Uploaded March 2010 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is the song that brought me out of retirement. I had taken a couple of extra weeks to write it and wanted to see if the public would be as satisfied with it as I was. I went to this club, Hollenbecks, and was 7th in line to play.
EVERY one before me, 4 musicians and 2 comedians, did a song or routine about 9/11.
"Well", I thought, "Thank God the subject won't be beaten to death!"
But I got a standing ovation and two GREAT friends out of it, so it went well, to say the least....
The title is "Nine one one", not "Nine eleven"; don't ask me why, it just seemed right at the time..
Recorded at Kulaks Woodshed.
911 (You Missed America)
I TRIED TO KEEP MY DREAMS BUT MUCH TO MY DISMAY
THE PHONE KEPT JINGLE-JANGLING
“TURN ON THE TUBE” SHE SAID “AND WATCH OUR DARKEST DAY”
THE TORTURED STEEL WAS DANGLING
BUT THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING HERE IN GOOD OLD U.S.A.
THE COLORFUL TOWN THAT WE LOVE WAS CARPETED IN GREY
CHORUS:
BUT STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM,
THROUGHOUT THOSE DESPERATE HOURS
I NEVER STOOD CONFUSED, OR DOUBTED IN OUR POWERS
AND THERE'S YOUR BIG MISTAKE, YOU MIGHT HAVE HIT THE TOWERS
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
WAS THIS YOUR HOLY WAY? TO SNEAK IN OUR BACK YARD
SO COWARDLY AND GRACELESS
I HOPE WE NEVER COME TO HATE SOMEONE SO HARD
WE’D TURN A WHOLE GOOD PEOPLE FACELESS
THERE’S SO MANY INNOCENT LIVES COLLECTED IN THAT CLOUD
WELL, NO TRULY RELIGIOUS MAN COULD LOOK AND SAY HE’S PROUD
CHORUS:
BRIDGE:
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
I DRIVE TO WORK EACH DAY; I SEE THE FLAGS UNFURLED
AND I THINK ABOUT THIS NATION
IF YOU WANT TO ESCAPE FROM SOMEWHERE IN THIS WORLD
WE ARE A CONSTANT INVITATION
WE TOLERATE SO MANY THINGS,
IT’S COMMON TO OUR CORE
AND THAT’S WHY THESE IMMIGRANT SOULS
AIN’T KNOCKIN ON YOUR DOOR
CHORUS:
I THINK THE WORLD AGREES
WE SAW THEM BRING THEIR FLOWERS
AND STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM
THROUGHOUT THOSE DESPERATE HOURS
WE NEVER STOOD CONFUSED,
BUT GATHERED IN OUR POWERS
THERE'S YOUR BIG MISTAKE,
YOU MIGHT HAVE HIT THE TOWERS
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
This is the song that brought me out of retirement. I had taken a couple of extra weeks to write it and wanted to see if the public would be as satisfied with it as I was. I went to this club, Hollenbecks, and was 7th in line to play.
EVERY one before me, 4 musicians and 2 comedians, did a song or routine about 9/11.
"Well", I thought, "Thank God the subject won't be beaten to death!"
But I got a standing ovation and two GREAT friends out of it, so it went well, to say the least....
The title is "Nine one one", not "Nine eleven"; don't ask me why, it just seemed right at the time..
Recorded at Kulaks Woodshed.
911 (You Missed America)
I TRIED TO KEEP MY DREAMS BUT MUCH TO MY DISMAY
THE PHONE KEPT JINGLE-JANGLING
“TURN ON THE TUBE” SHE SAID “AND WATCH OUR DARKEST DAY”
THE TORTURED STEEL WAS DANGLING
BUT THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING HERE IN GOOD OLD U.S.A.
THE COLORFUL TOWN THAT WE LOVE WAS CARPETED IN GREY
CHORUS:
BUT STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM,
THROUGHOUT THOSE DESPERATE HOURS
I NEVER STOOD CONFUSED, OR DOUBTED IN OUR POWERS
AND THERE'S YOUR BIG MISTAKE, YOU MIGHT HAVE HIT THE TOWERS
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
WAS THIS YOUR HOLY WAY? TO SNEAK IN OUR BACK YARD
SO COWARDLY AND GRACELESS
I HOPE WE NEVER COME TO HATE SOMEONE SO HARD
WE’D TURN A WHOLE GOOD PEOPLE FACELESS
THERE’S SO MANY INNOCENT LIVES COLLECTED IN THAT CLOUD
WELL, NO TRULY RELIGIOUS MAN COULD LOOK AND SAY HE’S PROUD
CHORUS:
BRIDGE:
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
I DRIVE TO WORK EACH DAY; I SEE THE FLAGS UNFURLED
AND I THINK ABOUT THIS NATION
IF YOU WANT TO ESCAPE FROM SOMEWHERE IN THIS WORLD
WE ARE A CONSTANT INVITATION
WE TOLERATE SO MANY THINGS,
IT’S COMMON TO OUR CORE
AND THAT’S WHY THESE IMMIGRANT SOULS
AIN’T KNOCKIN ON YOUR DOOR
CHORUS:
I THINK THE WORLD AGREES
WE SAW THEM BRING THEIR FLOWERS
AND STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM
THROUGHOUT THOSE DESPERATE HOURS
WE NEVER STOOD CONFUSED,
BUT GATHERED IN OUR POWERS
THERE'S YOUR BIG MISTAKE,
YOU MIGHT HAVE HIT THE TOWERS
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
BUT YOU MISSED AMERICA
