I subscribed, in college
(Oh, those days are gone too soon)
To a paper in the morning
And one in the afternoon
The Journal rested daily
Up against my dorm-room door
The Sentinel, after class
Was waiting on the floor
Years before, my father
Didn’t think his day was done
Until he’d read The Times
The Post, The Tribune, and the Sun
That kid who scanned the box scores
As he cheered his fav’rite team
In the borough where the Dodgers and
The Eagle reigned supreme
Oh, those times were long ago
But how the moment lingers
I miss the smell of newsprint and
The ink stains on my fingers
The headlines were the lanterns
And the landmarks of my youth
And though they were sensational
They often told the truth
So why, when we crave knowledge
Are these great behemoths ailing?
So many scribblers out of work
So many papers failing?
Alas, I find I’m desperate
And ask, without their news
How will I line my bird cage
Or dry out my old, wet shoes?
You can list your reasons for
This medium’s decline
I won’t even argue
But I’m here to give you mine
Their end had its beginning
As the wise among us know
The newspapers were finished When they let their poets go
