You Shouldn't Do That
Ohio's Vanishing Past: A Melodic Tale of Urban Decay and Lost Roots
Lyrics
I went back to Ohio
I returned to Ohio
But my city was gone
My hometown had vanished or changed significantly
There was no train station
No train station was present
There was no downtown
No recognizable downtown area
South Howard had disappeared
South Howard, a specific location, was no longer there
All my favorite places
All the places the speaker loved were gone
My city had been pulled down
The city had been demolished
Reduced to parking spaces
Replaced by parking spaces
A, o, way to go Ohio
Expressing disappointment or disapproval, "way to go Ohio"
Well I went back to Ohio
Returned to Ohio, but family was absent
But my family was gone
The family home was no longer there
I stood on the back porch
Standing on the back porch, finding an empty home
There was nobody home
No one was at home
I was stunned and amazed
Feeling shocked and amazed
My childhood memories
Recalling childhood memories
Slowly swirled past
Memories swirling past like the wind through the trees
Like the wind through the trees
Symbolic description of memories
A, o, oh way to go Ohio
Expressing disappointment or disapproval again
I went back to Ohio
Another return to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
The picturesque countryside transformed or destroyed
Had been paved down the middle
Paved down the middle, indicating development
By a government that had no pride
A government lacking pride led to this change
The farms of Ohio
Farms replaced by commercial structures
Had been replaced by shopping malls
A critique of urbanization and commercialization
And Muzak filled the air
Muzak (background music) filling the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls
From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls, emphasizing the widespread change
Said, a, o, oh way to go Ohio
Reiterating disappointment or disapproval
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