Dan Bern

Dan Bern Dan Bern Lyrics
1.Jerusalem

When I tell you that I love you
Don't test my love
Accept my love don't test my love
Cause maybe I don't love you all that much

Don't ask what kind of music I'm gonna play tonight
Just stay awhile
Hear for yourself awhile
And if you must put me in a box
Make sure it's a big box
With lots of windows
And a door to walk through
And a nice high chimney
So we can burn burn burn
Everything that we don't like
And watch the ashes
Fly up to Heaven
Maybe all the way to India
I'd like that

All the ancient kings came to my door
They said, 'Do you want to be an ancient king too?'
I said, 'Oh yes, very much
But I think my timing's wrong'
They said, 'Time is relative
Or did you misread Einstien?'
I said, 'Do you really mean it?'
They said, 'What do you think we come here for
Our goddamn health or something?'

Everybody's waiting for the messiah
The Jews are waiting
The Christians are waiting
Also the Muslims
It's like everybody's waiting
They've been waiting a long time
I know how I hate to wait
Like even for a bus or something
An important phone call
So I can imagine
How darned impatient
Everybody must be getting

So I think it's time now
Time to reveal myself
I am the Messiah
I am the Messiah
I am the Messiah

Yes, I think you heard me right
I am the Messiah
I was gonna wait till next year
Build up the suspense a little
Make it a really big surprise
But I could not resist
It's like when you got a really big secret
You're just bursting to tell someone
It was kinda like that with this
And now that I've told you
I feel this great weight lifted
Dr. Nusbaum was right
He's my therapist
He said get it out in the open

I spent ten whole days in Jerusalem
Mmmm Jerusalem
Sweet Jerusalem
And all I ate was olives
Nothing but olives
Mountains of olives
It was a good ten days
I like olives
I like you too

So when I tell you that I love you
Don't test my love
Accept my love
Don't test my love
'Cause maybe I don't love you all that much


2.Go To Sleep

Enough of this throat singing already
If you wanna sing two notes at once
Why don't you do like everyone else
Get a multi-track machine
Lay 'em down separately
Make a little harmony
Maybe a bass track
Like one from the Rolling Stones
None of this long lost art
This archaic stuff
Go out and make something

If you wanna make some dough
You oughta invest in my company
We're putting barcodes
On the fetuses
Using ultrasound
And laser technology
We used to do babies
But some of them still got mixed up
This takes care of that

My love, go to sleep
We'll wake you tomorrow
My love, go to sleep
We'll wake you tomorrow

There's some tomatoes
Chemically engineered
They come out square
To fit in boxes
There's some people
Chemically engineered
They come out square
To fit in boxes
I'm sitting on the roof today
All by myself
Not saying nothing
To no one
I'm sitting on the roof today
All by myself
Not saying nothing
Goodbye

My love go to sleep
We'll wake you tomorrow
My love go to sleep
We'll wake you tomorrow


3.Wasteland

I saw the best of my generation playing pinball
Make-up on, all caked up
Looking like some kind of china doll
With all of Adolf Hitler's moves down cold
As they stood up in front
Of a rock and roll band
And always moving upward and ever upward
To this gentle golden promised land
With the smartest of them all
Moonlighting as a word processor
And the strongest of them all
Checking IDs outside a saloon
And the prettiest of all
Taking off her clothes
In front of men
Whose eyes look like they were in some little hick town
Near Omaha
Watching the police chief
Run his car off the side of a bridge

I saw a men with dreams
Like the ones I'd had
Beg quarters outside the Seven-Eleven
Till it got so they didn't affect me anymore
Than the mailboxes I'd passed
'Cept that sometimes
I'd put somthing in the mailbox

I'd had the wind at my back
Now I felt it cold in my face
And for an awful long time now
You were the only one who ever
Called me late at night
And I really never noticed
Till after you stopped calling
And the emptiness
And silence
Got so heavy

Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the promised land
Broken up in Disneyland
Broken up in the plastic land
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland

I saw dead Marilyn Monroe
Strung up on every street corner in Hollywood
Like some two bit whore
Offering a discount rate
And I wondered how Joe Dimaggio felt
I saw dead James Dean's ghost
Wandering the sidewalk looking troubled
And I wondered how his mama felt
I saw signs that said 'Headshots done for cheap'
Signs that said 'Extras wanted, top dollars paid'
Signs for 'Haircuts'
Signs for 'Manicures'
And signs for 'Tanning salons'
And signs for 'Wardrobe specialists'
Signs for 'Cosmetic surgery'
And signs for 'Assertiveness training'
And I stopped to read them all

And every single block
Looked like every single block
Looked like every single block
Looked like every single block
But she kept driving
'Cause everyone else kept driving
And cause gridlock is evil
And not knowing anywhere is evil

