From the recording Living in the Past Lane
Growing Pains is about returning to La Crosse, Wisconsin in the mid 80's and saddened by all the change that had taken place after attending college there in the 70's. Also tied in road trip experiences in the 70's where we saw strip mining, smoke stacks, polluted lakes and dirty rivers.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Echoes of the memories
Rising from the streets
Visions of the past now they linger beneath my feet
Driving through a changed town for years you called it home
The hourglass has run its course now the river runs all alone
[Chorus]
It's almost like a ghost town
So little seems the same
They plowed down some streets and homes to widen the highway
There's a place we called downtown
Whose beauty was washed away
by a sea of tall buildings
old cornerstones got in the way
[Bridge]
So I close my eyes, and I wander
And drift through growing pains
All in the name of progress
All in the name of change
Oh, they clear the land for timber
And strip the land for coal
Pollute our lakes and rivers
And fill the sky with smoke
So I close my eyes, and I wander
And drift through growing pains
All in the name of progress
I wonder will it ever change
[Verse 2]
It doesn't seem that long ago when we were living there
One by one we moved on
Bought a ticket on a one-way fare
Now the years would pass since we'd be back
Confused by all the change
Memories that we once had now faded into gray
[Chorus]
Tomorrow brings a new day
So much like a dream
You live it for a moment then watch it slip away
So I stand inside my emptiness
And watch the setting sun
Wishing I could fly away 'cause there's no place left to run
[Bridge]
So I close my eyes, and I wander
And drift through growing pains
All in the name of progress
All in the name of change
Oh they clear the land for timber
And strip the land for coal
Pollute our lakes and rivers
And fill the sky with smoke
Oh I close my eyes, and I wander
And drift through growing pains
All in the name of progress
I wonder will it ever change?