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"MEMORIES OF DAYS PAST"

OFTEN WE TAKE A JOURNEY,
WITHOUT WHEELS OF ANY KIND,
BACK TO THE ERA OF OUR YOUTH,
AND A SLOWER MORE GENTLE TIME.

WE COULD LEAVE OUR DOORS UNLOCKED,
AND THE KEYS LEFT IN THE CAR,
ALARMS WERE MADE FOR A BUSINESS,
AND ONLY JAILS HAD SECURITY BARS.

GRADE SCHOOL WAS FULL OF GAMES,
LIKE MARBLES AND KICK THE CAN,
RED ROVER LET JOHNNY COME OVER,
AND HALLOWEEN AS SUPERMAN.

EACH MORNING WE SAID THE LORD'S PRAYER,
AND STOOD TALL AND PLEDGED THE FLAG,
THE TEACHER'D SAY LETS GET STARTED NOW,
SHE'D CLEAN THE BLACKBOARD WITH A WET RAG.

IT FELT GOOD TO TREAT OTHERS,
THE WAY YOU WANTED THEM TO TREAT YOU,
WE KNEW GENE AUTRY AND ROY ROGERS,
WOULD CATCH ALL THE BAD GUYS TOO.

WHEN A NEW BUILDING WAS GOING UP,
THERE'D BE MASONS WITH WHITE APRONS ON,
WE'D STAND AND WATCH IN AMAZEMENT,
AS THEY CAREFULLY SET A CORNERSTONE.

MONKEY WARDS AND J.C. PENNYS,
AND THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT STORE,
WOOLWORTH, THE FIVE AND DIME,
WHO COULD ASK FOR MORE.

ROLLER SKATES FIT OUR SHOES,
AND WE TIGHTENED THEM WITH A KEY,
WE NAILED BROKEN SKATES TO A BOARD,
AND RODE THEM LIKE A WATER SKI.

WE PLAYED ALL KINDS OF GAMES,
USUALLY WITH LITTLE OR NO TOYS,
IT'S FUNNY AS WE LOOK BACK NOW,
HOW INVENTIVE WE WERE AS BOYS.

THE SHRINE CIRCUS CAME EACH YEAR,
AND WE ALL GOT TICKETS TO GO,
DIAMONDS SPARKLED ON THE SHRINERS HATS,
AND THEY PUT ON A COLORFUL SHOW.

WE MOVED ON UP TO JUNIOR HIGH,
AND LEFT THE KID GAMES BEHIND,
GIRLS ALL WORE PRETTY CLOTHES,
AND THEIR PONYTAILS LOOKED FINE.

VESPA, SIMPLEX AND WIZZARD,
ABOUT ALL WE COULD RIDE LEGAL,
MOST OF US STILL HAD A BIKE,
THE CADILLAC, WAS A CUSHMAN EAGLE.

SOME OF US DELIVERED NEWS-PAPERS,
OR DID ODD JOBS FOR A LITTLE CHANGE,
A POP BOTTLE WAS WORTH TWO CENTS,
OR MAMA WANTED FURNITURE REARRANGED.

THE MALT SHOP BECAME THE HANGOUT,
WE WERE GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS,
I KISSED THAT PRETTY BLUE EYED GIRL,
AND BOY THE FEELINGS I FOUND.

JUNIOR PROM WAS A BIG DEAL,
MY FIRST TIME TO WEAR A TUX,
I WASN'T OLD ENOUGH TO GET A LICENSE,
WE PICKED UP MY DATE IN DAD'S TRUCK.

HIGH SCHOOL WAS THE FOLLOWING YEAR,
WE HAD TO MAKE THE SUMMER LAST.
A PART OF US WANTED TO BE A KID,
AND STAY A LITTLE WHILE IN THE PAST.

WORKING HARD AFTER SCHOOL,
AND WEEKENDS AT A STORE ON MAIN,
I HAD FOUND THE COOLEST CAR,
BLACK WITH ORANGE AND RED FLAMES.

TWIN SMITTYS AND CHROME EXTENSIONS,
MAN WHAT BEAUTIFUL SOUND,
ON A STILL NIGHT I'D RACK THOSE PIPES,
AND WAKE THE DEAD IN THIS TOWN.

IN HIGH SCHOOL WE WERE ALL COOL,
THE CARS, CLOTHES AND THE GIRLS,
ONLY THINGS THAT MATTERED TO US,
WAS IN OUR OWN LITTLE WORLD.

