GREENDALE – 2003 – NEIL YOUNG "falling from above" by neil young grandpa said to cousin jed sittin' on the porch, "i won't retire but i might retread seems like that guy singin' this song been doin' it for a long time is there anything he knows that he ain't said? sing a song for freedom sing a song for love sing a song for depressed angels falling from above" grandpa held the paper pretendin' he could see but he couldn't read without his glasses on "how can all these people afford so many things? when i was young people wore what they had on...and mama said 'a little love and affection in everything you do will make the world a better place with or without you'" a little love and affection in everything you do slammin' down a late night shot the hero and the artist compared goals and visions and afterthoughts for the 21st century but mostly came up with nothin' so the truth was never learned and the human race just kept rollin' on rollin' through the fighting rollin' through the religious wars rollin' down the temple walls and the church's exposed sores rollin' through the fighting the religious wars mostly came up with nothin' "grandpa here's your glasses you'll see much better now," said that young girl of edith and earl's but grandpa just kept starin' he was lost in some distant thought then he turned and said to that young girl "a little love and affection in everything you do will make the world a better place with or without you" with or without you a better place with or without you with or without you hear that rooster crowin' down on the double e it's a new morning dawning on the green bouncing off the towers and the sun's heading down for the streets the business meeting window shades are drawn another morning edition headed for the porch because grandma puts down the paper before grandpa raises his fork a little love and affection in everything you do with or without you hear the rooster crowing down on the double e "double e" by neil young back in the country livin' on the double e in the sunshine of her life there's a ready young filly and mom and daddy won't let her leave mom and papa won't let her go but when they go out dancin' she breaks out on her own she's hot enough to burn the house down and mom and daddy don't know when edith and earl renamed the double e they nearly made history the neighbors rose up and some of them were mad as hell 'cause it used to be the double L change comes slow in the country when you're new there's a lot of distrust years pass by uneventful, and memories turn to dust meanwhile granny has got her bright colors on the sunshine in her eyes cruisin' by the bars and honky tonks where she met grandpa and caught that young man's eye dusty white eldorado cruisin' through the trees slippin' through the shadows of what used to be back in the day livin' in the summer of love livin' in the summer of love grandma's ok but not the same since grandpa's gone she's livin' in the summer of love back in the day livin' in the summer of love livin' in the summer of love livin' in the summer of love livin' in the summer of love livin' in the summer of love "devil's sidewalk" by neil young "when the red light shines on the streets of hate where the devil dines who knows what he ate it's a simple thing trying to stay afloat," the captain said without his boat "some things are getting better other things a little worse it's a situation much like a curse it's the devil's sidewalk greendale it's the devil's door greendale i try to avoid it," greendale said the captain of the shore greendale "there's a garden growing greendale and a million weeds greendale with no way of knowing greendale who has done which deed" greendale "that's an honest tale," said the helmsman to the mate, "about a woman delicious and a matter of fate" big wheel's still rolling down on me one thing i can tell you is you got to be free john lennon said that and i believe in love i believe in action when push comes to shove "who cares what you believe," said the captain amazed, "if you stood in my shoes your eyes would be glazed" so my fair damsel greendale won't you take your leave greendale are you headed for the country greendale where you wear the green sleeve greendale and the children laugh greendale and the old folks sing greendale and the church bells toll greendale for a miraculous thing greendale where the big red furnace greendale just glows and glows greendale where the big heart beats greendale where the big wheel rolls greendale "leave the driving" by neil young out on the old coast highway flyin' through the night jed got stopped by the CHP for speedin' and no brake lights rolled down the drivers window slipped his gun down under the seat glove box full of cocaine trunk was full of weed "driver's license and registration," said the officer with his flashlight searchin' around the floor of the car smellin' like somethin' ain't right jed's life flashed before him like a black and white super 8 he heard the sound of the future on a scratchy old 78 nothin' was still, all was movin' when the flashlight found the gun then jed pulled the trigger in a split second tragic blunder "makes you think about livin' and what life has to tell," said jed to grandpa from inside his cell camouflage hung in his closet guns all over the wall plans for buildings and engineers and a book with no numbers at all the whole town was stunned they closed the coast highway for 12 hours no one could believe it jed was one of ours meanwhile across the ocean living in the internet is the cause of an