Copyright © 2009 words and music by Dean Batstone, except where noted.

We piled in the car at Jimmy’s and headed out the 14th line
Wasting no time getting wasted, parked beneath the billboard lights
They called “down on the corner”, they called “out in the street” [1]
They called across America, they called to you and me

DJ shouts “Stop children, hey now what’s that sound” [2]
That’s just “The Sounds of Silence” [3] and progress crashing down
Caught up in our own fable, we watched the tower blow
The day the music died again, we sang Goodnight Radio

Ch: Choir of Ghosts singing harmony
Marching band moving way too slow
Sea of stars on a silver screen
We sang Goodnight Radio

Annie started crying like she was overcome with grief
Or one too many coolers and it brought her to her knees
So “take a load off Annie” [4], so someone took a drink for free
“Check out any time you like”, but Annie, “You can never leave” [5]

Every car on the horizon tuned to 101.2
All along the relay towers the sheriff kept a view
They counted down the hour, then they blew tower 21
They called “Goodnight America, don’t you know me, I’m your native son” [6]

Just as the sky closed over the wind began to blow
No one sang “Who’ll Stop the Rain” [7], so we all turned to go
Somewhere north of Red Hook, “seeking shelter from the storm” [7]
We drove the Honda to the levy, ‘cause the Chevy would not go

Business men they drank their wine, plowmen drank their pay [8]
Sheriff came to shut us down, he said we could not stay
But “tramps like us, baby, we were born to run” [9], so we ran away
“Video killed the radio star” [10], downloads the DJ

“Only love can break your heart” [11], “music save your mortal soul” [12]
Now the levy is a skateboard park, the farms a big box store
Hope Neil Young remembers, we all could use him now
Bring tequila for the tractor and some poetry for the plow
“A Heart of Gold” [13] for Dylan, ‘cause he’s “blowin’ in the wind” [14]
and a voice for those without one, the day the music died again.


Credits:
[1] from John’s Fogarty’s “Down On The Corner”
[2] from Steven Still’s “For What It’s Worth”
[3] from Paul Simon’s “The Sounds of Silence”
[4] from The Band’s “The Weight”
[5] from The Eagle’s “Hotel California”
[6] from Arlo Guthrie’s “ City of New Orleans”
[7] from John Fogarty’s “Who’ll Stop The Rain”
[8] adapted from Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower”
[9] from Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run”
[10] from The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star”
[11] from Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
[12] from Don MacLean’s “American Pie”
[13] from Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”
[14] from Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”

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