AUTOMATIC
Ameritz Karaoke Entertainment Lyrics
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Drying laundry on the line
Watching sun tea in the window
Pocket watch, tellin' time
Seems like only yesterday, I'd get a blank cassette
Record the country countdown, 'cause I couldn't buy it yet
If we drove all the way to Dallas
We'd take along a Rand McNally, stand in line to pay for gas
God knows that shifting gears ain't what it used to be
I learned to drive that 55, just like a queen three on a tree
Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand, cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seems so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic
If you had something to say
You'd write it on a piece of paper
Then you put a stamp on it
And they'd get it three days later
Boys would call the girls
And girls would turn them down
Staying married was the only way to work your problems out
Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand, cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seems so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic
Automatic
Let's put the windows down
Windows with the crank
Come on let's take a picture
The kind you gotta shake
Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand, cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seems so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic
The song "Automatic" by Ameritz Karaoke Entertainment is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, an ode to the simpler times when things were done the old-fashioned way. The lyrics paint a picture of a world where everything was slower, where people had to work hard for the things they wanted, and where technology didn't rule our lives.
The first verse talks about simple, everyday things like using a payphone, hanging laundry on a clothesline, and making sun tea. These are all things that are rarely seen or done anymore, replaced by cellphones, dryers, and store-bought drinks. The lyrics also mention recording songs on blank cassettes, a time back when music was a little more special and something that required effort to obtain.
The second verse takes a more nostalgic turn, reminiscing about long road trips, using maps, and learning to drive an old-fashioned stick shift car. The lyrics talk about how things used to be harder, but they were also more rewarding. The chorus emphasizes this point, highlighting the fact that doing things by hand or waiting your turn was the norm back then, and there was a certain satisfaction that came with it. Now, in the age of everything being handed to us automatically, that satisfaction is often missing.
Line by Line Meaning
Quarter in a payphone
Putting a coin in a payphone to make a call
Drying laundry on the line
Hanging clothes on a line to dry them
Watching sun tea in the window
Observing tea brewed with sunlight shining through a window
Pocket watch, tellin' time
Checking the time with a small, handheld clock
Seems like only yesterday, I'd get a blank cassette
Record the country countdown, 'cause I couldn't buy it yet
Recalling the practice of recording music off the radio on a blank cassette tape when unable to purchase the song
If we drove all the way to Dallas
Just to buy an Easter dress
We'd take along a Rand McNally, stand in line to pay for gas
God knows that shifting gears ain't what it used to be
I learned to drive that 55, just like a queen three on a tree
Describing a road trip to purchase a dress, using a map and waiting in line for gas, and reflecting on how driving has changed with the transition to automatic transmissions
Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn
Doing it all by hand, cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seems so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic
Musing on a time when tasks required waiting and manual effort and expressing nostalgia for that simpler era before the development of automated systems
If you had something to say
You'd write it on a piece of paper
Then you put a stamp on it
And they'd get it three days later
Recalling the act of writing letters and sending them through the mail, which could take days to arrive at the recipient's location
Boys would call the girls
And girls would turn them down
Staying married was the only way to work your problems out
Reflecting on gender norms and dating practices from a previous era, where many problems were only solved by staying committed to a marriage
Let's put the windows down
Windows with the crank
Come on let's take a picture
The kind you gotta shake
Inviting someone to lower the manually operated car windows and take a Polaroid picture, which had to be shaken to develop the image
Writer(s): Brock Patrick Walsh, Mark Goldenberg Copyright: Songs Of Universal Inc., Fleedleedle Music, Universal Music Corp.
Contributed by Gabriel O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.