Song: “Yesterday’s Machine”

Behind the Song

In “Yesterday’s Machine,” I take a nostalgic view of old tech. I remember back when I was a kid and you pushed buttons on a machine, you felt it pushing back … something clicked or whirred … you could imagine (or pry open and see) the guts of the machine. Life seemed simpler then, and there are times I yearn for it.

But I’m no Luddite. I welcome and embrace a Star Trek future. Let me put myself on record for that, Mr. Spock.

But I admit: I fumble with technology. For example: I tried to overdub a separate audio recording and paste it into this video. I spent a good hour on it, but the video came out looking and sounding like those parodies of badly dubbed Kung Fu movies. (I thought it’d be funny to use that video nevertheless, to highlight the meaning of the song … but concluded the result would be too distracting.) I did have fun learning something new, but learning a new program or tool opens up a deep rabbit hole, and there are only so many I can dive down.

So do you have a favorite piece of nostalgia tech you long to resurrect?

If so, join me in mourning the passing of Yesterday’s Machine.

Lyrics

Do you remember the gentle tug of a rotary phone?
Dialing digits you learned by heart to your grandma's home.
Back then when you pulled a lever or pushed a button down
you could hear the rumble of a gear, that sweet metallic sound.

Nowadays a button's just a phantom on a screen,
won't be long 'till we plug our brains into someone else's dream.

So let's all mourn the passing
of yesterday's machine.
Let's polish up our memories
of the wonders we have seen.

They don't make 'em like they used to
(and even if they never did),
let's raise a toast to the passing host
of yesterday's machine.

The future may be brighter, but it's like staring at the sun.
I feel I'm just starting a game some kid already won.
Is the world really running faster, or am I just running slow?
Do I spend my evenings repeating things I already know?

Nowadays a button's just a phantom on a screen,
won't be long 'till we plug our brains into someone else's dream.

So let's all mourn the passing
of yesterday's machine.
Let's polish up our memories
of the wonders we have seen.

They don't make 'em like they used to
(and even if they never did),
let's raise a toast to the passing host
of yesterday's machine.
Let's make the most of the fading ghost
of yesterday's machine.
Let's raise a toast to the passing host
of yesterday's machine.