explosion no one has heard yet but there's no need to worry there's no reason to fuss just go on about your work now and leave the driving to us and we'll be watching you no matter what you do and you can do your part by watching others too grandpa put down the paper staring in disbelief jed had always been good to him and never gave him any grief "the moral of this story is try not to get too old the more time you spend on earth the more you see unfold and as an afterthought this must to be told some people have taken pure bullshit and turned it into gold" "carmichael" by neil young silk scarf and a napkin hidden in a drawer two hundred bucks in an envelope labeled lenore "maybe she shouldn't see this she should never know," said the widow's best friend anne, "i'll just take it and go i'll give her the money later say it was in his shoe that way she'll never find out... that'll do" "carmichael was a credit to the force in everything he did it's like we got a big hole in our side where he fit if any of you officers would like to say a word now would be the time to be heard" "thank you chief, i sure would he was a partner of mine he was always very careful and played it straight down the line" one by one the officers spoke and the service drew to a close he had no living relatives but his wife who never showed she just couldn't face the men they all understood they got in their cars and drove home as directly as they could "carmichael you asshole," the new widow sobbed beneath her veil, "shot down in the line of duty is this how justice never fails? i wish that things were better when we said goodbye today but we had our share of good times though along the way remember 'hey mr. las vegas you used to be so cool!!' we met wayne newton down at pebble beach and you acted like a fool but we both just couldn't stop laughin' it seemed so funny to us we left our luggage back in the room and almost missed the bus that was a great vacation maybe the best of all but goddamnit carmichael you're dead now and i'm talkin' to the wall" the force got back to normal carmichael was replaced for one year nobody parked a car in carmichael's space "bandit" by neil young turnin' the pages in this old book seems familiar might be worth a second look wrappin' up dope in a paper bag talkin' to yourself takin' a drag who are you kidding with what you say? what does it matter? they'll never hear it anyway got to get past the negative thing the lawyers and business you get what you bring no one's sorry you did it yourself it's time to relax now and then give it hell someday you'll find what you're lookin' for someday you'll find what you're lookin' for you didn't bet on the dodgers to beat the giants then david came up now you gotta pay up you didn't count on that geez half the money's gone the month is still young where you gonna go now? things are closin' in got to trust someone trust someone someone you trust got to be careful be careful you can't go to your brother that money's all gone can't go to your friends someday you'll find everything you're lookin' for someday you'll find everything you're lookin' for someday you'll find everything you're lookin' for someday you'll find everything you're lookin' for yeah made out like a bandit for so many years what are you workin' for? one more big score? what are you tryin' to prove? try to get closer but not too close try to get through but not be through no one can touch you now but i can touch you now you're invisible you got too many secrets bob dylan said that somethin' like that someday you'll find everything you're looking for someday you'll find everything you're looking for someday you'll find everything you're looking for someday you'll find everything you're looking for yeah "grandpa's interview" by neil young "grandpa here's your coffee," said edith as she filled his cup, "nobody'll find you here and earl is glad you guys showed up the way things are downtown you might have to stay for a while there was a helicopter flyin' over your house when i talked to your neighbor kyle" "who the hell do they think they are? invading our home like that grandma and i had to leave so fast we couldn't even catch the cat the helicopter scared the shit out of it and it took off down the trail down past the railroad track towards the county jail" "jed you really screwed up now what'd you have to do that for? everybody wants to hang your ass here's a note from lenore" she touched the cold steel bars as she pushed the paper in jed took it up and read it and couldn't hide a grin outside the jail window a crow flew across the sky completely disappearing behind each bar then a helicopter flew by "say hi to earl and edith tell'em i'm doin' fine tell'em you're ready to leave home now and they should cut the line can grandma come and see me? i've got a new song to sing it's longer than all the others combined and doesn't mean a thing" the noise was unfamiliar... a walkie talkie squealed generators were runnin' vans parked in the field 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" he took earl's gun from the closet and loaded up both barrels went out on the porch and fired them off and up walked a woman named carol "susan carol from early magazine i've got some questions to ask" "well you can stick 'em where the sun don't shine," grandpa said with a gasp then he fell face first and let out a sigh edith came out in shock grandpa was whispering to her from down on the floor he looked like he was tryin' to talk "that guy who just keeps singin' can't somebody