I was a 10 year old kid, even though I had no idea what he was singing about.

I also think that his "Glass Houses" LP has a few good tunes on it...

[liberaltrucker]

11. +1

:thumbsup:

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Who nailed him?

:o

[liberaltrucker]

5. Post when you're sober

Ah, never mind! Drink up!

:beer:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear liberaltrucker!

Ah, I have ALWAYS loved that song!

Thanks for posting it...

Billy Joel is one of my big-time favs!

:toast:

[liberaltrucker]

9. My pleasure, Peggy

The unfortunate downfall of American manufacturing started
in the Northeast and cascaded from there. Thank you, Saint
Ronnie!

:mad:

[Orrex]

7. I forgot that he used to exist

Not so much these past few decades, though...

[liberaltrucker]

8. Not the point of the OP

But thanks for your input.

:hi:

[Orrex]

12. I get that, sure

And as someone who was living there in Allentown at the time, I remember quite clearly the local ambivalence when the song came out.