Twenty Years

I asked the man who drove the bus
To let me off at Maple Avenue
He looked at me through puzzled eyes
And said, "You don't live around here, do you?"

I said, "No but I don't come from quite as far back
In the steeps as it appears"
He said, "Yeah but we ain't had a Maple Avenue
Around here for twenty years"

I got off the bus and asked a man
To show me how to get to Sam's cafe
He stared at me real funny, said
"They tore it down when Big Sam passed away"

I said, "Well, I've been away a while
I guess perhaps my memory's not too clear"
He shook his head and said, "It's sad
But Sam's been gone for almost twenty years"

My old hometown sure has changed in twenty years
I guess there's no point asking if Betty, Carol, Jackson
Still lives anywhere close to here
This is where I always thought we'd build our dream house
But that dream disappeared
And that's the biggest reason I've only come back once in twenty years

I remember it just like yesterday
The Friday night we held our senior prom
I'd walked outside to get some air
And found her there in Billy Taylor's arms

The kids all laughed at me and said
They known about it since our junior year
I got so mad and hurt so bad
I hit the road and stayed for twenty years

It still hurts today the same way it's hurt for twenty years
All the heartaches linger and they still point their finger at me
And all my painful souvenirs, I thought maybe I'd matured a bit
But I guess I'm still wet behind the years

I think I'll head home down the road
Maybe try again in twenty years
Yeah, I guess I'll head home down the road
You can look for me again in twenty years