HAPPY DAYS ARE GONE WITH THE WIND

Lyrics by Stan C. Countz

V1
Whatever happened to Captain Kangeroo?
Beehive hairdos and Dippety Doo
Howdy Doody, Boo Boo and Yogi Bear
Granny Clampett rockin’ in a rockin’ chair
Batman and Robin; hob nobbin’ at the county fair
I wanna take you back, I wanna take you there
Back when Wolfman Jack was on the air
We got no flack for sayin’ a prayer
Terrorists attacks were very rare
The war in Iraq hadn't been declared
and Sonny was still singin’ with Cher

Those were truly amazing days
or were they only a passing faze? Or a momentary craze?
My memory’s a haze or were they really Amazing Days?
Our kids would be amazed that’s for sure
My memory’s a blur but it seems to me they were
Amazing Days

So take a ride in my time machine
Take a spin, it’s been a changing scene
How long’s it been since you were sweet sixteen
and you knew everything?
We’re hawkin’ Oleo and Ovaltine
Got a brand new polio vaccine
You shoulda seen what we paid
For gasoline; it woulda made you scream
Ducktales and Brylcream; a little dab'l do ya
What's been happenin' to you; glory hallelujuh
It’s not what it seems: it’s my amazing dream

Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd
Abba Zabba, Chick-o-Sticks and Milk Duds
Beatles and crickets weren’t just bugs
We hadn’t fired the first shot in the war on drugs
We didn’t idolize thugs, Crypts or Bloods
and Fred and Barney were bowlin’ buds

Those were the days when the big debate
was what to wear for that big date
Days of sock hops and blind dates
Car hops on roller skates,
Before Vietnam and Watergate
Charlie Manson and Sharon Tate
Before you had to ask your date
If they were gay, straight or bi
Can you still remember the day
Ol' Yeller died? Couldn’t wait to drive
our Fords and Chevys; lookin’ forward
to “goin’ steady”; The Beav, Wally and Eddy
Jeanette kissin' Nelson Eddy; gettin’ ready
to take on the world one day at a time
We didn’t have a dime and, let me put you wise,
Earrings were for girls, not guys

Tatoos were taboo; only cowboys cried “yahoo”
and we left our keys in the ignition
Got “hardware” at the hardware store
and “pot” was somethin’ we bought to cook in
“Software” was what the ladies wore
A “chip” was a little piece of wood
“White hats” were what the good guys wore
and cowboys were always good
They wore white hats and red bandanas
We watched Parent Trap and Pollyanna
We all liked Ike and Dick Van Dyke
And we wanted more Mary Tyler Moore
and rode our Schwinn bike to the corner store
with butterfly handlebars and a banana seat
The only gang in town was Spankys
and who didn't like Alfalfa and Buckwheat?
We had whitewall tires and a "rumble seat"
Said word like "boss" and "neat"
The Beatles never missed a beat
Couldn't stop groovin' and movin' our feet

Every night they tucked us into bed
while we were watchin’ Mr. Ed
Taught us to do what the Bible said
or took us behind the wood shed
Whenever we were able
We prayed together at the kitchen table
and thanked the Lord for our daily bread
We wore PF Flyers and Keds
and didn't take so many meds

Katie Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
got more press than Scott and Lacy
Beatle Bailey and Dick Tracy
and, of course, George and Gracie
Micky and Minnie, Donald and Daisy
Patsy Cline was goin’ “Crazy”
Garfield the cat was fat and lazy
My memory's a wee bit hazy
But they really were
Amazing Days

Babe Ruth and Willy Mays
Nancy Drew and Gabby Hayes
They made us laugh and smile
at least for a little while
and who could forget Carol Burnett
and Gomer Pyle? Cary Grant and Doris Day
They had their own grace and style
but when The King would sing everyone would smile
to see a wild toehead child dancin’ in the aisles

That little kid was me way back in Sixty Three
I was only eight, but even I could see
Those days were great and there will never be
Anything quite like those Amazing Days...

Those were truly amazing days or were they
only a passing faze? Or a momentary craze?
My memory’s a haze or were they really Amazing Days?
Our kids would be amazed that’s for sure
My memory’s a blur but it seems to me they were
Amazing Days; Amazing Days; Amazing Days

A time when one thin dime could buy a good time
and the men were “under orders”
When the right thing to do was to marry the girl
or at least try to court her
When the lines were more clearly defined
and they all seemed to be much shorter
Before Barnes and Noble and Borders
When Big Macs were just a quarter
Before Starbucks were on every corner

We’ve gone from Mr. Magoo and Mary Poppins
to Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robbins
From Dustin Hoffman and Mrs. Robinson
From Peyton Place to Will and Grace
to where today it’s in your face
Like Will Robinson: we’re Lost in Space
We can’t even say grace or use the Lord’s name except in vain
Orson Wells was Citizen Kane, Gene Kelly singin’ in the Rain
Superman and Lois Lane; Gary Cooper and John Wayne
It’s a shame they’re all long gone; I think we’ve gone insane
Like dusty rose petals without any rain
When the dust finally settles, what will still remain?

Before TIVO, satellite and cable
Our heroes were Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Betty Grabel
and Anne of Green Gables; they were more than just fables
It’s time we turn the tables and cheered each other on to win
Those Happy Days are Gone with the Wind
Along with Rin Tin Tin and Ho Chi Min
Jimmy Durante and Errol Flynn, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Those Happy Days, my friend, are Gone with the Wind
Those Happy Days are Gone with the Wind