My Pagoda

As a child I used to ask my father
'Bout the Pagoda atop Mount Penn
"What is it for, why did they bother
Why was it built and when"

"Son, my father said it fell on hard times
Like so much else in this once-booming town
Now it's just a novelty
That lights up when the sun goes down"

Days we used to cruise on Skyline
Up and down the mountain roads
Nights we used to lose the timeline
Up and down on life's long road

As a teen I never asked my father
What he thought about anything
I knew it all so why should I bother
Spend any time listening

"Son," my father said, "You'll fall on hard times
Like so much else in this once-booming town
You'll wake with dreams in the morning
Before you know it the sun's gone down"

Days we used to cruise on Skyline
Up and down the mountain roads
Nights we used to lose the timeline
Up and down on life's long road

They wanted a luxury resort that sat on a mountaintop
But now it's me selling pretzels in a kitschy gift shop

Now that I'm grown my son asks his father
'Bout the Pagoda atop Mount Penn
"What is it for, why did they bother
Why was it built and when"

"Son, my father said it fell on hard times
Like you and me in this godforesaken town
Now it's just a novelty
That lights up when the sun goes down"

Days we used to cruise on Skyline
Up and down the mountain roads
Nights we used to lose the timeline
Up and down on life's long road