Five Songs Promoting Transit In America
I feel the heat from the Department of Transit wondering when my promotion of ‘Transit in America' would appear. If I ever expect to get my driver's license back I'm going to have to play the game and do a little shilling on behalf of our great government. So be patient with me and write a letter stating what a fine American I am and that 15 Rob Roys while behind the wheel of Dodge Colt is not a reason to keep a man down.
"Subway Song"--The Cure: I don't think good things happen in this song. But then this is the British railway system we're talking about and surely America is a much safer place. If only because we fluoridate our water. Face it, you go underground you're just asking for trouble. Why do you think your parents let you live in their basement? They're hoping something will happen to you.
"Big Yellow Taxi"--Joni Mitchell: I have yet to figure out how this song promotes taxi service. It seems to me that it promotes parking lots. Pave paradise, put up a parking lot and watch the money roll in. People pay to stash their cars on these concrete slabs and you pay some poor slob a couple bucks an hour. Man, Capitalism is too easy!
"Jet Airliner"--Steve Miller Band: Wouldn't want to get caught up in those "funky tricks" going down in the city. Love the radio edit of this tune. I could never figure out why the singer gets on the airplane in the first place if he doesn't want the plane to take him too far away. That's the whole point of air travel. If I wanted to stay in my neighborhood, I could walk!
"Runaway Train"--Soul Asylum: I know there are probably many great songs about the reliability of trains and I'm sure hobos the world over can attest to their relative safety. Do we still have hobos? Anyhow, this band is horrible. This song is horrible. And the Department of Transit is just going to have to accept that while they hold my future in their hands, they don't own my soul. Yet.
"Another One Rides The Bus" --Weird Al Yankovic: I suppose there are better bus songs out there, but this one seems to get right to the point. It's better than "Bus Stop" where I would actually be promoting the waiting for the bus.
