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The Great Suburban Showdown Lyrics
Flyin' east on a plane drinkin' all that free champagne
I guess I saw this comin' down the line
And I know it should be fun, but I think I should've packed my gun
Got that old suburban showdown in my mind
Sit around with the folks, tell the same old jokes,
Bored to death on Sunday afternoon
Mom and Dad, me and you and the outdoor barbecue
Think I'm gonna hide out in my room
I've been gone for a while, made some changes in my style
And they say you can't go home anymore
Well the streets all look the same, and I'll have to play the game
We'll all sit around in the kitchen chairs
With the TV on with the neighbors there
Out in the yard where my Daddy worked so hard
He never lets the crabgrass grow too high
Oh, the place hasn't changed
And that's why I'm gonna feel so strange
But I have to face the music bye and bye
I've been gone for a while, made some changes in my style
And they say you can't go home anymore
Well the streets all look the same,
And I'll have to play the game
We'll all sit around in the kitchen chairs
With the TV on with the neighbors there
We'll drive into town when this big bird touches down
I'm only comin' home to say goodbye
Then I'm gone with the wind and
I won't be seen again
Til that great suburban showdown in the sky
Til that great suburban showdown in the sky
I guess I saw this comin' down the line
And I know it should be fun, but I think I should've packed my gun
Got that old suburban showdown in my mind
Sit around with the folks, tell the same old jokes,
Bored to death on Sunday afternoon
Mom and Dad, me and you and the outdoor barbecue
Think I'm gonna hide out in my room
And they say you can't go home anymore
Well the streets all look the same, and I'll have to play the game
We'll all sit around in the kitchen chairs
With the TV on with the neighbors there
He never lets the crabgrass grow too high
Oh, the place hasn't changed
And that's why I'm gonna feel so strange
But I have to face the music bye and bye
And they say you can't go home anymore
Well the streets all look the same,
And I'll have to play the game
We'll all sit around in the kitchen chairs
With the TV on with the neighbors there
I'm only comin' home to say goodbye
Then I'm gone with the wind and
I won't be seen again
Til that great suburban showdown in the sky
Til that great suburban showdown in the sky
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Very underrated, badly forgotten tune, where young Bill's voice reigns supreme. Great Arrangements as well. I think many people dismiss Billy Joel for his great commercial success, and they won't let themselves come across musical jewels like this, but I hope that future generations will be ready to understand the great talent hidden in the least known works of this outstanding musician.
"Oh, the place hasn't changed And that's why I'm gonna feel so strange But I have to face the music bye and bye
I've been gone for a while, made some changes in my style And they say you can't go home anymore Well the streets all look the same, And I'll have to play the game"
That pretty much sums up the meaning of the song. He's gone west, presumably to Hollywood. He's changed drastically since he went out there, and now he's going home for the first time. He's changed, but home hasn't. His parents, his sibling, his neighbors, the town, it's all the same as it was when he left. But he's changed, and so he feels strange, out of place, trying to be who he was when he lived there, instead of who he's become. He knows he can't stay, for many reasons. He's just coming home, to say goodbye to it one last time.
This song reminds me of coming home from college - "Oh this place hasn't changed / And that's why I'm gonna feel so strange..." Everything's different, but it still feels like home.
This song is about coming home after being away for awhile, and realizing that you can't stay
I'm only comin' home to say goodbye Then I'm gone with the wind and I won't be seen again
I believe that he’s going home because he has to, a funeral...” I’m only coming home to say good bye. Deep down he loves the life he left behind but I think their is hesitation because he is not the same person and everyone else hasn’t changed.There May Be conflict because his family and friends don’t like who he’s become....”The great suburban show down in the sky” is referring to heaven