Too Much Civilization?
Yesterday was my youngest brother's birthday. As we were chatting, the Randy Rogers Band song "They Call It the Hill Country" came up. We talked about how much the same thing described in the song is happening in our hometown, and across the West.
They Call It the Hill Country
The hills of cow gap stood rugged and awesome
But you have to have fill dirt when you're building a road
And the hills of cow gap, they weathered the ages
Got wiped off the map for 12 dollars a load
Chorus: They call it the hill country, I call it beautiful
I'd call it progress if it could be saved
They call it the hill country, I call it home
But what will they call it
When it's leveled and paved?
Uncivilized pagans drank untreated water
Right out of our rivers back in their day
Now those streams bubble with clean treated sewage
While they sit in their hot tubs and they sip Perrier.
Chorus
Scrape off the hilltops, build look-alike houses
Move in some people and turn on the TV
After the ball game, turn on some old movies
They'll smile when they see how things used to be.
Chorus
Repeat Chorus
While I don't know that anyone would call me an 'environmentalist whacko', I do believe in the value of conservation. I'm a little disturbed at the idea we now seem to have that we have to use every available square yard of space for housing complexes. I'm amazed when I return to the old home town to see acres of cornfields now filled with look-alike houses. If all the cornfields are full of houses, where are people going to grow corn?
The old home town is a lot bigger now than when I lived there. But is it any better?
They Call It the Hill Country
The hills of cow gap stood rugged and awesome
But you have to have fill dirt when you're building a road
And the hills of cow gap, they weathered the ages
Got wiped off the map for 12 dollars a load
Chorus: They call it the hill country, I call it beautiful
I'd call it progress if it could be saved
They call it the hill country, I call it home
But what will they call it
When it's leveled and paved?
Uncivilized pagans drank untreated water
Right out of our rivers back in their day
Now those streams bubble with clean treated sewage
While they sit in their hot tubs and they sip Perrier.
Chorus
Scrape off the hilltops, build look-alike houses
Move in some people and turn on the TV
After the ball game, turn on some old movies
They'll smile when they see how things used to be.
Chorus
Repeat Chorus
While I don't know that anyone would call me an 'environmentalist whacko', I do believe in the value of conservation. I'm a little disturbed at the idea we now seem to have that we have to use every available square yard of space for housing complexes. I'm amazed when I return to the old home town to see acres of cornfields now filled with look-alike houses. If all the cornfields are full of houses, where are people going to grow corn?
The old home town is a lot bigger now than when I lived there. But is it any better?
posted by Michael at
8:18 AM
1 Comments:
Anything has to be an improvement on the j-town of yesteryear, Mikey. With the exception of some really good people, the town had next to nothing for young people. They have Subway now! What did we have, microwaved frozen sandwiches at Buyer's Busy Corner or Paul's Place?
The one good thing about living in a small town was that I could buy booze at the local liquor store when I was 19. Looking back, however, that turned out to be not such a great thing.
By
dilliwag, At
September 13, 2006 11:35 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home