...and a quickie

[Cornflake]

Here's a revision, so I guess it no longer qualifies as a quickie. Bill quoted the original below.

I wish that I could make my town ungrow
And be the friendly place I used to know
I’d roll things back ‘til Wal-Mart wasn’t here
And make those little stores undisappear

And I wish the family farm could be unsold
And tales of what was lost could be untold
There’s a forest I recall that I’d unpave
And a river I’d undam and try to save

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

And I wish I could unkill Bob Kennedy
What he might have done I’d love to see
Then I’d unpolarize the left and right
And maybe folks would talk instead of fight

And I sure wish I could uninvade Iraq
And wave my hand and bring our soldiers back
Dear God I’d love to unpay what it’s cost
And unlose all the lives that have been lost

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

There are dark roads that I wish I could untake
And some promises I wish I could unbreak
There are people who I’ve hurt along the way
With words I’d give a whole lot to unsay

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

[billhammond]

cornflake said:

I wrote this one this afternoon so it's still wet.

Wish I could unabandon family farms
And uninvent those goddamned car alarms
And I sure wish I could make my town ungrow
And be the friendly place I used to know

And if I could I’d make Wal-Mart unhere
And make those jobs folks had undisappear
And I wish I could unbuild Glen Canyon Dam
Just by saying presto or shazam

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

And I wish I could unkill Bob Kennedy
What he might have done I’d love to see
And I’d unpolarize the USA
If I knew some healing words to say

And I sure wish I could uninvade Iraq
And wave my hand and bring our soldiers back
Dear God I’d love to unpay what it’s cost
And unlose all the lives that have been lost

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

There are dark roads that I wish I could untake
And promises I wish I could unbreak
There are people that I hurt along the way
By words I’d give a whole lot to unsay

But I know there’s no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who sometimes does

Wow, Don, I REALLY like those words! Hope you got some music for them, cuz I am counting on hearing the song at IdjutJam.

[Cornflake]

Thanks, Bill. I felt this one. The music came at the same time, as it usually does...simple music, but I think that's all this song could take.

[Marshall]

So what have you got against Shazam ?

The sentiments are very universal. Something for everyone to un-like.

You're an amazingly wordy writer. I mean that in a good way. You pack lots into a lyric. I often like "slice of life" tunes. They don't have to tell a complete story. They just give snippets of observations that all have a similar theme. There is some developemnt. You start with general big picture stuff. Then allude to personal failings later. And the final refrain states the obvious futiiity of such thoughts. But shows that it's a universal human trait to long for what is lost.

Joni said it pretty good, too.

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
Paved paradise. Put up a parking lot.

[Cornflake]

I hadn't thought of Joni's song, Marshall, but yeah, she said it.

Thanks for the kind words. I need to replace the lines about Kennedy but otherwise I'm through tinkering. This one comes a little closer to whiny than I'm entirely comfortable with but I like it. I can get behind it.

[loopysanchez]

I agree with you completely in that I wouldn't change a single word other than the lines about Kennedy. So many songwriters use Kennedys as a symbol of lost innocence that it's kind of lost its impact over the years. But that verse is by no means enough to keep this from being a great song. You've created something heartfelt and sentimental, yet completely unsappy, which is a mighty high achievement for any songwriter.

[Cornflake]

Thanks, Loop. I got rid of Kennedy and did a little additional tinkering. I think I'm through but even if I'm not, I'll quit posting any further revisions.

(On edit: I wasn't. I did. Bandmate Barbara likes this one a lot and will sing it.)

I wish that I could make my town ungrow
And be the friendly place I used to know
I’d roll things back ‘til Wal-Mart wasn’t here
And make those little stores undisappear

There's a patch of woods I'd love to unpave
A river I'd undam and try to save
I'd undo so much we see today
Except I know t doesn't work that way

There’s just no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who does

I wish my country's soul could be unsold
'Cause what it's turning into leaves me cold
These days we've got nothing much to say
I'd give a lot to make it not that way

And if I could I'd uninvade Iraq
And wave my hand and bring our soldiers back
Dear God I’d love to unpay what it’s cost
And unlose all the lives that have been lost

But there’s just no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who does

And If I could I'd make it not too late
To undream all those dreams of being great
When I failed I finally understood
Those dreams got in the way of being good

I took some roads I wish I could untake
Made promises I wish I could unbreak
I hurt a few I loved along the way
With words I’d give a whole lot to unsay

But there’s just no undoing what’s been done
And thinking ‘bout it sure don’t help you none
Still I don’t think that I’m the only one
Who does

[iamjohnne]

You know Joni wrote Big Yellow Taxi back in her Coconut Grove days. Back then, when the Grove was a laid back artists colony it was so peaceful and just about the most wonderful place on earth.

Now the traffic is awful, you can't see the bay because of the highrises and there are so many people rushing around it is just awful.

Who knew how prophetic that song would become.