03/25/2023
Gunnison Hometown
Friday nights cruising Tomichi
ain’t what it used to be
Burgers at the Burger Baron
bonfire at the k**b
Springfest kegger in Lions Park
shot jackrabbits after dark
Fireworks in the Bowl
donation only got us the show
No Pacman lake or Micky D’s
but A&W and Tin Pot Annies
Circle K Space Invaders
Pizza Hut basement arcade
No Walmart or Taco Bell
but Western Auto and Ivan the barber
I have Rambled Inn and
Staggered out
Had my Last Chance and
Bellied up to the Trough
Mickey’s Big mouth and little Kings
Coors & Bud all 3.2 of course
Sat in the barbers chair
While Fast Eddie cut my hair
Rode in a pickup 80 miles per hour
Down a washboard road
Slid sideways through the goalposts
In a 69 mustang fastback
Ice fished at Iola or Stevens Creek
Hiked to the Pinnacles and fished there too
Hunted sheds and arrowheads
In sagebrush flats
Firewood and Brookies
Every weekend of the short summer
Walked to work at 25 below
40 below wasn’t a surprise
The weather used to keep out the riff raff
But global warming put and end to that
The Cattleman Inn cinnamon rolls
Steaks in the basement
City Market hidden in the middle of town
Mad rush to Richardson Hall for lunch
Meat at home was mule deer and elk
Fish, rabbits, doves and sage grouse
A cow tag was a big thing
Shoot one too far back and you are packing it out
Hartman’s rocks when it was for shooting and
dirt Bikes before they had mountain bikes
Scrooge and Marley on South Main
Don’s Sporting Goods on North Main
Elmer’s Sporting Goods across the street
and the Monkey Wards before it burned down
Who could forget Johnson’s Restaurant?
Even ate there once, had ham steak with green beans
Blackstock and Lake when they were schools
Ruland Warriors instead of a grass field
Cross country skiing across Wilson’s field
right through where McDonalds is now
Chorus:
My hometown ain’t what it used to be
Outsiders have screwed it up royally
They run away from their problems and
Dump them all right here
Trying to make it like the home they left
They killed what we had
The peaceful valley is gone
And the left coast is here
Why did we let them have their way
How can we get back to yesterday
The Gunnison of my youth
Is no more.
