1
A Salvation Army band played
And the children drunk lemonade
And the morning lasted all day
All day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day
Pushing the town away, ah
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
They sat on the stony ground
And he took out a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen
He said, "In winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy
And The Beatles" (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
All the work shut down
The evening turned to rain
Watch the water roll down the drain
As we followed him down
To the station
And though he never would wave goodbye
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train pulled out of sight
Bye-bye
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (society's so)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert, so hard that you know)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (so hard to desert)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma
And the children drunk lemonade
And the morning lasted all day
All day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day
Pushing the town away, ah
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
They sat on the stony ground
And he took out a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen
He said, "In winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy
And The Beatles" (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
All the work shut down
The evening turned to rain
Watch the water roll down the drain
As we followed him down
To the station
And though he never would wave goodbye
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train pulled out of sight
Bye-bye
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (society's so)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert, so hard that you know)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (so hard to desert)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma
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Although I know that this song is really about either the loss of innocence in a northern town in the late 1900's or an artist named Nick Drake, this song has always held a very different meaning to me. The last verse especially, "The evening had turned to rain Watch the water roll down the drain, As we followed him down To the station And though he never would wave goodbye, You could see it written in his eyes As the train pulled out of sight Bye-bye" Reminds me of how hard it was when my parents moved me below the Mason line when I was only in 1st grade. I like to imagine it was raining when the last boxes were packed and I had to say goodbye to my schoolmates. Though I don't completely remember everything that went on (I was so young), the song always brings a tear to my eye and reminds me that this is not my home.