Memories Of Joyland

Cotton candy, shoestring licorice,
Ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs.
Whatever a kid wanted--
They could eat like hogs.

Rides for little kids,
An Old Western town--
Rides for older kids and adults,
And the calliope playing clown.

Cessna and Boeing had family days
When entrance to the park was free.
KFDI had listener appreciation days--
We went to all of these.

They had a big pool, later made
into bumper boats just as fun.
Riding through the Jungle House,
Screaming at the top of your lungs.

The train ride around the park--
The bumper cars and Paratrooper.
The Giant Sombrero and the Scrambler,
The Octopus made some kids pukers.

School fun nights, meet up with your friends--
The Tilt-A-Whirl, the Giant Slide,
So many things to do, the merry-go-round,
Picnic areas, the roller coaster you dared to ride.

The ferris wheel was up so high,
If you were stopped at the top--
You were sure you'd be there forever.
Kids would make the cars rock, and even if you asked wouldn't stop.

There were games in the arcade,
And one of those tiny photo booths--
We'd cram in there and get pictures
That made us look like goofs.

It's all only memories now--
There is nothing left.
Rides dismantled or need repair,
Some buildings burned by arsonists.

Someday another amusement park
May be built as a modern creation--
But it won't be like our Joyland,
That was for MY GENERATION.