From the recording The Other Side of These Walls
What Happened to the Waving? looks back at a time when neighbors knew each otherās names and a simple wave could brighten someoneās day.
Lyrics
[WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WAVING?]
[Intro]
[Acoustic guitar and piano]
I was sitting at a red light
Watching people drive on by
Everybody staring straight ahead
Nobody looking eye to eye
And I got to thinking
About the town I used to know
When a simple wave from a passing car
Could brighten up your soul
[Verse 1]
Back when every street had nicknames
And every kid had grass-stained knees
When screen doors slammed all summer long
And neighbors gathered beneath the trees
Mr. Wilson fixed your bicycle
Mrs. Carter baked a pie
And everybody knew your mama
Before you even said "Hi"
[Pre-Chorus]
It wasn't perfect
But it felt like home
No matter where you wandered
You were never all alone
[Chorus]
What happened to the waving?
What happened to "How've you been?"
What happened to the little things
That brought us all together then?
A smile across a parking lot
A hello on a Saturday morning
Maybe the world ain't changed that much
Maybe we've just stopped noticing
[Verse 2]
Now everybody's got a camera
Everybody's got a phone
We're connected to the whole wide world
But somehow we've never felt more alone
We know what's happening in Paris
We know what's happening in L.A.
But we don't know the folks next door
Or even know their names
[Pre-Chorus]
Maybe we've been so busy
Running every race we see
That we forgot the simple things
That helped build community
[Chorus]
What happened to the waving?
What happened to "How've you been?"
What happened to the little things
That brought us all together then?
A smile across a parking lot
A hello on a Saturday morning
Maybe the world ain't changed that much
Maybe we've just stopped noticing
[Bridge]
The funny thing about kindness
Is it doesn't cost a dime
One small wave can change somebody's day
At just the right time
Maybe we're not as divided
As the headlines want us to believe
Maybe we're all just waiting
For somebody else to lead
[Instrumental Break]
[Acoustic guitar, piano, and uplifting electric guitar]
[Final Chorus]
[Female harmonies enter]
Let's bring back the waving
Let's bring back "How've you been?"
Let's bring back the little things
That bring us together again
A smile across a parking lot
A hello on a Saturday morning
Maybe the world can still feel smaller
If we start reconnecting
[Outro]
So the next time you see a stranger
Passing by on an ordinary day
Maybe change begins that simply
Just wave.
Just wave.
[Soft female harmony]
Just wave.