Rose-Colored Rearview

There was a time
We all watched the same screen
Springsteen was mainstream
Everybody had a hungry heart
There was a time
We weren’t rich but you could make a living
A forty-hour week and a two-day weekend
Could get you pretty far

Was there a time
Or was it only in my mind
When everything seemed simpler
And we all sat down for dinner every night
Or am I only looking through
This rose-colored rearview

There was a time
This town felt like family
I could ride my bike down any street
And somebody always knew my name
There was a time
Before the mill pulled out and the pills moved in
When we didn’t need no medicine
Just to take away the pain

Was there a time
Or was it only in my mind
When everything seemed simpler
And we all sat down for dinner every night
Or am I only looking through
This rose-colored rearview

There was a time
We all pledged allegiance
And we thought we knew what we meant
When we stood and faced the flag
Are we blind
Lost in some nostalgic haze
Only white men miss the good ole’ days
That ain’t coming back

Was there a time
Or was it only in our minds
When everything seemed simpler
And we all sat down for dinner
And we all watched the same screen
But we didn’t see the same thing
Maybe all that’s in the mirror
Was never close as it appeared
Like the way the truth can seem so black and white
After all our looking through
This rose-colored rearview