Fifty Years Still Standing
Nick Kalpakis
[Verse 1]
I was seventeen down by the Mon,
Elizabeth Forward, radios on.
Bell rang loud like a starting gun,
Thought the whole damn world was ours for the run.
They sat three rows back, laughin’ low,
Passing notes where the teachers wouldn’t know.
Millie’s smile, Shelly’s fire,
Cindy always sayin’ “we’re gonna get higher.”
Friday nights under stadium lights,
Gas was cheap and the dreams were loud.
Nobody knew what time would do,
But we all swore we’d make our hometown proud.
[Chorus]
Fifty years and they’re still standin’,
Same five hearts, just older hands.
Millie, Shelly, Cindy, Marilyn, Peggy,
Laughin’ like they’re seventeen again already.
Life bent ‘em but it never broke ‘em,
Every mile just pulled ‘em closer.
Yeah the world changed, but they still knew—
How to love like they always do.
[Verse 2]
Marilyn danced like the night was hers,
Peggy sang loud, didn’t care who heard.
Sneakin’ smokes behind the gym wall,
Talkin’ ‘bout forever like it wouldn’t fall.
Graduation gowns and runaway plans,
Promises written in yearbook hands.
Some stayed close, some drifted away,
But somehow the bond never faded gray.
[Bridge]
Marriages, babies, broken-down cars,
Jobs that paid bills but bruised the heart.
Through every high and every scar,
Those five names never fell apart.
[Chorus]
Fifty years and they’re still standin’,
Same old jokes, same one-night plans.
Millie, Shelly, Cindy, Marilyn, Peggy,
Time tried hard but it couldn’t get ‘em.
Lines on their faces, fire in their eyes,
Truth is they’re younger than they look tonight.
Yeah the clock kept movin’, but they stayed true—
That’s what real love’ll do.
[Outro]
Now the jukebox hums a familiar tune,
Same old songs, just a different room.
They raise their glasses, laugh and cry,
Toast the ones who couldn’t make it by.
Someone says, “Remember when…”
And suddenly they’re kids again.
From locker doors to this night here,
Every memory loud and clear.
If forever’s real, then this proves it’s true—
Some souls grow old, but never outgrew.
Versions
Fifty Years Still Standing (Version A)
Nick Kalpakis
Version A
Fifty Years Still Standing (Version B)
Nick Kalpakis
Version B