EconGoneCountry

Supply and demand with a twang


Title: In Color

​Artist: Jamey Johnson

Economic Concepts: Great Depression; Technological advancement

Details: An older gentleman is showing black and white pictures to his grandson and the first is of him and his brother growing up on a cotton farm during the Great Depression in 1935.  He describes how tough it was during the Great Depression, and says that if it looks bad in the picture, "you should've seen it in color".  
Color photographs are now ubiquitous thanks to advances in technology.  We view technological progress as an important factor leading to higher productivity and greater economic growth.  Another benefit of technological progress is the greater utility consumers receive from improved products and services such as color and digital photos.       

Lyrics

I said grandpa whats this picture here
Its all black and white
It ain't real clear is that you there?
He said yeah I was eleven

Times were tough back in '35
That's me and uncle Joe just tryin' to survive
A cotton farm, in a great depression.

If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color.

Oh and this one here was taken over seas
In the middle of hell in 1943
In the winter time, you can almost see my breath

That was my tail gunner ole Johnny Magee
He was a high school teacher from New Orleans
And he had my back right through the day we left.

If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color.

A pictures worth a thousand words
But you cant see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should've seen it in color

This one is my favorite one.
This is me and grandma in the summer sun
All dressed up the day we said our vows.
You can't tell it here but it was hot that June
And that rose was red and her eyes were blue
And just look at that smile I was so proud.
That's the story of my life right there in black and white

If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color.

A pictures worth a thousand words
But you cant see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should have seen it in color.

You should have seen it in color

Yeah a pictures worth a thousand words
But you cant see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should have seen it in color