Why is Billy Joel so bitter?

[Scriptor Ignotus]

Allentown

Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke
And chromium steel
And we're waiting here in Allentown

But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be getting up today

And it's getting very hard to stay
And we're living here in Allentown

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5490535

[K Gardner]

1. He's elitist and out of touch with the common people.

[Symarip]

2. He hates our freedom

And wants to take away our guns.

[npincus]

3. we've got to fight Billy Joel there, before he fights us here

[cyberpj]

7. Did you create that bumper sticker yourself?

I'd love to make one for my car -

[npincus]

14. no, a kind Duer did it for me!

props to DUer Catherina! :)

[cyberpj]

24. Ok. I spent some time and made my own...

[bluethruandthru]

25. I want that!!

I want that on my car!

[cyberpj]

26. That's why I made it - printing one out right now -

but I don't know the first thing about how to send you the file.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. Bring all your Billy Joel records to a big bonfire in downtown Johnstown!

Burn baby, burn!

[AllentownJake]

We hate that song out here

It's about Bethlehem the city next to us!

DAMN YOU BILLY JOEL. DAMN YOU TO HELL

[vi5]

5. Every first week of school

..at my alma matter (Muhlenberg) some joker freshman always thought he was hysterical playing that song at top volume repeated. There was one every year the 4 years I went in the 80's and I would imagine that's one of those annoying traditions that still maintains to this day.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

6. I almost went to Lehigh

until I realized the entire campus is uphill.

[cyberpj]

8. I can understand your feelings - but "...living here in Bethlehem" would have been weird.

ps - Being from Delaware, and having a father-in-law who worked in the Steel industry, we'd have been singing "...living here in Marcus Hook".

xox

[Exilednight]

21. When I lived there I kept hearing about Bethlehem, so one day my job.......

(I use to work for Aldi Foods) sent out to cover the the Bethlehem store, I worked in the Allentown and Easton stores normally, for the manager when she was sick. I surprised at how small the town was. Cute little mainstreet area, but not much beyond that.

[ericgtr]

4. Wonderful song by one of the greatest song writers ever

K&R just for sparking the song in my head

I agree with the message too.

:kick:

[chill_wind]

9. Gotta kick. n/t

[nichomachus]

10. Dual post -- sorry

[nichomachus]

11. You could ask the same about Michael Moore

He made the same points as Barack Obama -- and more -- and won an Oscar for it.

[DevonRex]

13. He's looking down on the people. Shame on BJ. Oops, did I say

BJ? Perhaps I should have used his name rather than his initials. :)

[Kurovski]

15. Too many Lattes.

[PBS Poll-435]

28. ...

And scones.

[Cameron27]

16. No mention of clinging to guns

and religion though, Billy Joel's smarter than that.

[4_Legs_Good]

17. There's a place in the world for the Bitter Young Man.

It's getting very hard to stay indeed.

David

[Texas Hill Country]

18. ITS NOT THE BITTER COMMENT THAT IS A PROBLEM

IT WAS HIS GENERALIZATIONS THAT MIDDLE AMERICAN PEOPLE IRRATIONALLY CLING TO GOD AND GUNS AND ARE RACIST XENOPHOBES!!!!!

[Scriptor Ignotus]

19. funny how almost every Democrat I've ever met

has made a comment along the lines of:

"why do those red staters always vote against their own self-interest".

funny, how suddenly this is a big deal. he didn't phrase it well, but the sentiment still rings true. and hillary knows it.

[DarienComp]

20. What, you weren't convinced by the five exclamation marks?

[Scriptor Ignotus]

22. he had me at ALL CAPS - nt

[Texas Hill Country]

23. they may vote against their economic self-interest, but they are voting for their core values.

[PBS Poll-435]

27. Because Christie Brinkley is STILL Leaving Prank Answering Machine Messages?

:shrug: