Church of the Ringin' Ten

Everybody say Yayessss. Good evening to you, brothers and sisters. We are all gathered here today to roll some thundah.... to pound the pocket....to get that ten out and celebrate a few moments of victory, or defeat , with our friends. Our brothers from another mother. Fellow bowlers. Confess your grief. Tell me all about it. Enjoy a cold one. Clear your head until the next session. .....share with us. How do you knock them all down?    
Wouldn't you all love to own a bowling center?   They say the best way to be a millionaire is to buy a bowling alley for 3 million and hope you have one left when you close....

Careful what you wish for
If you work for it, it could be yours
The good, the bad, and the other
The closing of the doors

Where you spend one or two days of the week of your life
I was behind the counter       morning , noon, and nights
Watching the doctors, factory workers, kids
councilmen, teachers and housewifes

You watch the birthday parties, celebrate babies born,
as other customers pass , gone away from your store
Watch friends   fall in love
and some
would surely marry

you raise money for the sick, and the families in states of loss and suddenly poor
and then   in the end   they closed the door
to your bowling alley

A whole community
once spent a day or two
knocking down pins
rolling a ball
 having a beer
a smoke and a burger, talking with friends
The poor mans country club,
The bowling alley was town hall

You listened to the stories and the gossip
bitched about your boss, who bitched about you
 while bowling league on Monday night
It was a little dark and dated...sometimes there would be a little fight
but we kept score for 35 nights
and teaching someone to pick up a ten pin
somehow, made a lot of little wrongs all right

Careful what you wish for
If you do this right
It could soon be all yours
the good , the bad and the other
and the closing of the doors

I spent so many Sundays of this life
bowling for money, trying to strike
In the Church of the Ringing Ten

and As I look back at the good, great and crappy places I have been
There was never a better place to learn about all walks of life
Not where, Not how, and Never When
It was always the place to be taught a lesson
The Gospel
of the Church of the Ringin Ten

but times have changed, it costs a little more
as a machine keeps your score
Building is nice and bright and seems safer now-not sure what for
and the regulars don't come as often , through those automatic doors

Big box center with all the tricks and
its pretty and clean, at least for a little while
Just doesn't make you want to smile
It's just a business now
Now the old alley , it had Character,  Community  & Style

The alley is gone. Time passed it by
machine keeps score
Big box center just doesn't feel like home
Big box center
with machines keeping score
Losing friends takes its toll
That dark ole bowling alley had character
and those characters gave a game and a building a  SOUL

Written , created, and owned by Mark Burkenbine, December 27, 2013
Copyright Mark Burkenbine 2013
http://whatwouldthisbewithoutasong.blogspot.com/