Hometown Gunnison

Gunnison Hometown

Friday nights cruising Tomichi

ain’t what it used to be

Burgers at the Burger Baron

bonfire at the knob

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.