In this song, I invite you back to a simpler time in the history of recorded music. As a child, I felt the magical possibilities of putting on a record and being transported to another time and place. It gave me a sense of power to know that I could travel far away, just by placing this black vinyl circle onto the record player. In this song, I invite the listener to travel with me to that magical place.

Lyrics

Record Player
By Chana Rothman

There’s a spot on the hardwood floor just for me
It’s cozy and worn from the years
Just the right distance so I can reach
Adjust the volume for my ears

There are so many stories in black vinyl circles
Waiting in jackets for me
When I open them up with my careful hands
And say to myself happily

You can sit right down, let the sound
Wind itself around you
We don’t have to stay, we can fly away
As long as the record player plays

The singer and I have the same conversation
Over and over again
We don’t always agree but I’m so glad to be
In the company of an old friend

Raffi, Anne Murray, and Carole King
Free to Be You and Me
From my spot on the floor I can hear so much more
I sing to myself happily

You can sit right down, let the sound
Wind itself around you
We don’t have to stay, we can fly away
As long as the record player plays
As long as the record player plays

The scratch and hiss
From the needle in the grooves
Peaceful bliss
The musty smell of cardboard-covered blues

Now there’s digital music at my fingertips
Floating through cyberspace
If it has a smell I don’t know what it is, and
Everywhere’s a listening place

My children wouldn’t recognize a record
It’s a story from long ago
An etching in time that will always be mine
I will share the love I’ve known
Yes, I will share the love I’ve known

You can sit right down, let the sound
Wind itself around you
We don’t have to stay, we can fly away
As long as the record player plays
As long as the record player plays