Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems  



The New Restaurant

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1964 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1992.


I stopped into a restaurant and oh, it was a dream!
From a half mile up the highway you could see the fixtures gleam.
They heated up the coffee cups with extra pressure steam,
But the food was terrible.

The waitresses were charming, they had such lovely eyes,
Their smiles all matched exactly and their uniforms likewise,
Their hair was piled as sweetly as the topping on the pies,
But the food was terrible.

The décor was a symphony in orange, gold and white,
The silver and the crockery would fill you with delight,
The menu was a masterpiece, so witty and so bright,
But the food was terrible.

They must have spent a fortune on the furniture and such,
On the place mats and the napkins, just like linen to the touch,
So the budget for the kitchen really wasn't very much,
And the food was terrible.

Another generation will forget the taste of meat,
Of tomatoes from the garden and of bread that's made of wheat,
And they'll never even notice, when it's plastic that they eat,
That the food is terrible.


Malvina Reynolds songbook(s) in which the music to this song appears:
---- The Muse of Parker Street
---- The Malvina Reynolds Songbook
---- There's Music in the Air: Songs for the Middle-Young

Other place(s) where the music to this song appears:
---- Broadside No. 54 (20 January 1965)
---- Broadside: Songs of Our Times..., Vol. 2 (New York: Oak Publications, 1968), p. 74

Malvina Reynolds recording(s) on which this song is performed:
---- Malvina Reynolds Sings the Truth
---- Malvina Reynolds...Sings the Truth (2008)
---- listen to youtube.com video

Recordings by other artists on which this song is performed:
---- Iain MacKintosh and Hamish Imlach: Live In Hamburg (MusiKiste 26-6-356, 1986)
---- Hedy West: Serves 'Em Fine (Fontana STL 5432, 1967)
---- listen to youtube.com video
---- listen to youtube.com video


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