Mad About the Way Things Are

from Sweet Thunder by Larry Long

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about

Mad About the Way Things Are
Words & Music by Larry Long

Larry Long – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Leo Kottke – 10-String Bottleneck Guitar
Billy Peterson – Acoustic Bass
Steve Faison – Congas

lyrics

Mad About The Way Things Are

When they first arrived, cute boys and girls.
Now they got pistols in their hands they love to twirl.
They were never asked to come into this world.
Mad about the way things are.

Momma’s she’s been drinking. Poppa’s not at home.
Only time they see ‘em, drunk or stoned.
Rich folks treat them like a dog without a bone.
Mad about the way things are.

Cockroaches on the ceiling. Cockroaches on the floor.
Cockroaches getting ready, nuclear war.
Momma she’s been screaming at a cockroach on the floor.
Mad about the way things are.

Never known the country. Never known the likes
of peace and quiet. Always in a fight.
Running from the man in the squad car at night.
Mad about the way things are.

Living in the projects. Graffiti on the wall.
Freedom of speech in the bathroom stall.
Screaming for help. No one hears them call.
Mad about the way things are.

Listen to the President. Listen to him talk.
Listen long enough. Go out on a walk.
Steal another car after midnight in the dark.
Mad about the way things are.

Busting out the windows up and down the block.
Got the neighborhood all tied up in locks.
Looking at the future. Future hocked.
Mad about the way things are.

Get a job at McDonalds. gGet a job at Burger King
Get a job pumping gas. Buy a wedding ring.
Watch your children go through the same thing.
Mad about the way things are.

Words & music by Larry Long
Copyright Larry Long 1987; renewed 2023| BMI

credits

from Sweet Thunder, released November 5, 2023
Sweet Thunder
Larry Long

Produced by Billy Peterson & Larry Long
Digitally recorded at Creation Audio
Recording Engineer: Chopper Black
Mixing Engineers: Chopper Black & Lynn F. Peterson
Musical Consultant: Rick McArthur
Front Cover Art: Traditional Cree Biting of Birch Innerbark by Angelique Merasty (Beaver Lake, Saskatchewan)
Front Cover Photo: Ron Miles

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about

Larry Long Minneapolis, Minnesota

Larry Long is a chip off the old block of American hardwoods, a spoken
word poet, a singer-songwriter, rouser, seeker, storyteller and
conservationist. Well traveled across the world, wherever he
goes, he celebrates people and places in song.

Larry Long is a recipient of the prestigious In The Spirit of Crazy Horse Award for his work in forgotten communities.

www.larrylong.org
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