live your life your way
don't keep up with the Joneses
rich Smith's new next door
Automobiles these days are super expensive
And, I find car advertisements rather offensive,
Suggesting my old auto may soon be trash,
They are promising to buy it for loads of cash.
I’m not in a race to keep up with the Joneses
Considering what the interest rate on car loans is,
I’ll keep my jalopy as long as it gets me where,
If sometimes I’m returning on a wing and a prayer.
Written July 9, 2022
The Good Old Days
Take me back to the good old days
When we were grateful for what we had
Now people have much more than they need
And society has gone bad
Greed is the keyword and money their God
Everyone out for themselves
I remember a time when we thought we were rich
If we had food on our shelves
People have to keep up with the Joneses'
Bigger house, bigger car, better job
But trying to keep up with the Joneses’
Just makes people think they're a snob
They look down their nose at ones poorer than them
Think they're better than everyone else
Just because they've got private health care plans
And the poor have got National Health
I don't know what our ancestors would think
If they were alive today
They'd probably think we'd all be better off
Living life like the good old days
Why won't they stop and talk me
I used to be of their kind and style
Why won't they reach out and touch me
If only to share a smile.
I used to be in their circus
I cruised the morning madness each day
Trying desperately to keep up with the Joneses
Until the bank swept it all away .
Am I a different man inside now
That I'm no longer in their game
And those I thought my closest friends
They no longer treat me the same.
I've never begged for food before
It brings such a sense of shame
But now it's a matter of survival
Not how it affects my name.
I see myself now in the passers-by
I see how I used to be
Perhaps God lead me to this point
To find the real me.
For the Homeless
Thou shalt have no other gods
Atheists abandon God
Let there be no other idols
We worship at the altar of Mammon.
No taking the name of the Lord in vain
Christ,can you believe it?
Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day
What other time is there for shopping?
Honour thy father and mother.
What else are nursing homes for?
Thou shalt not kill.
Let us exclude abortion and euthanasia.
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Fornication now comes in many sophisticated forms.
Thou shalt not steal
Bankers' bonuses by another name
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Just don't get caught
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods
How else can we keep up with the Joneses?
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