It gets bad, but it gets better
Call it craziness, call it weather
We can make it through if we laugh at it together
It gets bad, but it gets better
You got lost when your mom got sick
Prescription pills and therapists
Mom got worse, she didn't make it
After years and years and hours and hours
You go to her grave with her favorite flowers
And you talk with her and she listens
Or you've had the worst of God and men
You've sworn you'll never love again
You don't have kids, your friends all do
You wonder what is wrong with you
While they're stuck at home you're free to go
Save some cash and hit the road
Quit your job, you never know
Buy a ticket someplace far
'Cause it gets bad, but it gets better
Call it craziness, call it weather
We can make it through if we laugh at it together
It gets bad, but it gets better
Another politician making noise
Another bad guy hanging out with the bad boys
Lives destroyed and damage done
Bombs deployed and more to come
Poison in the earth and air
Men in charge who just don't care
Men in charge with thinning hair
Soon they'll all be dead
When the market crashed you had a big, bad loan
You lost your job, you lost your home
You washed up here alone and broken
Then you found a new place and a good gig too
With a better boss and more time for you
Last week in line you met someone new
There's a lot eleven years can do
'Cause it gets bad, but it gets better
Call it craziness, call it weather
We can make it through if we laugh at it together
It gets bad, but it gets better
Then it gets bad again, I know
The darkness comes and darkness grows
Sometimes the darkness never goes and goodness loses
But somewhere else it's dawn again
And on and on, it never ends
Until the sun blows up in a big, red ball and swallows us all
But even then it just might be we're living in a different galaxy
We might get to watch it on our phones
All together and all alone
Rome rose up, Rome fell down
The Mayans lost to the Spanish crown
The Incans were the best around, the Spanish beat them too
Then Spain declined, then France declined
Then we all had a world war
16 million lost and more
We swore we'd never do it again
Yes, world peace was the world goal
'Till the Nazis came and they took control
Then the Nazis lost to the USA and the Russians, who saved the day
But then Stalin really went to town
And the states were great unless your face was brown
There were super powers, atom bombs
The summer of love and Beatles songs
9/11, terrorists
No mention of Africa in any of this
A baby born, a baby missed
A funeral, a wedding kiss
'Cause it gets bad, but it gets better
Call it craziness, call it weather
We can make it through if we laugh at it together
It gets bad, but it gets better
credits
released October 9, 2020
Written, recorded, and performed by John Elliott
Mixed and Mastered by Jonathan Kirchner
Drums and percussion by Andrew Laubacher
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