Lyrics
Hard times, wages, gone with the ages
Difficult times, wages disappearing over time, reflecting economic hardships.
See factory walls are crumbling, now all the coins missing from the fountain
Factories are deteriorating, symbolic of economic decline. Coins missing from the fountain symbolize vanishing luck or hope.
Old brick, old pine, hewed from trees from another time
Reference to sturdy, enduring materials from the past, highlighting a nostalgic view of better times.
Used to hang out at the depot when they came in,
Recalling memories of spending time at the depot when trains arrived.
Freight trains full of lumber from the mountain
Trains carrying lumber, a sign of past prosperity, contrasted with the present.
Now we’re living in a ghost town
Repetition emphasizes the message: the current state of living in a ghost town due to economic decline.
Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-My dad, since 18, steel plant, near main street
Description of the narrator's father working at a steel plant for years.
Savin’ money so he can ask the young waitress, the one with the red hair who's always anxious
Narrator's father saving money to approach a waitress, highlighting personal aspirations amidst hardship.
Clocked in, 4 kids, piled up on the horse hair mattress
The challenges of raising a family depicted through the mention of kids and a humble mattress.
30 years at the forgery working, got a notice that the factory was closing
The father's long-term commitment to work ends abruptly due to factory closure.
Now we’re living in a ghost town
Repetition emphasizes the message: the current state of living in a ghost town due to economic decline.
Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see the money all but left now
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see See see see…
-But i’m still here, most of us are
A statement of resilience - despite hardships, many locals remain in the town.
There's no happiness here, except for the kind you can score
Suggesting that happiness is scarce, and temporary relief may only be found through self-destructive means.
Now folks my age dropping like flies
An observation about the increasing mortality rate among people of the narrator's age.
Can’t stop once they get a hit of the good life
Implying addiction to a 'good life' once tasted, leading to detrimental consequences.
Now we’re living in a ghost town
Repetition emphasizes the message: the current state of living in a ghost town due to economic decline.
Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see the money all but left now
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see the money all but left now
-Now we’re living in a ghost town, see See see see…
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