From the recording Home Town
Lyrics
Verse 1
A sitter, a counselor, a social worker
All for a teacher's pay
Friends of mine who have real jobs
Ask me why I stay
But I don't have an answer
Though I've searched for years
I guess those memories, and moments, and friendships
Are the things that keep me here.
Chorus
And though the sun is setting once again
The day will soon be done
The lights go down, all the world's at rest
But not the underrated one.
Verse 2
Struggling with philosophies
About the way kids learn
Mostly what I struggle with
Is which way I should turn
Looking for an answer
Somewhere on a shelf
Knowing that the answer
Lies deep within myself
Achievement test scores are falling
And everyone complains,
There's got to be a reason.
Those teachers are to blame."
Working with a few kids
So they can find their way
I didn't know that it was my job
To raise the USA
Chorus
Verse 3
Johnny's father left today
And Johnny looks like hell
How do I tell Johnny
He's got to learn to spell
Tears roll down Mary's cheeks
Her black eyes tell it all
Ain't it funny how it seems these days
More kids run into walls.
There's drinkin' at the dance tonight
Some parents must be called
How do we keep all these kids
Off drugs and alcohol
Life used to be much simpler
With pranks and panty raids
Now kids must dodge bullets
Like cults and getting AIDS
Chorus
Verse 4
Perfect SAT scores
And Susie's off to Brown
Tom is first in our class
He's headed for Georgetown
Billy's on the west coast
He's the starting quarterback
Janie's in the Sunshine state
She's burning up the track
Sally's on the TV now
And Rob is selling cars
Ed delivered my third kid
Paul runs the local bar
Steve is in the Midwest
He's just tryin' to work the land
George roams from town to town
Just livin' in his van.
Chorus
Repeat Verse 1
Chorus
©1993 Frank Meyer