shut him up? i don't know for the life of me where he comes up with this stuff" they laid his head on a newspaper with a picture of carmichael on the front page posing with a little league baseball team and a seedy shot of jed with a motorcycle. grandpa died like a hero fightin' for freedom of silence tryin' to stop the media tryin' to be anonymous share your lovin' and you'll live so long share your lovin' and you'll live so long share your lovin' and you'll live so long live so long "bringin' down dinner" by neil young the evening fog was rolling in it was getting hard to see the old white car edged down the road headed for the double e she was bringin' down dinner for grandpa it was crawlin' with vitamins and tender as a mother's love when she saw the tv vans the side door was open there were three tvs grandpa's face was on every one he was talkin' to a woman with a microphone she was sexy and her hair was all done sun green came out and met grandma then "my, you're such a beautiful girl mother earth needs more like you you should go out now and see the world what's grandpa doin' on tv? i got his dinner in the car all these vans have blocked our road but we can carry it, it's not too far" "sun green" by neil young sun green started makin' waves on the day her grandpa died speakin' out against anything unjust or packed with lies she chained herself to a statue of an eagle in the lobby of powerco and started yellin' through a megaphone "there's corruption on the highest floor" suits poured out of elevators "they're all dirty" phoneheads began to speak "you can't trust anybody" but security couldn't get her down she was welded to the eagle's beak sun green leaned into that megaphone and said, "truth is all i seek" security brought in some blowtorches news cameras recorded the speech "when the city is plunged into darkness by an unpredicted rolling blackout the white house always blames the governor, sayin', 'the solution is to vote him out'" on top of that great bronze eagle sun's voice was loud and clear she said, "powerco is workin' with the white house to paralyze our state with fear" it was a golden moment golden moment in the history of tv news no one could explain it it just got great reviews "hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too" the imitators were playin' down at john lee's bar when sun went down to see 'em someone followed her in a car so now when she goes dancin' she has to watch her back the FBI just trashed her room one of them kicked her cat the damn thing scratched his leg and he had to shoot it dead and leave it lyin' in a puddle of blood at the foot of sun green's bed "hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too" john lee's was rockin' the imitators drove it home sun was dancin' up a heatwave for a while she was all alone... when up walked a tall stranger he shadowed her move to move in perfect unison a supernatural groove he took her by the hand and the room began to spin he said, "i'm earth... earth brown you know the shape i'm in i'm leavin' tonight for alaska and i want you to come in the spring and be a goddess in the planet wars tryin' to save the livin' things" "i'm ready to go right now," sun green told earth brown "let's go back to my place, pick up my cat and leave this town behind" hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too next day sun green got busted for pot and it made the headline news but then the charges all got dropped and the story got confused she'd still like to meet julia butterfly and see what remedy brings and be a goddess in the planet wars tryin' to save the livin' things but that might not be easy livin' on the run mother earth has many enemies there's much work to be done "hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too hey mr. clean, you're dirty now too" "be the rain" by neil young save the planet for another day "attention shoppers, buy with a conscience and save" save the planet for another day "save alaska! let the caribou stay" don't care what the governments say "they're all bought and paid for anyway" save the planet for another day "hey big oil, what do you say?" we were runnin' through the night never knowin' if we would see the light paranoid schizophrenic visions livin' in fear of the wrong decisions we got to wake up we got to keep goin' if they follow us there's no way of knowin' we got a job to do we got to save mother earth be the ocean when it meets the sky "you can make a difference, if you really try" be the magic in the northern lights "six days....six nights" be the river as it rolls along "it has three eyed fish and it's smellin' strong" be the rain you remember fallin' "be the rain, be the rain" yeah rain was fallin' and we're soakin' wet hail is beatin' down on our heads the wind is blowin' through our hair faces frozen in the frigid air 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" next mornin' sun was up at dawn she looked around and earth was gone dark visions he had last night he needed peace, he needed light he heard the rumble and he saw the big machines the green army rose it was a bad dream he had a job to do he had to save mother earth be the ocean when it meets the sky "greek freighters are dumping crap somewhere right now" be the magic in the northern lights "the ice is melting!" be the river as it rolls along "toxic waste dumpin' from corporate farms" be the rain you remember fallin' "be the rain, be the rain" save the planet for another day "be the rain, be the rain" be the river as it rolls along "be the rain, be the rain"