[Intro]
[Verse 1]
Back in ’62, when I was just a teen,
High school was a hustle, no tech to intervene.
I walked a mile to school, through mud and pourin’ rain,
No Uber in my day, kid, just blisters and leg pain!
To call my sweetheart up, I’d trudge to a payphone booth,
Party lines at home meant nosy neighbors heard the truth.
Passin’ notes in class to tell a girl she stole my heart,
Got caught by the teacher, man, that tore my world apart!
[Chorus]
Oh, don’t take it for granted, boy, you’re livin’ so fine,
With your smartphones and Wi-Fi, you’re sippin’ sweet tech wine.
We had nothin’ but grit, and a whole lotta strife,
Stop whining about your good life, I’m singin’ ‘bout my life!
[Verse 2]
No selfies with my buddies, no cameras in our hands,
Just Polaroids at Christmas, and they cost a couple grand!
Vinyl records spun our tunes, scratched up and full of skips,
No Spotify, no Bluetooth, pre 8-tracks and CB whips.
Typewriters clacked our essays, no spellcheck to save the day,
Mistakes meant white-out bottles, or startin’ over, come what may.
Ditto machines at school, with that purple toxic smell,
One whiff’d make you dizzy, send your brain to dizzy hell!
[Chorus]
Oh, don’t take it for granted, boy, you’re livin’ so fine,
With your apps and your AirPods, you’re cruisin’ through cloud nine.
We had nothin’ but sweat, and a whole lotta fight,
Stop whining about your good life, I’m singin’ ‘bout my plight!
[Bridge]
No Amazon shoppin’, just Sears & Roebuck mail,
Wait six weeks for sneakers, pray they didn’t fail.
No AC in the summer, we’d sweat in cars and home,
Hitchhiked with weird strangers, thumb out, and all alone.
No TikTok, no Fortnite, just kick-the-can outside,
Collected silver dollars, not crypto for the ride!
[Verse 3]
No McDonald’s in my town, no nuggets, no Big Mac,
We ate Mom’s lumpy oatmeal, no air fryer for a snack.
No microwave to zap our food, just stovetop pots and pans,
Burned my toast most mornings, still ate it like a man!
You do all your homework with AI and Google,
Library books and Encyclopedias turned my brain to noodle.
[Chorus]
Oh, don’t take it for granted, boy, you’re livin’ so fine,
With your drones and your DoorDash, you’re hoggin’ all the shine.
We had nothin’ but dreams, and a whole lotta spunk,
Stop whining about your good life, quit acting like a punk.
[Outro]
So listen up, my grandson, you’ve got it mighty grand,
This high-tech world’s a wonder, hold it tight in your hand.
Don’t whine ‘bout slow Wi-Fi, or when your phone’s at one percent,
‘Cause back in ‘62, kid, we dreamed of your ascent!
Copyright September 5, 2025, by Stephen Craig Whitley – All Rights Reserved
