They Took Out The Bend

Saltyjohn

Based broadly on the fate of the town of Oatman, Arizona. Oatman was located on busy U.S. Route 66 and catered to travelers driving between Kingman, Arizona, and Needles, California. The town was completely bypassed in 1953 when a new route was built between Kingman and Needles. By the 1960s, Oatman was all but abandoned. It is having a revival recently, as a tourist attraction – a ghost town.

Sung by Eric Butterfield.

They Took Out the Bend
2020© by John Schofield

Verse 1
Through unwashed windows the sunlight streams
Onto empty bottles and broken dreams
Bar top and tables all covered in dust
Jukebox is silent, the light bulbs are bust

Verse 2
The baker next door doesn’t make any bread
The oven stays cold, the owner has fled
Same for the butcher, the fire house crew
Hotel’s boarded up, the gas station too

Chorus:
Route 66 was this town’s best friend
It brought in tourists with dollars to spend
Then one day it came to an end
They diverted the road, and
Took out the bend

Verse 3
In this ghostly bar I once sang and played
Happy folk drank, on the dance floor they swayed
But the bar stools and tables are no longer used
Dreams were broken when the highway was moved

Bridge:
Now tumbleweed rolls through these abandoned streets
In this forgotten town where nowhere and no place meet

Chorus:
Route 66 was this town’s best friend
It brought in tourists with dollars to spend
Then one day it came to an end
They diverted the road, and
Took out the bend

Yeh, they took out the bend
They took out the bend
They took out the bend