Hometown
L.E. Lyrics

I was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
As a child, I would run to the bus stop and buy a newspaper for my father, carrying a small amount of money with me.

Into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
I would go to the bus stop to get a newspaper for my father.

I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick and steer as we drove through town
As we drove around in our large Buick, I would sit on my father's lap and steer.

He'd tousle my hair and say son take a good look around
My father would ruffle my hair and tell me to take a good look at our surroundings.

This is your hometown
He wanted me to realize that this place was my hometown.

In '65 tension was running high at my high school
In 1965, there was a lot of tension at my high school.

There was a lot of fights between the black and white
There were many fights between the black and white students.

There was nothing you could do
There seemed to be no possible way to stop the fighting.

Two cars at a light on a Saturday night in the back seat there was a gun
On a Saturday night at a traffic light, there were two cars involved in an incident with a gun in the back seat of one.

Words were passed in a shotgun blast
As a result of the incident, there was a confrontation involving many words and a shotgun.

Troubled times had come
These were troubled times.

To my hometown
All of this was happening in my hometown.

Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores
The store windows on Main Street are now painted white and many shops are empty.

Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more
It seems like people no longer want to come to this part of town.

They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks
The textile mill across the railroad tracks is closing down.

Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back
The foreman has stated that the jobs are going away and will not return.

To your hometown
All of this is happening in your hometown.

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed
Last night, my wife Kate and I were in bed.

Talking about getting out
We were discussing leaving this place.

Packing up our bags maybe heading south
We were considering packing our bags and moving south.

I'm thirty five we got a boy of our own now
I am now 35 years old and we have a son.

Last night I sat him up behind the wheel and said son take a good look around
Last night, I let my son sit in the driver's seat and told him to take a good look around.

This is your hometown
I wanted my son to know that this was his hometown as well.