Boy from Michigan

You know my mama sewed clothes for Bertha Runklewich That lady who I always thought was rich And I considered her with awe and wonder when she came around And then the summertime we went to Kathryn Park A place where you could have yourself a summer lark Swimming and spinning on the merry-go-round 'Til the sun went down And I was haunted by the stories about Connie's car And how she barely got out when it caught on fire And the trucker came along and he saved her life and she was alright Now it sits across the way from Hall's Apple Farm A place that I have carried with me for so long You can find it if you drive along Red Bud Trail Through the maple trees (In the autumn time) Beware when you go out there They'll eat you alive if you don't take care They have different rules they're using The American Dream can cause scarring and some nasty bruising Beware when you go out there They'll eat you alive if you don't take care They're using different rules The American Dream is not for weak soft-hearted fools And all the neighborhood boys They got them permanent waves And we walk through the cemetery looking at all the graves To Thompsons's Market for candy and pop We did it almost every day We used to look to see if we could find a patch of green As the winter came to a close And spring was blossoming The ground was coming alive and it smelled so clean Beware when you go out there They'll eat you alive if you don't take care They have different rules they're using The American Dream can cause scarring and some nasty bruising Beware when you go out there They'll eat you alive if you don't take care They're using different rules The American Dream is not for weak soft-hearted fools And Scotty said softly with some sadness in his voice "You're just a simple boy from Michigan And they'll be doing everything they can to win So please, please don't ever let your guard down And maybe someday we'll come back here again"