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Whatever Happened To Then?
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The 16th track on 'A Present From Christmas Past'. It's a ballad about my wife, Chris, growing up in sixties and seventies St. Louis and how everything has changed.
pop rock folk country christmas chris paul bouzouki frettedfriends
Artist picture
Difficult to classify. Possibly folk, country, rock, pop...who knows?
Tobe A. Richards: Vocals, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, bass, bouzouki, cittern, cuatro, percussion etc. Chris Richards; Vocals Guests: Paul S. Baker: Vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, autoharp, percussion etc.
Song Info
Genre
Country • Country General
Charts
#7,894 today Peak #185
#2,834 in subgenre Peak #62
Author
Lyrics by Tobe & Chris Richards, Music by Tobe R.
Rights
Transongs 2005
Uploaded
April 13, 2006
Track Files
MP3
MP3 6.0 MB • 128 kbps • 6:32
Story behind the song
Not strictly a Christmas song, but it does have references to snow in verse five! Whatever Happened to Then? carries fond memories of growing up in sixties and seventies St.Louis. After sneakily picking Chris's brains over events and places she remembered from her childhood, I came up with the melody and some of the lyrics to the song. Chris then added some lyrics of her own and seven verses later we had a song! For those unfamiliar with specific references in the lyrics, January Wabash is a Park in St. Louis, Pogo was the Badgett family's dog, Big Muddy is an affectionate name for the Mississippi River and the arch refers to the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch. The arch was designed by Eero Saarinen for a competition 1947-48 and stands some 630 feet tall. For those with a good head for heights or a sense of adventure, the arch has lift or elevator inside the columns which can be ridden to the top.
Lyrics
And mama would draw At the table once more I'd stay home from school all the day July and the heat The kids on our street And Pogo would bark as we ran through the park Whatever happened to then? Whatever happened to then? My daddy would fly Like a bird in the sky I'd sit there beside him, as the sky seemed to guide him And the Big Muddy ran Through the heart of our land We felt close to the edge of the world Whatever happened to then? Tell me whatever happened to then? Every fourth of July, 'Neath a Midwestern sky At the January Wabash The parade passes by And the colours we saw We would watch them in awe But they faded too fast Like the present to past Whatever happened to then? Whatever happened to then? The dollhouse dad made I so proudly displayed He hand cut each shingle and pane Amid the ruin and rust The damp and the dust Those days are long gone and they won't come again Whatever happened to then? Whatever happened to then? I remember the snow And the radio show "There's no school today", the announcer would say So we went out to play For the rest of the day A cookie sheet ride down the hill I can remember it still The sound of the train And the early Spring rain A rainbow would halo The Arch Frankie and me Watched cartoons on tv Sipping grape juice from Mickey Mouse straws And Goofy, he took the applause I returned there last Fall And the park's now a mall Neighbours and friends have all gone It's progress they say And it is...in a way But if I just close my eyes, I can see them again Whatever happened to then? Tell me whatever happened to then?
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