Текст песни There Was Only One Choice - Harry Chapin
There′s
a
kid
out
on
my
corner
--
hear
him
strumming
like
a
fool
Shivering
in
his
dungarees
--
but
still
he's
going
to
school
His
cheeks
are
made
of
peach
fuzz
--
his
hopes
may
be
the
same
But
he′s
signed
up
as
a
soldier
out
to
play
the
music
game
There
are
fake
patches
on
his
jacket
--
he's
used
bleach
to
fade
his
jeans
With
a
brand
new
stay
pressed
shirt
--
and
some
creased
and
wrinkled
dreams
His
face
a
blemish
garden
--
but
his
eyes
are
virgin
clear
His
voice
is
chicken
little's
--
but
he′s
hearing
paul
revere
When
he
catches
himself
giggling
--
he
forces
up
a
sneer
Though
he′d
rather
have
a
milk
shake
--
he
keeps
forcing
down
the
beer
Just
another
folkie
--
late
in
coming
down
the
pike
Riding
his
guitar
--
he
left
kid
brother
with
his
bike
And
he's
got
guthrie
running
in
his
bones
He′s
the
hobo
kid
who's
left
his
home
And
his
beatles
records
and
the
rolling
stones
This
boy
is
staying
acoustic.
There′s
seeger
singing
in
his
heart
He
hopes
his
songs
will
somehow
start
To
heal
the
cracks
that
split
apart
America
gone
plastic
And
now
there's
dylan
dripping
from
his
mouth
He′s
hitching
himself
way
down
south
To
learn
a
little
black
and
blues
From
old
street
men
who
paid
their
dues
'Cause
they
knew
they
had
nothing
to
lose
They
knew
it
So
they
just
got
to
it
With
cracked
old
gibsons
and
red
clay
shoes
Playing
1-4-5
chords
like
good
news
And
cursed
with
skin
that
calls
for
blood
They
put
their
face
and
feet
in
mud
But
oh
they
learned
the
music
from
way
down
there
The
real
ones
learn
it
somewhere
Strum
your
guitar
--
sing
it
kid
Just
write
about
your
feelings
--
not
the
things
you
never
did
Inexperience
--
it
once
had
cursed
me
But
your
youth
is
no
handicap
--
it's
what
makes
you
thirsty
Hey,
kid
you
know
you
can
hear
your
footsteps
as
you′re
kicking
up
the
dust
And
the
rustling
in
the
shadows
tells
you
secrets
you
can
trust
The
capturing
of
whispers
is
the
way
to
write
a
song
It′s
when
you
get
to
microphones
the
music
can
go
wrong
You
can't
see
the
audience
with
spotlights
in
your
eyes
Your
feet
can′t
feel
the
highway
from
where
the
lear
jet
flies
When
you
glide
in
silent
splendor
in
your
padded
limousines
Only
you
are
crying
there
behind
the
silver
screen
Now
you
battle
dragons
--
but
they'll
all
turn
into
frogs
When
you
grab
the
wheel
of
fortune
--
you
get
caught
up
in
the
cog
First
your
art
turns
into
craft
--
then
the
yahoos
start
to
laugh
Then
you′ll
hear
the
jackals
howl
'cause
they
love
to
watch
the
fall
They′re
the
lost
ones
out
there
feeding
on
the
wounded
and
the
bleeding
They
always
are
the
first
to
see
the
cracks
upon
the
walls
When
i
started
this
song
i
was
still
thirty-three
The
age
that
mozart
died
and
sweet
jesus
was
set
free
Keats
and
shelley
too
soon
finished,
charley
parker
would
be
And
i
fantasized
some
tragedy'd
be
soon
curtailing
me
Well
just
today
i
had
my
birthday
--
i
made
it
thirty-four
Mere
mortal,
not
immortal,
not
star-crossed
anymore
I've
got
this
problem
with
my
aging
i
no
longer
can
ignore
A
tame
and
toothless
tabby
can′t
produce
a
lion′s
roar
And
i
can't
help
being
frightened
on
these
midnight
afternoons
When
i
ask
the
loaded
questions
--
why
does
winter
come
so
soon?
And
where
are
all
the
golden
girls
that
i
was
singing
for
The
daybreak
of
my
dreams
serenades
no
more
Yeah
the
minute
man
is
going
soft
--
the
mirror′s
on
the
shelf
Only
when
the
truth's
up
there
--
can
you
fool
yourself
I
am
the
aged
jester
--
who
won′t
gracefully
retire
A
clumsy
clown
without
a
net
caught
staggering
on
the
high
wire
Yesterday's
a
collar
that
has
settled
round
my
waist
Today
keeps
slipping
by
me,
it
leaves
no
aftertaste
Tomorrow
is
a
daydream,
the
future′s
never
true
Am
i
just
a
fading
fire
or
a
breeze
passing
through?
