Read, Paper, Read (Ode to the Newspaper
(To the tune of “Ride Captain Ride”)
[Verse 1]
Seventy brave little towns,
Sent the morning truth around—
Black ink ghosts on a cotton page,
Stories told from a bygone age.
Folded tight in the neighbor’s drive,
Wrapped in twine just to stay alive—
Coffee steam and a rustling sound,
The world turned with each paper round.
[Chorus]
Read, paper, read—on the wind and wheels,
Through the fog of doubt and spinning reels.
Read, paper, read—on the porch it lay,
Holding time in a dying way.
[Verse 2]
Column men with their ink-stained hands,
Broke the silence, defied demands.
Pressed the facts through a hungry press,
Truth was loud when the lies were less.
Obits wept and the headlines screamed,
Op-eds danced through the dreams we dreamed.
Funny page, Sunday spread delight,
Thick with hope on a Saturday night.
[Chorus]
Read, paper, read—give us score and sin,
Catch the crooks and absolve our kin.
Read, paper, read—hold the flame so low,
But don’t let it go… don’t let it go.
[Bridge]
Now the screens are cold and fast,
Clickbait futures, forget the past.
But somewhere in a musty bin,
That front page still has ink-stained skin.
[Verse 3]
Extra, extra—we fade away,
No more hawkers at break of day.
But somewhere deep in a thinking soul,
A paperboy still rides his roll…
[Final Chorus]
Read, paper, read—let the pages turn,
Let the old machines crack and burn.
Read, paper, read—from the dust and lead,
Keep the stories read…
Even when we’re dead.