Back In My Day

[Bob Pacey]

Still playing around with this couple of bits I do not like but hey I've gotta go fishing sometime.


Back in My Day

When I was young my Mum and Dad would bore me near to tears
how they had it tough as kids and got the strap
That’s when I made myself a promise that there was no way in hell
that I’d subject my own kids to all that crap.

There was no way I would nag them about my childhood days
and all the things I had to do without.
But now I’m in my sixties I can’t help but rant and rave
cause they’ve bloody got it easy there’s no doubt.

Now I’m not a grumpy bastard but it fair gets up my wick
when I hear the young kids start to have a whinge.
Their phones run out of credit or their facebook will not work
fair dinkum mate it causes me to cringe.

They think they’ve got it tough cause they can’t download a tune
to listen too with plugs stuck in their ear.
Or they had to catch the bus because no one could drop them off
and they’re expecting me to shed a bloody tear.

I’ll tell ya mate that’s nothing and before you roll your eyes
I reckon you’re as spoilt as you could be.
I used to ride my bike to school 10 miles either way
then did my chores when I got back home for ------ free..

The Internet was science fiction and we could only dream
that it might be invented in our life.
If we wanted to find info for a project for our school
We‘d look it up at the library or get in strife..

We had pen friends that we wrote to from all around the world
and the letter took forever to arrive.
No e mail that traverses every where in space and time
Just to show the world that you are still alive.

There as no such thing as “time out” when we played up in our teens
We always knew the punishment in store.
The belt hung in the kitchen or the spoon was on the bench
And mum and dads rules really were the law.

No swearing was aloud and if we dared to break the rule
our mouths got washed with soap if we were rude.
No microwaves or blenders to prepare our food for tea
the stove was what we used to heat our food.
.
No mobile phones or I pads on which to sit all day
We played our games all outside in the sun.
And our music came on records that you only played at home
But only if you were the lucky one.

We did not have call waiting if you were talking on the phone
A busy signal then was all you got.
And we never knew just was calling we just had to take pot luck
there was none of this caller ID rot.

No mp3’s or I pods no music downloads off the net
an old fashioned radio was all the go.
If you wanted to record songs you would wait around all day
and hoped the DJ played it on his show.

The television in the lounge room was the only one we had
and our parents picked the channel all the while.
And when we had to change the channel, we had to get up off our bum
and walk across to the TV to turn the dial.

Saturday was our day cause that was when the cartoons showed
And we’d all gather round to watch the show.
No designated channel that would run both day and night
No children’s channel always on the go.

So I’ll tell ya stop ya whinging you spoilt little brats
You’ve got it easy that is all that I can say.
You just don’t know what tough is and I guess you never will
You would not last for five minutes in my day.

Bob Pacey ©

[Cropduster]

I hear ya, Bob

[r.magnay]

Yeah Bob, things have changed a bit, however, sounds like you got it pretty good to me, no hour on an old school bus each way on dirt roads, feed the chooks, chop the wood before tea and homework. Weekends were milk the cows, then go out in the paddock in the busy times, we did get the arvo off to play footy though. We didn't have TV for years but when we did get it the reception was pretty bad, we had no power so you had to go over to the shed and start the genny and then go and shut it off afterwards.....oh and the phone was a party line!....