Janis Ian — This Old Town

[Verse 1] This old town should have burned down in 1929 That's when we stood in line Waiting for our soup while swallowing our pride This old town should have burned down in 1931 When the rain refused to come Air filled up our bellies Dust filled up our lungs And we thought our time had come [Chorus] But this old town was built by hand In the dustbowl of the motherland There must be rock beneath this sand I'll be damned—this town still stands [Verse 2] This old town should have burned down in 1944 When the last man went to war They came back different, if they came back at all This old town should havе burned down in 1956 That's when the twistеr hit And all our hopes lay buried beneath the boards and bricks And we almost called it quits [Chorus] But this old town was built by hand In the dustbowl of the motherland There must be rock beneath this sand I'll be damned—this town still stands [Bridge] Somewhere in the distance The city lights do shine Sidewalks gleam with neon dreams That call from time to time When my children's children ask Why I didn't go I'll say—the heart of any town Is the people that you've known And they always call you home [Chorus] This old town was built by hand In the dustbowl of the motherland And there is rock beneath the sand I'll be damned—this town still stands