This Old Neighborhood

This Old Neighborhood

The men all worked the rail yard
The women made ends meet
There were half-paid Ford Galaxies
Lined up and down the street
The kids all rode banana bikes
Columbo got his man again
But that was long before I moved in
To this old neighborhood

By the time the truck was unpacked
I’d been welcomed seven times
Their kids all gone and grown up
Retirees were doing fine
A little slice of Mayberry
Away from the rat race
I said “Thank God for this quiet place”
And this old neighborhood

The thing about old neighbors
Is you won’t have ’em long
First the car stays in the garage
Next thing you know they’re gone
Like the roofs and the plumbing
Guess we’ve all got our time
But it can be so hard to say goodbye
In this old neighborhood

Now new folks and new money
Are coming in by the day
With granite tops and hardwood floors
Hauling character away
And nothing looks as good
On concrete as more concrete does
Sometimes I wish it were the way it was
In this old neighborhood

But then I’ll see some kids playing outside
And just be glad there’s still a bit of life
In this old neighborhood

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