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Were Those Really The Days?

from The American Songbook: Redacted by Rob Paravonian

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New opening number for The American Songbook: Redacted Live Show! Nostalgia! Self Delusion! Creeping Fascism!

lyrics

Were Those Really The Days?—New ASR Opener

Let’s go back to mid-century
An era like no other
Everyone (asterisk) was happy and free
As the kids all learned to duck and cover
Every family TV show
Had a wholesome daddy and mommy
It was illegal to be gay
And you could lose your job if someone called you a commie
(they didn’t even any need proof!)

Were those really the days
That were so great we wanna go back to those ways?
Or is denial on display
As we take all the bad things and wish them away?

Everyone knew their neighbor’s name
And people were so kind
Until a court case integrated the schools
And everybody lost their freakin’ minds
If you were a woman at work
The glass ceiling held you down
You couldn’t get a mortgage
And you wouldn’t get hired if you dared to frown
(cuz you’re so much prettier when you smile! What, it’s a compliment!)

Were those really the days
That were so great you give ’em unconditional praise?
Or are you just wiping the past away
So people go along with whatever you say?

Are we just building a myth
To bully people with?
Creating a national lore
Fabricating the way things were before
And complaining that they’re not that way anymore
Because of all the infidels at your door!
(WE MUST RECLAIM OUR IMAGINED PAST!)

Were those really the days
That are worth inspiring an authoritarian craze?
Or is this just a power play
hidden in a nostalgic haze?

Were those really the days? Were those really the days?
Were those really the days? Were those really the days?
Were those really the days?

credits

from The American Songbook: Redacted, track released July 7, 2023

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Rob Paravonian New York

Known the world over for his viral "Pachelbel Rant" video, Rob Paravonian is a musician and comedian who has performed on Comedy Central, opened for comedy legends George Carlin and Lily Tomlin, and was once called a "deranged bastard child of Tom Lehrer and Joan Baez." ... more

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