A long long time ago

I can still remember how those Sonics used to make me smile

And I knew if they did not trip

That they could win a championship

And maybe we’d be happy for while.

But Wally Walker made me shiver,

With every big man he’d deliver

Cal Booth signed the contract

A reincarnate Jim Mc. (Ilvaine)

I can’t remember if I sighed

When told Schultz the Sonics was to buy

But something touched me deep inside

The day the Sonics died.

So —

CHORUS

Bye-bye, Gary Payton my guy

Drove the Sonics to the Finals

With Shawn Kemp flying high

And good ol’ Karl kept his critics at bay

Shoutin’ we’re the team that will beat MJ

We’re the team that will beat MJ.

Have you seen the good ol’ Glove

And Mason flyin’ high above

Wait till the Bucks come to town.

Do you believe in pick ‘n roll

Can B-ball save your mortal soul

And can the East teach Gary to play real slow

Well I know Milwaukee will love him,

‘Cause I saw him ballin’ in their gym

The fans they clapped their hands,

Man they loved that point guard man!

I was a lonely teenage Sonics fan

With a love for Ricky and Big Sam

But I know that they all lost their glam

The day the Sonics died.

I started singin’

CHORUS

Now for 12 years we’d seen Gary play

And the fans grew bored with winning ways

But that’s not how it used to be

When Shawn Kemp dueled with Hakeem the Dream

With post moves borrowed from Kareem

And the cheers that came from you and me

Oh, but while Seattle looked ahead

Dikembe stole their playoff cred

He lay there on the floor

Goliath was no more

And while the Rockets battled with the Knicks

There were oaths of revenge from Sonics

But Finals glory was a trick

The day the Sonics died.

Now we’re singin’

CHORUS

Take Vin Baker in a big blockbuster

The Reign Man’s lost his fast break luster

Always drunk and getting fat

Vin was not up to the task

To take a test he could not pass

With his ego on the sidelines in a cast

Now the Celtics trade was sweet perfume

While Howard Schultz played a triumph tune

We all got up to dance

Oh, but we never got the chance

‘Cause Payton wanted a new contract

But Walker refused to pat his back

Their ugly feud was revealed

The day the Sonics died.

We started singin’

CHORUS

Oh, and here is Sea-town on that course

A metropolis lost in sports

With no stars left to play for us

So come on Griffey Junior lets go back

With us you were on the right track

Cause in Cincy you’ve got no friends

Oh, and as I watch him fall apart

My hands still clutch my broken heart

No new park built today

Can help him find his way

And as Lou left town for Tampa Bay

To coach those awful Devil Rays

I saw A-Rod laughing with delight

The day the Sonics died

He was singin’

CHORUS

I see all the fans who sing the blues

And I ask them for some happy news

But they just smile and turn away

I’ll go down to the Arena Key

Where the team the fans still go to see

But the fans there say the team just ain’t the same

And in the stands the children scream

The pundits cry, and the die-hards dream

But not a word for Allen

They ignore all his talent

And the three men I admired most

The Glove, the Cowboy, Bob Whitsitt

They left Seattle far too quick

The day the Sonics died —

CHORUS