Playground
David Bailey Lyrics

It's been 20 years since I've been on this playground
It has been two decades since I last came to this playground.

This place has seen a lot of change
This playground has undergone numerous modifications.

The monkey bars and swings, the sandbox and the rings
The monkey bars, swings, sandbox, and rings were all here when I last played.

Seems like everything's been rearranged
It appears that all the play structures were rearranged since I was here last time.

The merry -go-round is in the middle
The carousel is now placed in the central area.

The seesaw was moved to the side
The teeter-totter was shifted to the periphery.

The grass where we looked for 4-leaf clovers
The area with grass where we used to search for four-leaf clovers.

Has been covered by a giant plastic slide
Now there is a large slide made of plastic in that area.

So I'm sitting on this bench just reminiscing
I'm sitting on a bench, remembering the past.

About the years when all I had to do was play
Reflecting upon the time when my only task was to play.

When I could make a moment last forever
I could make a moment feel like it would remain forever.

And I could fit forever in a day
I could do everything I wanted in a single day.

Since then, a lot of things have happened
Many events took place from then until now.

I've been around the world a couple times
I've circled the globe several times.

I've watched us go to war, not always known what for
I have witnessed wars whose purpose was not evident to me.

I've seen us all commit every kind of crime
I have witnessed individuals commit various types of offense.

So I wonder if I've turned into a cynic
I am curious to know if I have become a cynic.

If growing up means giving up your joy
I wonder if maturing leads to letting go of happiness.

Just for a moment, I let myself imagine
For a brief time, I daydreamed.

That once again, I'm just a little boy
I indulge in the fantasy of being a young boy again.

Cuz then I'd prob'ly go right to the sandbox
In that case, I would probably go straight to the sandbox.

And ask if they had space for just one more
I would ask if there was room for one more person.

Then play hide and seek along the banks of the creek
After that, I would engage in a game of hide and seek near the creek.

Buy baseball cards at the general store
I might acquire baseball cards from the general store.

But instead I to the old pavilion
Instead, I head to the old pavilion.

Where the parents sit with a watchful eye
There are guardians in the pavilion keeping a close watch.

Everything looks different from their viewpoint
The scene is distinct when viewed from their perspective.

I get confused when I feel like I could cry
Sometimes I feel perplexed and emotional.

Maybe this place hasn't really changed at all
Perhaps this playground remains the same after all.

It's still whatever children make it be
It continues to be what the young ones make it out to be.

There's a little dark-hired boy teasing all the girls
A young boy with dark hair is irritating the girls.

And I swear he looks a lot like me
I am convinced that he resembles me.

As I watch the sweet commotion, I feel a strange emotion
Observing the delightful chaos, I feel an unusual sensation.

I catch a glimpse of truth that looks so strange
I grasp a revelation that seems weird.

It's my turn to go through what everybody goes through
It is my time to experience what everyone undergoes.

And realize that I'm the on who's changed
I comprehend that I am the one who has transformed.

I check my watch and can't believe the time
Looking at my watch, I cannot believe the time.

The afternoon is coming to a close
The afternoon is concluding soon.

I sit down on a swing; throw my head back in the air
I sit on a swing with my head tilted back.

And celebrate what my heart now knows.
I commemorate the knowledge that is now in my heart.