"I'm from The Westside"
Being from the west side isn't just places
Now, it's more about those familiar faces.
It's always been more than a boulevard or road.
It was an attitude and the pride that showed.
We grew up in Charlotte, on the side to the west
Where we built friendships, time tested, the best.
Given an occasion to get together today,
The camaraderie doesn't fade away.
We're more than former classmates, rivals and old friends
We hold the memories of a lifestyle, and with this, there is no end.
Who would have known befriending those classmates years ago,
Would have lead to having the friends you now know?
There is one memory we all share from those days.
How we created adventures which we so masterfully played.
With an innocence of youth and imagination to match,
There was an exuberance and excitement that was easy to catch.
We played at pools and parks, in backyards or a field,
But the schools were the places where our friendships would build.
These friendships at school will spill over to the outside,
Just hanging out or finding new things we had never tried.
Going to drive-in restaurants and movies with your date,
Checking out your favorite song while not getting home too late.
Football at the stadium or games on the courts,
With cheerleaders, majorettes and beauties of all sorts.
It's about the people and the friends that you chose.
It was cars and haircuts, and of course, it was the clothes.
And when we look back seeing those days as the best,
It's an inspiration for us to treat today with the same zest.
And when I meet someone and say I'm from Charlotte, the westside,
I always say it with a real sense of pride.
Yeah, I'm from Charlotte .......... The Westside
Butch Hargett
Harding '67