| Disc 1 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
| 3:51 | 
|
|||
|
She had a dream
And boy it was a good one So she chased after her dream With much desire But when she got too close To her expectations Well the dream burned up Like paper in fire Paper in fire Stinkin' up the ashtrays Paper in fire Smokin' up the alleyways Who's to say the way A man should spend his days Do you let them smolder Like paper in fire He wanted love With no involvement So he chased the wind That's all his silly life required And the days of vanity Went on forever And he saw his days burn up Like paper in fire Paper in fire Stinkin' up the ashtrays Paper in fire Smokin' up the alleyways Who's to say the way A man should spend his days Do you let them smolder Like paper in fire There's a good life Right across this green field And each generation Stares at it from afar But we keep no check On our appetites So the green fields turn to brown Like paper in fire Paper in fire Stinkin' up the ashtrays Paper in fire Smokin' up the alleyways Who's to say the way A man should spend his days Do you let them smolder Like paper in fire Paper in fire Stinkin' up the ashtrays Paper in fire Smokin' up the alleyways Who's to say the way A man should spend his days Do you let them smolder Like paper in fire |
||||||
| 2. |
| 3:38 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp
Dear Mr. President I live in the suburbs It's a long way from Washington , D.C. Had me a job Workin' for wages Till the company moved out And they forgot about me Can't draw unemployment For some unknown reason My kids are hungry I've got four mouths to feed I go out every day looking for suitable employment Do you think there's something you could do for me Cause I'm Chorus Down and out here in paradise Down and out and I'm on my knees I'm down and out here in paradise Looks like the milk and honey Done run out on me Dear Mr. President I used to be a dancer Got a little bit too old So I became a secretary Married a man In Las Vegas, Nevada And ten years later He ran out on the kids and me Some said I was pretty But those days are over Now I've no place to live And I'm out on the streets Oh, Mr. President Can I tell you a secret I never ever thought that this could happen to me Cause I'm Chorus Dear Mr. President I'm just a young kid I'm in the fourth grade At Riley Elementary My mom and dad's been actin' funny I'm not sure what If it's got something to do with me My daddy's always drunk My mom's a babysitter And I don't like the Russians Cause I hear they hate me Dear Mr. President Can I ask you one question When the bombs fall down Will they hurt everyone in my family Yeah, yeah Chorus |
||||||
| 3. |
| 4:19 |
|
|||
|
A million young poets Screamin' out their words To a world full of people Just livin' to be heard Future generations Ridin' on the highways that we built I hope they have better understanding Check it out Goin' to work on monday Check it out Got yourself a family Check it out All utility bills have been paid You can't tell your best buddy that you love him So check it out Where does our time go Check it out Got a brand new house in Escrow Check it out Sleepin' with your back to your loved one This is all that we've learned about happiness Check it out Forgot to say hello to my neighbors Check it out Sometimes I question my own behavior Check it out Talkin' about the girls that we've seen on the sly Just to tell our souls we're still the young lions So check it out Gettin' to drunk on saturdays Check it out Playin' football with the kids on sundays Check it out Soarin' with the eagles all week long And this is all that we've learned about living This is all that we've learned about living A million young poets Screamin' out their words Maybe someday Those words will be heard By future generations Ridin' on the highways that we built Maybe they'll have a better understanding Check it out Hope they'll have a better understanding Check it out Maybe they'll have a better understanding Check it out Maybe they'll have a better understanding Check it out Hope they'll have a better understanding Check it out........ |
||||||
| 4. |
| 3:58 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp
Suzanne divorced her husband She got the keys to the car and the home But her friends were really his friends No one stops by to see her much anymore So one night she goes back down to the old haunts That once upon a time were her own She didn't know nobody out there no more And the whole experience just made her feel so old She says Chorus I want to live the real life I want ot live my life close to the bone Just because I'm middle-aged that don't mean I want to sit around my house and watch T.V. I want the real life I want to live the real life Jackson Jackson was a good kid He had four years of college and a bachelor's degree Started workin' when he was 21 Got fed up and quit When he was 43 He said, "My whole life I've done what I'm supposed to do Now I'd like to maybe do something for myself And just as soon as I figure out what that is You can bet your life I'm gonna give it hell" He says Chorus I guess it don't matter how old you are Or how old one lives to be I guess it boils down to what we did with our lives And how we deal with our own destinies But something happens When you reach a certain age Particularly to those ones that are young at heart It's a lonely proposition when you realize That's there's less days in front of the horse Than riding in the back of this cart I say Chorus |
||||||
| 5. |
| 4:47 |
|
|||
|
