Back 40 Back

"For sale by owner" sign On Highway 59 A signal of the times A turnin' of the page There used to be nothin' here Then nothin' disappeared The pond, the barn, the farm, the fields Have long since been replaced Asphalt parking where that ten-pew Pentecostal stood Fast food, four lanes and a subdivided neighborhood Walls of the world are closin' in The spreadin' city spreads us thin We can't seem to make our ends, meet the black Never would've thought it wouldn't last A way of life that time moved past What I wouldn't give to have the back 40 back Maybe I'm a sucker for Knowing who lives next door A view from my back porch A pinch of peace and quiet You can't get back the used-to-be So I hang on to the memories And I could still look up and see The stars, not streetlights shinin' The walls of the world are closin' in The spreadin' city spreads us thin We can't seem to make our ends, meet the black Never woulda thought it wouldn't last A way of life that time moved past What I wouldn't give to have the back 40 back Now I get that progress has its place No regard for what it takes Wish it would slow its pace and cut us all some slack 'Cause it's all changing way too fast A way of life that time moved past What I wouldn't give to have the back 40 back