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~
Those Were The Days ~
Back in the days of
yore,
Our military fought on
foreign shores,
We were called to battle
by a mad man,
On December of 1941 we
fought Japan;
We called out the 'Big
Gun'
They had awakened the
'Sleeping Giant'
We battled and we won,
The United States was
recovering
from 'The Great
Depression'
Unemployment was on the
decline, we survived:
We refused to give in to
oppression,
Homes were bound
together with strong
family ties,
Neighbor helping
neighbor,
We wanted the whole
world to see,
That this is the land
where freedom
knocks on every door,
The land of opportunity,
Who could possibly want
more,
Times were hard, money
was tight,
The government rationing
affected the food we
ate,
And the clothes we wore,
But this is the land we
love,
And to this land we
pledged our plight,
There were no T.V's
so we entertained
ourselves,
Children played
outside...climbing
trees,
Riding bikes, jumping
rope, softball in the
street,
Camping in the back yard
under a sheet.
We walked downtown to
see 'picture shows',
We walked to school in
rain, sleet and snow,
In our raincoats, rain
boots, and bumper
shoots,
It was a time when
loyalty and honor
were clearly understood,
Virtue was it's own
reward,
Mothers stayed home and
tended to the chores,
Clothes were washed on
wringer machines and
hung outdoors,
We had no air
conditioners, nor
refrigerators,
We used fans and the
food was kept in the
'ice box'
Modern appliances came
later,
Music played on
victrolas with a
vibrating needle,
The music rocked,
Radio was the lifeline
for America,
News, music, and
entertainment,
Soap operas, quiz shows,
Mystery stories,
'Only The Shadow Knows'
We were introduced to
the 'Jazz Age'
Big bands competing for
the stage,
Louis Armstrong, Glen
Miller,
Tommy Dorsey, Duke
Ellington, Benny
Goodman,
They knew how to swing,
Musicals: Showboats Ol'
Man River,
Gershwins: Porgy and
Bess,
Cole Porter, Rogers and
Hammerstein,
These were some of the
best,
'Somewhere Over The
Rainbow',
'Bewitched, Bothered and
Bewildered',
We swooned over tunes
sung by
Frank Sinatra, Doris
Day, Dinah Shore,
Kate Smith sang Irving
Berlins 'God Bless
America'
War songs: I Got My
Questionnairy'
'Gee But I Wanna Go
Home'
And who could forget,
'Don't Sit Under The
Apple Tree'
With anyone else but me'
Today when I think back,
I realize how blessed I
was in so many ways,
I was safe and secure in
the knowledge
That America fought for
the freedom we have now,
Indeed, Those Were The
Days
~*~
Janice Bumbalough Marler
© 2004
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