Ray Bradbury’s hometown of Waukegan, Illinois, shows up frequently in his marvelous speculative fiction as “Green Town, Illinois.” But the magic is long gone from countless such places in America.
They don’t look at the stars at night
In Green Town, in Green Town
The town’s not fit for rocket flight
Not Green Town, not Green Town
The shops on Main Street are all shut
In Green Town, in Green Town
New jobs you’ll find at Pizza Hut
In Green Town, in Green Town
Boys don’t go fishing by the stream
In Green Town, in Green Town
TikTok stardom is their dream
In Green Town, in Green Town
Trump flags go flapping in the wind
In Green Town, in Green Town
Best move along if you’re dark-skinned
From Green Town, from Green Town
Who are they mourning but themselves
In Green Town, in Green Town
They’re pulling schoolbooks from the shelves
In Green Town, in Green Town
Emanuel Goldstein 