The "Story Songs" album on CD in a one-time limited run. Get yours now before they're gone. Every CD purchase will include a digital download of the "Story Songs" album PLUS a digital copy of the "Havertown" video!
Includes unlimited streaming of Story Songs
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
“This song is a rose-colored walking tour of my hometown, circa 1963 and forward. It is my nostalgic gift to the residents, past & present, of Havertown, Pennsylvania 19083. Thank you for preserving your history as best you can. I truly respect that. Every name and place in the song is or was real. My life there was far from idyllic, but I feel we tend to forgive much when reminiscing about our youth. We like to make it better in memory than in reality, but that's ok. I suppose that in adulthood, we find ways to create our own safe places.”
lyrics
Our house was number 4, west end of Strathmore,
by the corner of Darby Road
Two stone pillars stood their guard, I could see them from my yard
They're still on duty to this day
and the old library lady knew my name, in Havertown
Max Factor's pharmacy, the hobby shop and the bakery
The Brookline Theater's matinees
Martel's grocery store, none of them are there no more
I guess there came a time to close 'em down
But you can feel their ghosts all around, walkin' in Havertown
The history remains, like stained glass window panes
Even though the years keep rollin' on
The Firehouse and Irish bar, on Brookline Boulevard
Any other town would have torn 'em down, but not Havertown
Sister Marie Germaine made me walk home in the rain
from Annunciation School.
And the Mother Superior cried on the day John Kennedy died
as we prayed for hours in the vestibule
That's the day I learned that nuns were human too.
In the public schools, my friends were Jews, Irish and Italians too
and far too few were brown
But those years became like jail, I could not wait to bail,
to find my feet, and get 'em on the ground
I remember takin' one last look around, on a late bus out of Havertown
Petrella's record store, Terry's Deli right next door
All those crazy kids now grown and gone
The Red Arrow trolley trains, no trace of them remains
and any time these folks get pushed around
They stand again, instead of stayin' down, that's Havertown
This town's a lot like me, straddling the centuries.
Mostly then, and partly now
My old house still stands, and I'd sure like to shake the hand
of whoever owns it now
And I would thank them for opening up their door
to the boy I left behind
Life was simpler then, and yes, I remember when
an evening paper only cost a dime
But I guess there ain't no goin' back in time
So maybe someday if I'm heaven bound
it might look a lot like Havertown
Our house was number 4, the west end of Strathmore
by the corner of Darby Road
credits
from Story Songs,
released December 10, 2021
Bill Sammon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitars, Bass
J. Scott Gaeta: Drums, Piano, Mandolin, Accordion, Acoustic Guitar Solo, Harmony Vocal
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