There's a black man, with a black cat, livin' in a black neighborhood
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard
You know he thinks he's got it so good
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleanin' up the evenin' slop
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin',
I can remember when you could stop a clock."
Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
oh yeah for you and me
Well there's a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin' to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got ah greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, "Lord this must be my destination."
'Cause they told me when I was younger
Said, "Boy you're gonna be president."
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went
Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Ah yeah baby for you and me
Well there's people and more people
What do they know know know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico
Ooh yeah
And there's winners and there's losers
But they ain't no big deal
'Cause the simple man baby pays for the thrills, the bills,
the pills that kill
Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me, Ooooh
Ooh yeah
Ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America hey somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America oh home of the free
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Little pink houses babe for you and me
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
In Chicago, at least part of the decision to build the Dan Ryan Freeway was to serve as a physical barrier sheltering white enclaves on the South side from "white flight."
And yes, every little boy (and girl to, even, I think) was told in grade school that they too could grow up to be President. Ahem. Let's think about that. Nah. Never happen. If you haven't got a degree from Harvard or Yale, it's no longer very likely, and to get one of those, well, you need to come from a wealthy family. The Harry Truman's and Lydon Baines Johnson's of this country, well, they don't get past the "powers that be" that determine who is suitable to run for election.
Oh yes, there are those who can live in the big city high rises and afford to vacation in the Gulf of Mexico. There are those who can afford to houses in two and three gated communities, Jack Nicklaus golf course developments. They can afford even more expensive vacations.
For her birthday, one of my bridge students husband's gift was to fly her to Paris to dine in a restaurant. The price of her meal was $564. This was in 1995. The meal was served over several hours. Nine courses, I think. She didn't name any of them. But, she DID name the price. So, what was the most important thing about the experience for her? I don't know. But, she did name the price.
Ain't that America? for you and me
Ain't that America? somethin' to see baby
Un-f-cking-believable.
And I'm not 100% sure of this (but, it makes for a great story), but I think she was the one who wanted to know if she could make up the class she missed for her birthday dinner.
Are these people for real?
