I Wanna Be a Beatnik

I'm getting tired of them people
Who keep asking what I'd like to be
Don't wanna be an engine driver, or even a deep sea diver
There's only one thing that appeals to me

I wanna be a beatnik like me brother
I wanna do the things that beatniks do
Wander 'round all day in sandals, sit in jazz clubs lit by candles
Then lay about 'til dawn comes creeping through

I wanna say goodbye to all convention
And live me life exactly how I please
Spend some nights in old bum houses, wear a pair of velvet trousers
With a big thick jumper way down past me knees

Then I'd never need to have another haircut
Well think of all the time and money that would save
I tried to grow a beard, but nothing's yet appeared
Though I've gone for weeks and weeks without a shave

But I wanna be a beatnik like me brother
I wanna feel footloose and fancy free
Read me poems 'neath the arches, go on "Ban the H-Bomb" marches
Then pretend I've studied Greek philosophy

Me parents try to stifle my ambitions
They send me out to find a job to do
Each employer that I meet shows me the door out to the street
With a "Don't phone me, I'll get in touch with you"

But all things done and everything considered
I thought it over very carefully
And I still wanna be a beatnik like me brother
'Cause that's the only one thing that appeals to me, oh yes
That's the only thing in life I wanna be