Neil's Still got It.....

I just finished Greendale. Its not the greatest rock opera ever, but Young has more talent in his little pinky than most other "topical" singers out there today. The guitar solos are pretty awesome, as is the music generally. As much as the actors-mouthing-neil's-words device can be a bit disconcerting, it does make for some poignant moments.

You can get the full lyrics here.

Here's a little sample:

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TV crews and cameras
they wanted to interview Grandpa on the porch
they came through the gate and up on the lawn
knockin' down Edith's tiki torch
Grandpa saw them there
looking through the venetian blind

"those people don't have any respect
so they won't get any of mine
I ain't gonna talk about Jed...
I don't watch channel 2 or 6 or 9
I don't have time to talk that fast
and it ain't my crime
It ain't an honour to be on tv
and it ain't a duty either
the only good thing about tv
is shows like 'leave it to beaver'
Shows with love and affection
like mama used to say
a little mayberry livin'
can go a long way"

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Grandpa's provincial perspective is contrasted with granddaughter Sun's innate radical rage at the destruction and death around her:

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we got to get there
Alaska
we got to be there
before the big machines
we got a job to do
we got to
save Mother Earth

Dream the hunter on the western plain
"the birds are all gone, where did they go?"
dream the fisherman in his boat
"he's comin' home empty, he's barely afloat"
dream the logger in the great northwest
"they're runnin' out of trees, they got to give it a rest"
(there's no other way to cut it)
dream the farmer in the old heartland
"corporate greed and chemicals are killin' the land"

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We are a long way from Mayberry.