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– Sharon Woolums

Lyrics: When They Tore Down Washington Square Park

Well they’re chopping down the big old trees
Getting rid of the birds and bees
Because the architect said so
Because the architect said so

Then they dug up the moulderin’ bones
Piled them up in the Quiet Zone
Because the architect said so
Because the architect said so

Bloomberg, Benepe, nobody was ready
When you tore down Washington Square Park

In the fountain they moved away
Where the children all used to play
Is a hole in my heart that cries
For the men who want to privatize

System’s corrupt, ’cause the fence is going up
Things get suspicious when you’re dealing with the Tisches
Desecration’s not a crime, don’t you love the redesign?
The decision was made in the dark, when they tore down Washington Square Park

Copyright 2008 Baldwin/Woolums ASCAP

Can’t a lone saxaphonist play music in Washington Square Park anymore?   Those seeking to quell spontaneous public expressions from what was once a vibrant public space would have it so.  There are those (conservancy advocates) who would insist that one will need a permit to sing in the park.  I’m glad that Gabriel Zucker of The Villager wrote a good investigative article about it.

A wonderful video showing Washington Square Park back in 1968, where folksingers gathered around the fountain. It’s too bad there was no audio recorded with this video, which is now accompanied by a generic “nostalgia” soundtrack. It’s great to see some noteworthy street performers, including David Peel.

Found this great old Youtube video of the Seekers performing the lovely tune “I’ll Never Find Another You.” Remember when you could understand the lyrics in pop music? Let’s drink a toast to the days when folk music mattered and welcomed in Greenwich Village. Frankly, I know we’ll never find another Washington Square Park.

People — and places — are not replaceable, and thirty years after recording “I Know I’ll Never Find Another You,” The Seekers performed it live and for a bunch of white-haired folk, their live rendition deserves credit, even if the music doesn’t have that same youthful bounce. What a great group, and what a great song!

A remarkable time capsule showing the Vilage, including our beloved Washington Square Park, back in 1960. This video was narrated by noted humorist, writer, and radio performer Jean Shepherd, who was soon to become a major voice of the counterculture.

Barak Obama came to the park in September of 2007 and delivered a stirring speech to hundreds. While it was great to see our President-elect there, I wonder if he was even aware that this beloved historic park was soon to be destroyed and completely redesigned spending unnecessarily millions, in a time of economic hardship for the city, for a redesign ‘the people’ clearly did not want.

http://www.thirteen.org/forum/an-overview-of-zoning-past-and-present

An article on this discovery was published in The Villager, Volume 77, Number 39 (the February 27 - March 4, 2008 issue).