Tom T. Hall - America The Ugly

Показать описание

"If we get heads and hearts together we won't have to hear them say
America the ugly today." - Tom T. Hall (complete lyrics below)

Vocals: Tom T. Hall
Words & Music: Tom T. Hall
Original Album: I Witness Life (Mercury Records - 1969)

Lyrics:

There was a man who came to see the USA from a foreign land
To photograph the progress of dear old Uncle Sam
He got off the boat in New York, went down to the Bowery
I know what the man went to photograph and to see

There were hopeless, hungry, living dead
Winos who'd sell their souls for a bottle of a cheapest red
That's the picture that he wanted
And that's what he got they say, America the ugly today

He went to the Appalachians and he saw what we all have seen
Where people live on bread and soup, fat back and pinto beans
He saw the hungry children and he photographed the ragged clothes
I guess we're gonna try to tell him that it ain't so

There were good men standin' around with nothing to do
Pregnant young women who didn't even have a pair of shoes
The man got his pictures and what are we going to say,
America the ugly today

Then he went to the medicare centers and he saw the old people there
It seems that the young generation just didn't want them in their hair
He saw the poor man workin' it out while the mighty rich lives high
And my friend that brings a gleam to the enemy's eyes

There were some folks had plenty and some had none at all
The enemy knows when a heart gets hard, the country is bound to fall
If we get heads and hearts together we won't have to hear them say
America the ugly today, America the ugly today

Рекомендации по теме

Комментарии

TOO REAL!! AS PATRIOTIC as I AM, I CAN handle this piece of truth!

johnlewandowski

R.I.P. Tom T. Hall (May 25, 1936 - August 20, 2021). I've liked the songs of Tom T. for many, many, many years. I first heard of him by way of his television commercials that used to air in my area in the early/mid 1980s for Tyson Chicken. I have several Tom T. Hall CDs and digital albums in my collection. The first song of his that I heard was "I Love". It was on a various artists compilation vinyl album on K-Tel Records that my grandparent's owned. A local Classic Country radio station in my area often plays Tom T.'s single releases as well as album tracks...it's where I first heard the song "Trip to Hyden" as well as other album songs: "Ballad of Bill Crump", "Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On", "Rolling Mills of Middletown", "Country Cabin-Itus", "Don't Forget the Coffee, Billy Joe", and the equally marvelous "Tulsa Telephone Book".

ACcountryFan

This song gets more and more relevant everyday.

James-gpuf

I AM one of the biggest Tom T Hall fans there is. I know all His songs forward and back. He is a muscial song writing hero to me. But now as I look back, I feel like those 5 week old kittens....Once your eyes open you see.., I truely love Tom T Hall and all of his songs. I Love You "T"...can't imagine life without ye

lowellmorse

We need to listen to this song again today.

SaturdaySportsman

I know my old friend Noah Kudlu would have loved this song. RIP. I wish I could have showed it to him so he could proceed to play it all day.

loxleymoon

I challenge any big country artist of today to do a cover of this song live.

MrRazorblade

In the '70's, we'd be partying & I'd pull out a Tom T. album. All my hippy friends thought he was a folk singer, playing protest and Americans songs. They were thankful I wasn't gonna force them to that country music stuff I liked. 😁

elainegoodwin

Tom was kinda my uncle. Lived with my Dad's family in Olive Hill Kentucky. Wish I could meet him. My dad thought the world of him. Even played for some of his records so I understand.

bonnieauvenshine

Excellent. Can't believe I never heard this before.

deacon

i enjoy Tom T Hall so much. Though when i listen to him, i always cry because it makes me think of my father. Brutal, but thank you to my Dad, we listened together. I miss him

kaabe

I grew up listening to Tom T Hall. I was raised in a cow-town in flyover country and my parents were country fans. The stuff we had on 8-track was the stuff he's widely known for, the funny and touching songs about small town life. Now that he's gone, in a fit of nostalgia I've gone back to his works and was surprised to this another side that I never knew before. This really wouldn't have been out of the wheelhouse of Woody Guthrie or Bob Dylan. Songs like Clayton Delaney also have that tinge of world weary sadness that I was too young to understand back in the 70s. RIP, Mr. Hall. You will be missed but your music will surely live on.

robbabcock_

Thank you for this post. I had never heard this before. I admired Tom T. Hall but didn't have a chance to listen to everything he wrote.
This song touched my heart. Let's MAGA!

Dana-bphk

I truly miss Tom T Hall. He was such a good singer and writer.
This is a song of perspective. It's all a matter of how you see the world. It can be both.

patriciajrs