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Ghost Town

from Odds and Ends by The Late Joys

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about

Feeling intolerant of intolerance, Robi wrote this one in or about 1991, revised it a few years later and re-revised it in 2003. Part personal history, part defiant screed, The Late Joys recorded this one at an early rehearsal at Rex's back in July, 2006.

lyrics

When I moved into your town
The welcoming committee wore shirts of brown
When I tried to set my shop up in the street
Every passerby looked right through me
That was long ago and far away (just history)
Those days have seen their end
But it's a small world inhabited by little minds
And those days are coming back again

In the distant lands with names too hard to spell
Men in uniform turn paradise to hell
In our local haunts it only takes a dissenting opinion
If ignorance is bliss then we're blissful people having fun
Such fun turn on the TV: There's a monkey, there's a flock of sheep,
They seem to get on, yes they do
But when the monkey thumps his chest it's mutton stew and woolen vests
But only for the chosen few

'Cos we're living in a ghost town

In the olden days when things weren't quite the same,
If you kept your senses you'd just change your name
Like my father's father when the trouble did begin
In the future could you change the color of your skin?
Or change the way you dress? Well they'll still find you, you'll confess
They've new orders that you can't refuse
'Cos it's an act of treason to ask questions to want reasons
From men who hide their crimes behind the news

When we're living in a ghost town

Social woes just mean a few more detainees
Segregate the different, register the diseased
Soon the death squads will be knocking at your door
Disappearing all the awkward folk who won't conform
And as the knees jerk into line the goose step's smart their buttons shine
There's a curfew there's a quarantine
And when you find you're running in place, you know you've lost the human race
Though some will claim a victory

When we're living in a ghost town

credits

from Odds and Ends, released August 1, 2006
Robi Polgar: guitars, vocals
Patrick Lopez: bass
Rex Rizk: drums

Words and music (c) Robi Polgar.
Recorded at Revolution Records, Austin, TX; June '06

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The Late Joys Austin

With influences that include The Beatles, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Jam, The Clash and a slew of '80s and '90s Brit-pop guitar-based trailblazers, The Late Joys put on a high-octane show that's groovy, melodic and infused with fun.

The Late Joys play infectious sonic confections with literate lyrics, catchy melodies and unabashedly progressive political sensibilities.
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