Mrs. Ernst's Piano Lyrics

mrs ernst gave piano lessons on sunday afternoons to the children of the neighborhood she'd teach simple tunes at her old pianola the children would pound while mrs ernst's husband read the paper with a frown see the neighborhood was changing they say it was going down they were putting up new houses east of town mrs ernst had a visit from her neighbor mr gun mr gun wanted piano lessons for his son mrs ernst said "i must think it over" mr gun asked her why she said, "I have my reasons sir thank you and goodbye" see the neighborhood was changing they say it was going down they were putting up new houses east of town see mrs ernst's husband he had fixed views the world was black and white he saw know subtler hues and mr gun was surely black but mrs ernst she thought a child is a child and children should be taught see the neighborhood was changing they say it was going down they were putting up new houses east of town so that evening mrs ernst asked her husband if she might teach piano to a black child surely it would be all right mr ernst answered her in no uncertain terms "over my dead body, mrs ernst" see the neighborhood was changing they say it was going down they were putting up new houses east of town "over my dead body" mr ernst replied "over my dead body" he said and soon after he died mrs ernst, a widow, did what must be done and gave piano lessons to mr gun's son see the neighborhood was changing they say it was going down they were putting up new houses east of town mrs ernst still teaches piano on Sunday afternoons at the old pianola in her living room while her husband looks down from a photo in a frame she knows he wouldn't like but she does it all the same see the neighborhood is changing they say that it went down when they put up them new houses east of town