it was the town that made america famous. the churches full and the kids all gone to hell. six traffic lights and seven cops and all the streets kept clean. the supermarket and the drug store and the bars all doing well. they were the folks that made america famous. the local fire department stocked with shorthaired volunteers. and on saturday night while america boozes
the fire department showed dirty movies
the lawyer and the grocer seeing their dreams
come to life on the movie screens
while the plumber hopes that he won't be seen
as he tries to hide his fears and he wipes away his tears. but something's burning somewhere. does anybody care?
we were the kids that made america famous. the kind of kids that long since drove our parents to despair. we were lazy long hairs dropping out
lost confused
and copping out. convinced our futures were in doubt and trying not to care. we lived in the house that made america famous. it was a rundown slum
the shame of all the decent folks in town. we hippies and some welfare cases
crowded families with coal black faces
cramped inside some cracked old boards
the best that we all could afford
but still too nice for the rich landlord
to tear it down
and we could hear the sound
of something burning somewhere. is anybody there?
we all lived the life that made america famous. the cops would make a point to shadow us around our town. and we love children" put a swastika on the bright red firehouse door. america
Lyric Context: what made america famous? - chapin, harry