1957

[Verse One]
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed
Devoid of conviction, conflicted, annoyed
Kicked at and worn down. Six Six Six
Beat. Looking for the next quick fix
Unpopular prophets with problems
Up against angels in disguise who want to rob them;
Who didn’t want to end up crushed by God’s embrace
In the age of the cold wind blowing and dogs in space;
Who’s faces are fading. They’re the loneliest drunk
In empty rooms haunted by Thelonious Monk
Felonious punks and plate glass squares
That see empty eyes that look straight past theirs
Street walking cheetahs with a gun in each hand
Who are lost at sea and are desperate to reach land
Orpheus descending. Swimming in the crooked waters
Hello Sid Vicious, goodbye Brooklyn Dodgers...

[Hook]
No joke. Hit the low note
We all go to heaven in a little row boat

[Verse Two]
1957 Chevy Bel Air. Interior velvet especially
Bloody probably. Stereo: Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley
Black Flame Trilogy. Quadruple louder bass
Battle sites. Little Rock. Satellites in outer space
Words won’t help but a few bucks can
Crew cuts and black leather. Ku Klux Klan
Men wear hats. In fact, harems are shared
Opiates addicted to and parents scared
The underground is real. Delivered greens to river queens
Perpetual motion of free-thinkers and libertines
Who suffer alone all night with pains
Hooked on drums and who fight with chains
It’s Faulkner and Baldwin. Insult and curse reality
Spy vs. spy and the cult of personality
What can the numbers and the words in my head mean?
Killroy was here and so was Buster Crab and Ed Gein

[Hook]

[Verse Three]
The pen keeps moving in attempt to sink the jingoes
Fight ‘em with hula hoops, frisbees and pink flamingoes
Up running all night. Late sleep ordered
‘Have gun will travel’. Great leap forward
Man on the corner with dark glasses free and preaching
Appetite is monstrous. Diet is Dionysian.
All over the world, so much peril in one show
Playwright Arthur Miller marries Marilyn Monroe.
Hard rain falling. Babies sleeping in God’s palms
Alarm clocks ringing. Warrior monks and bomb squads
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Clairvoyants and mediums
Believers in nothing. Speed freaks and bohemians
Red is the new black. Identity files
Rebels and grand dragons. Obscenity trials
Lolita and Bobby Fisher country. No part is red
Just black and white. Humphrey Bogart is dead

[Hook]