Lyrics Way of the Land - Janis Ian

Way of the Land

Man rolls out of bed and he knots his tie
Gulps his coffee as he says goodbye
Drags his car down a one-way street
Got appointments to keep
It’s the way of the land
He works in a room with the windows closed
Got no time for the open road
Punches out at a quarter to five
Feels a little bit more alive
It’s the way of the land
He used to dream of Robin Hood
He used to make his plans
To race through Sherwood Forest
With a longbow in his hand
And Friar Tuck and Marian
Would call him hero then
He’d rob the rich and help the poor
To understand, man to man,
It was the way of the land
Woman wakes up and she makes the bed
Got a thousand troubles running through her head
Drags her body through another day
For a little under minimum wage
It’s the way of the land
Got no job but she works full time
Get the kids on the bus and the washing on the line
And the rushing and the planning and the grocery shop
Having dinner ready seven o’clock
It’s the way of the land
She used to dream of Tinkerbelle
She dreamt of Peter Pan
Of scouting distant islands
Finding treasures in the sand
She’d battle Captain Hook
Until he’d lost his other hand
And clap so hard that every child
Would live again, to ride the wind
It’s the way of the land
I dreamed a dream just the other night
My mama walked and my daddy cried
And their eyes were bright as shooting stars
And they held each other hard
You understand…
They used to dream of travelling
They used to make those plans
Fred Astaire and Ginger
In the ballrooms of romance
But time is hard on heroes
They never had the chance
I dreamed a dream the other night
And knew somehow that they’re dancing now
'Cause it’s the way of the land
It’s the way of the land