Hello
my
country
I
once
came
to
tell
everyone
your
story
Your
passion
was
my
poetry
And
your
past
my
most
potent
glory
Your
promise
was
my
prayer
Your
hypocrisy
my
nightmare
And
your
problems
fill
my
present
Are
we
both
going
somewhere?
Step
right
up
young
lady
--
your
two
hundred
birthdays
make
you
old
if
not
senile
And
we
see
the
symptoms
there
in
your
rigor
mortis
smile
With
your
old
folks
eating
dog
food
and
your
children
eating
paint
While
the
pirates
own
the
flag
and
sell
us
sermons
on
restraint
And
while
blood's
the
only
language
that
your
deaf
old
ears
can
hear
And
still
you
will
not
answer
with
that
message
coming
clear
Does
it
mean
there's
no
more
ripples
in
your
tired
old
glory
stream
And
the
buzzards
own
the
carcass
of
your
dream?
B*u*y
centennial
Sell
′em
pre-canned
laughter
America
perennial
Sing
happy
ever
after
There′s
a
dance
band
on
the
titanic
Singing
nearer
my
god
to
thee
And
the
iceberg's
on
the
starboard
bow
Won′t
you
dance
with
me
Yes
i
read
it
in
the
new
york
times
That
was
on
the
stands
today
It
said
that
dreams
were
out
of
fashion
We'll
hear
no
more
empty
promises
There′ll
be
no
more
wasted
passions
To
clutter
up
our
play
It
really
was
a
good
sign
The
words
went
on
to
say
It
shows
that
we
are
growing
up
In
oh
so
many
healthy
ways
And
i
told
myself
this
is
Exactly
where
i'm
at
But
i
don′t
much
like
thinking
about
that
Harry
--
are
you
really
so
naive
You
can
honestly
believe
That
the
country's
getting
better
When
all
you
do
is
let
her
alone
Harry
--
can
you
really
be
surprised
When
it's
there
before
your
eyes
When
you
hold
the
knife
that
carves
her
You
live
the
life
that
starves
her
to
the
bone
Good
dreams
don′t
come
cheap
You′ve
got
to
pay
for
them
If
you
just
dream
when
you're
asleep
There
is
no
way
for
them
To
come
alive
To
survive
It′s
not
enough
to
listen
--
it's
not
enough
to
see
When
the
hurricane
is
coming
on
it′s
not
enough
to
flee
It's
not
enough
to
be
in
love
--
we
hide
behind
that
word
It′s
not
enough
to
be
alive
when
your
future's
been
deferred
What
i've
run
through
my
body,
what
i′ve
run
through
my
mind
My
breath′s
the
only
rhythm
--
and
the
tempo
is
my
time
My
enemy
is
hopelessness
--
my
ally
honest
doubt
The
answer
is
a
question
that
i
never
will
find
out
Is
music
propaganda
--
should
i
boogie,
rock
and
roll
Or
just
an
early
warning
system
hitched
up
to
my
soul
Am
i
observer
or
participant
or
huckster
of
belief
Making
too
much
of
a
life
so
mercifully
brief?
So
i
stride
down
sunny
streets
and
the
band
plays
back
my
song
They're
applauding
at
my
shadow
long
after
i
am
gone
Should
i
hold
this
wistful
notion
that
the
journey
is
worthwhile
Or
tiptoe
cross
the
chasm
with
a
song
and
a
smile
Well
i
got
up
this
morning
--
i
don′t
need
to
know
no
more
It
evaporated
nightmares
that
had
boiled
the
night
before
With
every
new
day's
dawning
my
kid
climbs
in
my
bed
And
tells
the
cynics
of
the
board
room
your
language
is
dead
And
as
i
wander
with
my
music
through
the
jungles
of
despair
My
kid
will
learn
guitar
and
find
his
street
corner
somewhere
There
he′ll
make
the
silence
listen
to
the
dream
behind
the
voice
And
show
his
minstrel
hamlet
daddy
that
there
only
was
one
choice
Strum
your
guitar
--
sing
it
kid
Just
write
about
your
feelings
--
not
the
things
you
never
did
Inexperience
--
it
once
had
cursed
me
But
your
youth
is
no
handicap
--
it's
what
makes
you
thirsty,
hey
kid
Strum
your
guitar
--
sing
it
kid
Just
write
about
your
feelings
--
not
the
things
you
never
did
Dance
band...
1 Dance Band On The Titanic
2 Why Should People Stay The Same
3 My Old Lady
4 We Grew Up A Little Bit
5 Bluesman
6 Country Dreams
7 I Do It For You, Jane
8 I Wonder What Happened To Him
9 Paint A Picture Of Yourself (Michael)
10 Mismatch
11 Mercenaries
12 Manhood
13 One Light In A Dark Valley (An Imitation Spiritual)
14 There Was Only One Choice
Внимание! Не стесняйтесь оставлять отзывы.