At last count, there were 83 threads that give the opportunity to knock songwriters. Here's one to express appreciation for them. I'm not starting this thread to be:

1. Another "list" thread.
2. An "Answer" to the songwriters suck threads.

It's not even meant to be about favorite songwriters. I'd like people to reflect for a moment about songs written in the last fifty years or so that you really enjoy. In the long run, it's the songs, stupid! (to paraphrase Bill Clinton's, "It's the economy, stupid!"
Even the most hard-shell traditionalist has a warm spot in their heart for more recently written songs. My question is not "What is your favorite song by a recent songwriters?" Or "Who is your favorite songwriter?

My interest is knowing which recently (last 50 years) songs of a folkish complexion are ones that you enjoy hearing over and over, or singing?

1. What is there about the song that you enjoy about it? It might be
    the lyrics, the melody, or just what it "says" to you.
2. Are there particular lines, couplets, verses, or the chorus that
    make the song work, for you?

As an example: One of my favorite songs written in recent years comes from Jerry Rau: a singer most of you have never heard. Jerry is a street singer... has scratched out an existence most of his life, singing on street corners. Jerry manages to capture how people feel, in very ordinary, every-day experiences. He is not a "touchy-feely" type, and his songs are usually about people he has met, not his own feelings. But, I find his songs very personal, and I relate to the people he writes about. My favorite song of his is 80 Acres.. a real gem of a song. I'll have to check to see if the lyrics have been posted in here. If they haven't, I'll post them in this thread.

80 acres is a song about a family who is forced to sell their farm in Kansas because "You just can't make a go on 80 acres." When I listen to Jerry sing that song, I feel that Kansas dust covering the window sills, and I can see the grandparents sitting on the porch swing, two "West Kansas flowers." I can see the dress that Grandma is wearing, with the colors faded from that hot Kansas sun. I can see Grandad's hands... the large knuckles and the skin as tough as leather.

I hear the sadness in the son's voice when he remembers hearing his Father tell him never to sell the farm, because he's poured his life into it. Man... I have to see if the lyrics have been posted here...
The song makes me think about my grandparents, and understand them a little better. It reminds me of how much of a treasure old memories are... even of hard times. That's a lot to capture in a song. A novelist can use 600 pages to capture what Jerry says in five or six verses.

And that's what this thread is all about... the song. Forget the songwriter for a moment, and forget all the bad songs you've heard. There are plenty of threads to knock songwriters. And, any good songwriter knows that a good song is a gift. Yes, there is craftsmanship in a good song, but in the long run, good songs are a gift, and the songwriter should be thankful. And share the gift of a song with others.

If you just have a line, or a couplet or a verse from a recently written song that you love, share that, too.

"I went down to the Brandy tree. I took my nose and my tail with me." Thank you Gordon Bok, for that song.

Some phrases have a wonderful internal rhythm that make them roll off your tongue.. "Atchison, Topeka and the Sante Fe."

Please tell me why you like the song...

Take a minute.

Jerry