AMERICA IN THE TWENTIETH

THE PATH WE STRODE

                                    At century’s start the outlook for America was bright,

                                                To be the greatest nation well within sight,              

                                    Technology advanced at ever greater speed,

                                                For light, electricity began to fill the need,

                                    The noble horse would lose more ground,

                                                As machines continued to abound,

                                    The train and ship, they ran on steam,

                                                The need was growing for gasoline,                                                  

                                    For now we sing another chord,

                                                ‘Cause quite a few can drive a Ford,

                                    But although we thought we had arrived,

                                                So many here were still deprived.

                                    The teens found the world a hostile place,

                                                As the powers squared off face to face,

                                    We found ourselves in The Great War,

                                                And then the flu claimed millions more,

                                    Amendments passed; one made us dry,

                                                A choice destined to go awry,

                                    Another, a more positive note,

                                                Gave to women the right to vote.

                                    The twenties saw many rolling in dough,

                                                For others though it wasn’t so,                                                          

                                    Farmers were in need indeed,

                                                You’d never know blacks had been freed,

                                    Liquor caused many to break the law,

                                                As organized crime rose to the fore,

                                    Before the decade ended though,

                                                The market sunk to an all time low.

                                    The thirties were such trying times,

                                                Very few had many dimes,

                                    But as low as things could sink,

                                                It was legal once again to drink,

                                    When things however seemed their bleakest,

                                                And the people at their weakest,

                                    When poverty was widely felt,

                                                We elected Franklin Roosevelt,

                                    United we learned how to heal,

                                                Working together in the New Deal.

                                   The forties once again was war,

                                                At least we were no longer poor,

                                    World War II was the very worst,

                                                Almost the whole world immersed,

                                    So many innocents lost their lives,

                                                So many girls who weren’t wives,     

                                    And when we awoke to the horrible news,

                                                In much of Europe were no more Jews.

                                    The fifties found so many riches,

                                                But communists were this day’s witches,

                                    To be hunted down and burned at stakes,

                                                By Joe McCarthy and the other fakes,

                                    Fascism isn’t really dead,

                                                So watch out if you think in red,

                                    But rock ‘n’ roll took us by storm,

                                                In a few short years it became the norm.

                                  The sixties was a time of strife,

                                                A time for death, a time for life,

                                    For civil rights we had a vision,

                                                To end an unjust war a mission,

                                    Too often we heard the death knell ring,

                                                Among the lost, two Kennedys and King,

                                    We were so rash because we believed,

                                                But still too blind to the sins of greed,          

                                    Though knowing we were told a lie,

                                                 We never thought the cause would die.                                                                   

                                   In the seventies we escaped,

                                                Unaware that we were being raped, 

                                    We coped with Nixon, Carter and Ford,

                                                Many gave up and turned to the Lord,

                                    But because we failed to keep asking why,

                                                Social consciousness began to die,                                        

                                    We danced all night, we danced all day,

                                                But in the end, we’d lost our way.

                                    The eighties we sunk even lower,

                                                Ronald Reagan was in power,

                                    Really he was just a puppet,

                                                All we wanted though was a muppet,

                                    In the past we did with less,

                                                But pushed society to progress,

                                    Now the days of youth forgotten,

                                                We return to a time that for many was rotten.

                                    The nineties found the economy healthy,

                                                Many people very wealthy,   

                                    But so many lessons have been lost,

                                                With all that money, there’s a frost,

                                    Because we never gave adequate thought,

                                                Our leaders have now all been bought,

                                    What was a bribe another day,

                                                Today is just the usual way,

                                    And because we neglected the things we saw,

                                                Corporate interests rose above the law.

                                    We’ve come so far since the opening day,

                                                Computers and jet planes now hold sway,

                                    But we can’t see, we’ll never know,

                                                Where we are and where we’ll go,

                                    It’s all for one; that’s ME! ME! ME!

                                                We’re all alone, adrift at sea,

                                    Our heads should hang in deep despair,

                                                For we’ve lost sight of how to share,

                                    Today it’s money that gets respect,

                                                There’s not much room for intellect,

                                    But the only way we won’t be blind,

                                                Is when we learn to use our mind,

                                    Then maybe someday we can see,

                                                Instead of “me” to think as “we”!      

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