Mes Aieux - Degenerations - English - David Mathewes

An English version of the classic Quebecois folk song "Degenerations".

Your great grandfather's dad Was the one who cleared the land
Then Your grandfather's dad Was the one who plowed the land
And then your own granddad took the field and made it thrive
And your father sold it all for a steady nine-to-five

As for you, young man, feeling lost and all alone
In your one-bedroom loft winter chills you to the bone
But you dream at night with a shovel in your hand
in the open fields of your little piece of land

Your great grandmother's mom She had fourteen kids to raise
Your grandmother's mom nearly followed in her ways
Then your grandmother had three and decided to prevent
And your mother had just one and she was an accident

As for you, little girl, a different partner every night
And if anything goes wrong, you go to town and put it right
But in the silent morning you can almost hear the sound
Of a big kitchen table with your children gathered round

Your great grandfather's dad Was a depression-era man
And your grandfather's dad Counted pennies in the hand
And thank God, your granddad became a millionaire
And your dad's invested it since inheriting his share

As for you, young man, you owe your soul to uncle sam
You can't even get a loan, and nobody gives a damn
And so fight the temptation to commit armed robbery
you read books about how to embrace simplicity

Your great great grandmom and dad They knew how to party down
Then your great grandmom and dad went a-swinging through this town
And your grandmom and dad They sang rock and roll all night
Your mom and dad met at a disco and it was love at first sight

As for you, my friend, how do your evenings go?
Break away and escape from the television glow
Some things never change under any circumstance
Put your best clothes on cuz we're going out to dance!