Philadelphia Cop

Walking to my girlfriend's in Telegraph with a hand full of roses
Stopped through a corner store, on the TV a Philadelphia cop shot by ISIS
30,000 people murdered in the USA in 2015
And when I go in the studio later today we're gonna put up a mic and about this I might sing
See I don't give a fuck about things like who's the best or the worst on Twitter
And the other social media, money-making scheme turning you into a zombie
Jerking you off, masturbator, procrastinator
While the kids in Silicon Valley take your money and say, "Can we get the check, waiter?"
While they bulldoze your favorite building in town and turn it into a fucking fruit shake maker
You got the brains to be the next Norman Mailer
You got the longevity to be the next Elizabeth Taylor
You got the class to be the next James fucking Spader
You got the swagger to be the next Stiv fucking Bator
But are you sitting on the toilet staring at your phone like a perfectly tailored, made-to-order puppet

I ain't no one's puppet, I ain't no one's puppet, I ain't no one's puppet, I ain't no one's puppet

I ain't no one's fucking puppet, I ain't no one's fucking puppet, I ain't no one's fucking puppet, I ain't no one's fucking puppet

Okay, so here I am, back home
I'm gonna read another chapter of this book, Beatlebone
The part so far that's made me the most smile is the page that has multiple uses, uses of the word "wily"
That's me, a wily motherfucker
Come to Massillon and that's what you get, sucker
Gimme a one out of five, a big fat ten
Give me a two, either way it's all after me
And to all of you I say:

"Oh my god, you're a music journalist! Do you get to go to SXSW?"

"Yeah, pretty much every year. I mean, the magazine I work for sends me out there."

"Oh my god, that sounds like such a blast."

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun. I mean, it's super hard to get into VIP-after-show parties but, I don't know, maybe if you tag along I might be able to get you in."

"Oh my god, you get to meet the bands?"

"Yeah, totally. I'm friends with Jim James, Dr. John Misty, a bunch of people. [notification sound] Hold on a second, Sufjan Stevens just texted me right now."

"Oh, no way. I love him. So do you get to wear laminate?"

"Yeah, I mean it makes me feel a little self-conscious but, you know, you sort have to, you know, get into certain shows."

"Oh my god, that's so cool!"

Let me ask you: do you own your own story
Being pimped the fuck out like a pay for a hoe
If you're a man in charge, claim you're a staunch feminist then give a woman your job or shut the fuck up
"Queen Bitch" is a cool David Bowie song
And so is "Rebel Rebel" and "Diamond Dogs"
Can you hear me to talking to you, Major Tom?
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one

Should my girl be knocking
When we see each other everything's stopping
Yes who my girl be knocking
When we see each other everything'll be stopping

Oh, how I love her
Oh, how I love her

I'm watching Cocaine Cowboys Part Three
Girlfriend will be here at 7:00 then we're gonna go see a movie
Next week, got me a show in LA
Just had a nice dinner at the Elite Cafe
Walk to the movie and decide to skip our plan
Came back, turned on the TV, and watch The Falcon and the Snowman
All the way to the end, where they're walking side by side
Ankle chains in prison
And we watched a show on the Mongols with Lisa Ling hosting

Then we watched some shit about Satanists
Taking over Detroit
I gotta say, Detroit being taken over by Satanists was pretty soft stuff

Now it's 3:03 AM and the rain is pouring down
When I wake in the morning all I care about is that you're around
Now it's 3:04 AM and the rain is pouring down
When you're beside me, that's all I care about

Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I love you

Woke up, went to the studio
Came back and turned on CNN
David Bowie had died, there's a picture of El Chapo shaking hands with Sean Penn
Goddamn, like I said, we watched The Falcon and the Snowman the night before
With Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton
Bowie song played while the falcon soared
This isn't America, oh
This isn't America, oh

I woke up again, went to the studio and I
I tuck myself away
I sang a song in honor of my father
And I sang Roy Harper's "Another Day"
The piano, just like the nylon string guitar
It makes me sleepy
And I find myself in bed early for me, about 11:30
Bowie's face kept repeating over, and over, and over, and over again
A video of one of my earliest heroes laying in a hospital bed
And more and more, Sean Penn shaking hands with El Chapo
That motherfucker killed ten times more people than Jim Fucking Jones
That motherfucker killed more people than that
Plus Waco
That motherfucker killed more people than that crazy fuck did on the Norwegian island Utøya and Oslo

Go back to the other part now
Go back to the other part now

As I probably took 5:00 AM, talk to a friend
Who'd met Bowie back in '97
The Bowie's fiftieth birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden
My first listen was during the summer between the second and third grade
I flew to see my grandma and my stepgrandfather down in LA
I played the song "Young Americans" over and over and over on the airplane
The song chugged along like a train, the backup singers wailed
And the saxophone sang
I'm in Room 214, Normandie hotel, Koreatown, Los Angeles
Me and my band played last night, we played David Bowie's "Win"
I think we did it justice
And I talked briefly about the first time that I heard his soulful voice on that flight
I was among my friends and my fans and I got to sing
It was a really nice night
"Young Americans"
"Win"
"Fascination"
"Right"
"Can You Hear Me"
"Across the Universe"
"Fame"

Somebody up there likes me
And he was up on the eleventh floor
Watching the cruisers below
David Bowie was original and that's the part that spoke to me the most

Ooh, alright
Ooh
Ooh, alright
Ooh

Just back from a play starring Rainn Wilson
Thom Pain (Thom Pain)
He pulled it off brilliantly and tomorrow I'm getting on a plane (getting on a plane)
Now I'm back at home, reading Beatlebone
6:29 AM (6:29 AM)
A work of fiction sorta based on John Lennon
Running from fame (running from fame)
But now I'm at home, stayed up late
Waiting for Deontay Wilder to fight (Deontay Wilder to fight)
I was so tired from the show and the construction at the hotel that started when it got late (when it got late)
Now it's 3:08 PM, January 17th (January 17th)
It's Muhammad Ali's birthday and I'm gonna watch When We Were Kings (When We Were Kings)
Now it's late, January 19th
Glenn Frey died, so did Lemmy
It happens in threes (it happens in threes)
But more gonna die this year, it's around the corner
You'll see (you'll see)
And I stayed up late that night, locking night out
Working like a worker bee (working like a worker bee)
Then when day, Lord, I watched the Marlon Brando documentary

And it's 4:36 AM
And the rain is pouring
And tomorrow, like always
I'm gonna be recording
And it's 4:37 AM and the rain is pouring
Tomorrow's gonna be another fantastic voyage
And it's 4:37 AM and the rain is pouring
And tomorrow's gonna be another fantastic voyage

Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I love you
Oh, how I love you