THOSE HAPPY DAYS

by Stan C. Countz

INTRO
Back when I was a kid, just growin’ up
Didn’t have much, but what we had was enough
Girls wore curls and boys played rough
Played with Tinker toys and Tonka trucks

VERSE 1
Before Obama and McCain, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne
Our quest for drama came from Superman and Lois Lane
Gary Cooper and John Wayne, Bandstand and Soul Train
Orson Wells in Citizen Kane and Gene Kelly singin’ in the rain

CHORUS
We’ve come a long way, baby, since those Happy Days
If our kids had been around, they’dve been amazed
Had it made in the shade if we kept up our grades
It was a simpler time and a slower pace
We looked our friends right in the face
Had no place for “YouTube” or” MySpace”
Tatoos were taboo; only cowboys cried “Yahoo”
Lost on Gilligan’s Island and Lost in Space

VERSE 2
We loved Betty Boop and Betty Davis, Gary Cooper and John Wayne
Superman would fly to save us; loved the Saturday movie matinee
Mom and Dad never had to pay us; Mighty Mouse came to save the day
Prayed to the One who made us; we all knew that "Jesus Saves"
We believed that He forgave us; loved Micky Mantel and Willy Mays
We thought they were the greatest; loved Dear Abby and Gabby Hayes
Jed, Jethro, Granny and Ellie May; Lucille Ball and Doris Day
Lou Rawls and Marvin Gaye; do you recall that day in the motorcade?
The day they shot JFK…

VERSE 3
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
Poppin’ wheelies and layin’ rubber
The whole family sittin’ down for supper
We didn’t need an upper
The Nutty Professor and Flubber
And who could forget Scarlett and Rhett
That Chevy Chevette we drove that summer
We loved the thunder and Stevie Wonder
Thumper and Bambi’s mother

CHORUS
We’ve come a long way, baby, since those Happy Days
If our kids had been around, they’dve been amazed…

VERSE 4
“Livin’ together” was “livin’ in sin”
“AIDS” were in the school office
“Made in Japan” meant “made of tin”
No one drove a “rice rocket”
Left our keys in the ignition
And never thought to lock it
Loved Lucy, Lassie and Rin Tin Tin
Judy, Daffy and Nestle’s Chocolate

VERSE 5
“Pot” was somethin’ we bought to cook in
If you weren’t there, I wouldn’t knock it
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
Davy Jones and Davy Crockett
Lil Orphan Annie, Jimmy Durante and Errol Flynn
Stuck together as a family and together we would win
But those Happy Days, my friend, they’re Gone with the Wind
Those Happy Days are Gone with the Wind

OUTRO
It was a simpler time and slower pace
We looked our friends right in the face
Had no place for Youtube or MySpace
Tatoos were taboo; only cowboys cried “Yahoo”
Glued to the boob tube watchin' Peyton Place
Today we can’t even say “grace”
Or use the Lord’s name (except in vain)
I believe we’ve gone insane
What would Gary Cooper and John Wayne say
If they only knew what we were gonna do
In these here United States?
To tell you the truth, they’d roll over in their grave…
What have we lost and what have we gained?
Was it worth the cost, was it worth the pain?
Like dusty rose petals, without a drop of rain
When the dust finally settles, what will still remain?

SHORT CHORUS
We’ve come a long way, baby, since those Happy Days
If our kids had been around, they’dve been amazed
So I decided to write it down before it all fades away
Before it all fades away…those Happy Days