The day before I left New Orleans My neighbor from down the street, Alex Chilton Came to say goodbye We talked about songs and how much joy they'd given us Before we left, he confided in me "Playin' songs Is ageless The song's never seem to grow old You can sing a song that you wrote when you were a kid And it's like the first time you've played it It cheats time and makes you feel safe But the reality is that things are changing in the world" As we talked the TV channel began playing an old Black and white cowboy film We sat there and looked at the TV Even though the sound was turned down We didn't need to speak anymore The images said it all