Well I lived on the outskirts of town In a eight room farmhouse, baby When my brothers and friends were around There was always somethin' doin' Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends Stopped by to see me every once in while When I think back about those days All I can do is sit and smile That's when a smoke was a smoke And groovin' was groovin' And dancin' meant everything We were young and we were improvin' Laughin', laughin' with our friends Holdin' hands meant somethin' baby Outside the club, cherry bomb Our hearts were really thumpin' Say yeah yeah yeah Say yeah yeah yeah The winter days they last forever But the weekends went by so quick Went ridin' around this little country town We were goin' nuts, girl, out in the sticks One night, me with my big mouth A couple guys had to put me in my place When I see those guys these days We just laugh and say do you remember when Chorus Say yeah yeah yeah Say yeah yeah yeah Seventeen has turned thirty-five I'm suprised that we're still livin' If we've done any wrong I hope that we're forgiven Got a few kids on my own And some days I still don't know what to do I hope that they're not laughin' too loud When they hear me talkin' Like this to you Chorus |
||||||
| 6. |
| 4:17 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp
If you're feelin' shut down May my thoughts be with you If you're a black man bein' beat down and shoved all around May my thoughts be with you If your world's gettin' a little to tough You know our thoughts are with you Hey, I know that it's crazy out there And my thoughts are with you Chorus We are the people And we live forever We are the people And our future's written on the wind On the wind If you are one of the homeless May our thoughts be with you If you are scared and alone You know our thoughts are with you If you are one of the fortunate ones We all know it's lonely up there We understand that nobody's got it made So our thoughts are with you Chorus You see yourself as a leader May my thoughts be with you If you try to divide and conquer We'll rise up against you We know only the strong will survive But the meek will inherit So if you've got a coat of arms, oh friend I suggest we wear it Chorus |
||||||
| 7. |
| 3:44 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp and George Green
In the shadows of the smokestacks Through the black snow that lay on the land Walked home one winter morning With my life's savings in my hand Maryanne, she's fixin' up some breakfast Got the lights on, on the Christmas tree Sittin' there lookin' up at an angel With something dyin' inside of me Grew up with great expectations Heard the promise and I knew the plan They say people get what they deserve But Lord, sometimes it's much worse than that Maryanne she's takin' in some laundry I got a part-time job at a drive-in stand Oh Lord, what did I do To deserve these empty hands Across the cities, across this land Through the valleys, and across the sand To many people standin' in line Too many people with nothin' planned There's too many people with empty hands Now Maryanne's been cryin' Lord knows I love her the best I can When my pride is bruised and broken She slips her hand into my empty hands Without hope, without love, you've got nothing but pain Just makes a man not give a damn That's no way for us to live We've got to fill these empty hands |
||||||
| 8. |
| 3:27 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp
One man Does his work He's not satisfied Not at all Feels like That he is being used His self respect starts to fall His frustration Runnin' very very high He takes it out On the one he loves Because it's safe And who they gonna tell And he hates the cold-bloodedness That runs inside Chorus Oh yes It's hard times For an honest man Very very very hard times Hard times for an honest man Very very very hard times Sister She's got a lot of pride You can see it when she walks into the room But she's young And she's unaware Of what a brutal world can do to you So she loves a man He lies like a dog Tears her little world all apart So the walls go up For the rest of her days And there ain't no man can touch this girl's heart Chorus So we walk From the front porch to the back yard Just to laugh and say hello and say good-bye But some days are hard, like a soldier's steel-toed boots And the rent we pay to stay here gets high Chorus |
||||||
| 9. |
| 4:04 | 
|
|||
| 10. |
| 3:29 |
|
|||
|
Written by: John Mellencamp
Got my hands on a little bit of dough So I went to the grocery store And got some steaks to go went by and picked up my gal, Teddi Jo We had ourselves a picnic Beside a dirt road Chorus Rooty toot toot Rooty toot toot We had it made in the shade Like a ball through the hoop Spinnin' and tumblin' inside this hoola hoop Livin' and learnin' Rooty toot toot We laid out a blanket And started a fire Had the radio playin' From inside the car I took off my shirt and kicked off my shoes She read the paper And told me the news She said, there's a lot of people out there Who are at the end of their rope Sometimes baby You've got to lay low Chorus We stayed there all day We both got us some real good suntans I thought that was ok Sometimes life can be so grand We were gettin' ready To shake out of that place When the Illinois state trooper Got in my face He said, You're on private property But once he cooled down he was ok Sometimes you're golden, man That's all I got to say Chorus |
||||||
| 11. |
| 1:58 |
|
|||
|
Well it's another hot day
In Lima, Mississippi. Evan played the harmonica, And the old group sang. Some are laughin', some are crying' Most are still relyin' on the old (damn tar). Yeah in Shannon County, No one's overworked today. There ain't no use to, So they took our dignity and ran away. Well who we are, And we what we achieve, When it comes to (cruzmitat), Well maybe someone will believe, In Shannon County Here in the Midwest, Farm prices are a slow burn. Well I know it ain't my fault, So I reckon it must be my turn. Aimless days, Empty future, Whose got the fizzle, You know we ain't no quitters here In the county. Just keep a talkin', Do you know what I mean? You can keep all those big deals, Don't take away our reason to believe. We can work and we feel, And plant your farm in green, Send soldiers in the world, (And peace signs) keep our dream, We'll just keep on talkin'. |
||||||
|