FOOTBALL GAMES WERE SERIOUS,
WITH CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE LINE,
ALL IN ALL WE WON OUR SHARE,
BUT LOST ONE FROM TIME TO TIME.

CLICKETY-CLACK OF HORSESHOE TAPS,
WITH CONTINENTALS FRONT AND SIDES,
LEATHER JACKETS WITH ZIP-UP POCKET,
AND HAIR AS GREASY AS FRENCH FRIES.

CULTURES DIFFERED, BACK THEN TOO,
BUT WE ALL TRIED TO GET ALONG,
ONCE IN A WHILE THERE'D BE A FIGHT,
BUT IT SEEMED TO MAKE US STRONG.

THE DRIVE-IN WITH THE AWNINGS,
AND THE SQUEAKY ORDERING BOX,
A BASKET OF FRIES AND A CHERRY COKE,
WE WOULD CRUSE THE PARKING LOT.

WE'D GO TO THE DRIVE-IN MOVIES,
HANG THE SPEAKER INSIDE THE CAR,
SHE HAD A DECENT REPUTATION,
BUT I HOPED SHE'D GO THAT FAR.

IN THE BACK SEAT, ON THE BACK ROW,
SHE HAD A CARE-FREE LOVE ME SMILE,
TWO TEENAGE KIDS ALONE IN A CAR,
AND THEIR HORMONES RUNNING WILD.

THERE WAS THE DAIRY QUEEN,
DAIRY CURL OR THE TASTY FREEZE,
FOR A DOLLAR ME AND MY DATE,
COULD GET A COKE & BURGER W/CHEESE.

WE SHOT EIGHT-BALL AND SNOOKER,
AT THE LOCAL DOMINO HALL,
THERE WERE NO ELECTRIC GAME,
OR SPREAD-OUT SHOPPING MALLS.

WE'D DRAG MAIN ON SATURDAY NIGHT,
AND SEE ALL OUR FRIENDS THERE,
ELVIS WAS ON THE MOVIE MARQUEE,
WE COMBED THE D. A. IN OUR HAIR.

RADIO PLAYED OUR FAVORITE TUNES,
THE SOCK-HOP WAS THE PLACE TO GO,
SOMETIMES THEY PLAYED A MELLOW SONG,
WE COULD DANCE WITH A DATE REAL SLOW.

ROLLED-UP JEANS AND PENNY LOAFERS
BOBBY SOCKS AND POODLE SKIRTS,
A CIGARETTE PACK IN A T-SHIRT SLEEVE,
AND THOSE FRIENDLY GIRLS LIKED TO FLIRT.

ANY LAKE OR BODY OF WATER,
WAS CONSIDERED A SPECIAL PLACE,
CARS WERE PARKED HERE AND THERE,
TO WATCH THE SUBMARINES RACE.

ITCH & SCRATCH AND SCRATCH & ITCH,
THOSE BUGS WOULD DRIVE YOU INSANE,
BEFORE YOU EVER GOT RID OF THEM,
YOU'D TRIED ABOUT EVERYTHING.

MAKING OUT WITH A PRETTY GIRL,
AND SOWING WILD OATS BACK THEN,
IT WAS ALL PART OF GROWING UP,
AND TRYING OUR BEST TO FIT IN.

OUR SENIOR YEAR WAS MIXED EMOTIONS,
GOING TO COLLEGE OR TRADE SCHOOL,
SOME WANTED TO WORK WITH THEIR MINDS,
OTHERS WANTED TO WORK WITH HAND TOOLS.

THE SENIOR PROM WAS FULL OF GLITTER,
WITH TUXEDOS AND FLOWING GOWNS,
THEN THEY ANNOUNCED THE FINAL TALLY,
WHO WOULD WEAR THE KING & QUEEN CROWN.

THE LAST SONG WAS LONG AND SLOW ,
THEY RELEASED THE BALLOONS AND STREAMERS,
TOMORROW I'D JOIN THE WORLD AS A MAN,
BUT THAT TONIGHT I WAS STILL A TEENAGER.

AMERICA WAS SENDING ADVISORS,
TO A PLACE CALLED VIETNAM,

"MEMORIES OF DAYS PAST", 361/2 verses was Copyrighted August 10, 2003 by the writer Ben Steen.  By aide and assistance of the 810 Members of the Shrine2000 Group Without which this would not have been possible.

Thanks Nobles!

A special thank you, to all the ladies!

Without your strength and support, 
The Shrine would not be what it is today!

Today, August 10th, is mine and Linda's 12th wedding anniversary.

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