And those that had money
Looked good but weren't too happy
And those who didn't have money
Didn't look so good and weren't too happy either
And in a city of three million
Two hundred and sixty nine thousand
Nine hundred eighty four
Everyone was lonely

Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the promised land
Broken up in Disneyland
Broken up in the plastic land
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland

And I watched as everyone I knew
Spent their lives
Trying to be watched on stage
Watched on film
Or listened to on a record
And they thought
'Well, maybe that way
I could get a little love out of this life'
And I watched as the best of my generation
Abandoned their dreams
And settled for making a little money
I watched TV
Read the papers
Listend to the radio
And made all the fancy scenes
And said all the right words
And wore all the right clothes
And knew the names of the hip people
But I still felt out of touch
So I stopped watching TV
And reading the papers
And listening to the radio
And making the fancy scenes
And saying the right words
And wearing the right clothes
And knowing the names of the hip people
And I felt more out of touch than ever
But I didn't care anymore

And I felt you slipping away
And I felt myself slipping from you
And I wanted more than anything else
For it to rain for one whole day
Like it used to
But all there ever was was sun
Relentless sun
Hot beating sun
And everyone wore their sunglasses
And walked around like flies
Under magnifyng glass
With their eyes removed

Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the promised land
Broken up in Disneyland
Broken up in the plastic land
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland
Broken up in the wasteland


4.Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller
Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller
Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller
Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller

But if she did
He'd a taken her to Paris
And if she did
She'd have smoked a lot of opium
And if she did
She'd have dyed her hair blue
And if she did
She might be alive

Oh-ohh Henry Miller
Oh-ohh Marilyn Monroe
Oh-ohh Henry Miller
Oh-ohh Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller
She lived outside the Tropic of Capricorn
Marilyn Monroe didn't marry Henry Miller
I don't even know if she knew Henry Miller

But if she did
He'd a taken her to Paris
And if she did
They'd have fucked every day
And if she did
She'd have felt like a woman
Not a photogragh
In a magazine

Oh-ohh Henry Miller
Oh-ohh Marilyn Monroe

This is not a knock against Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman is my favorite play
But Marilyn Monroe
Should have married Henry Miller
And if she did
She might be alive

Cause if she did
He'd have taken her to Paris
Tied her to the bed
And eaten dinner off of her
And okay maybe
she'd have died the same, anyway
But if she did
she'd have had more fun

Oh-ohh Henry Miller
Oh-ohh Marilyn Monroe
Oh-ohh Henry Miller
Oh-ohh Marilyn Monroe


5.King of the World

Well, they elected me
King of the World
I said, 'Here's what I'm gonna do
Send everybody over to China
Except for me and you
Strip ourselves naked
Go to Beverly Center
Watch movies and eat Cinnabons'
I think I'm gonna like
Being king of the world
For a change

They said, 'As king of the world
You can have anything
Your greedy royal heart desires'
I said, 'All I really want
Is some wide open space
Where I can set forest fires
I want peace and quiet
I want nudity
I want sex and wine and love'
They said 'So let it be written,
Your highness,
So let it be done'

I am the king
The king of the world
It could have been you
But it's me
I'm suprised you didn't hear about it
It was on the cover of newsweek
November 1993

As king of the world
I'll occasionally go
To China to visit you guys
You don't have to be afraid
I don't need you to bow down
I'm not God
I'm just the king, I realize
Well, it might be nice though
If you'd kiss me feet
And call me, 'All knowing leader of men'
If you were king of the world
I'm sure you'd want the same
For yourself

I am the king of the world
King of the world
Can you believe my luck
I'm king of the world


6.Too Late To Die Young

The day the Elvis died
Was like a mercy killing
America breathed
A sigh of relief
We knew all about the drugs
And the Vegas shows
And there wasn't much of anything
That looked like grief

And I guess he shoulda done
Like James Dean did
'Stead of putting on weight
And sinking down, down, down
Easier to take
If he had just skidded straight
To souvenir city
And T-shirt town

And sometimes I wish
I was smarter that I am
But I'm on my 3rd city
And I'm on my 4th car
And I'm on my 5th apartment
And so many of my days have sprung

And now it's too late to crash
Too late to burn
Too late to die young

If Pete Rose had exploded
Like Roberto Clemente
He'd be hanging in the Hall of Fame
Without fail
Can you name the last good film
Marlon Brando made
While trying to keep his kid
From going to jail
And the old people
On the street are telling you
'Don't become like me'
But every day
You creep a little bit closer

And I guess we shoulda done
Like James Dean did
'Stead of putting on weight
And sinking down, down, down
Easier to take
If he had just skidded straight
To souvenir city
And T-shirt town

And sometimes I wish
I was smarter that I am
But I'm on my 3rd city
And I'm on my 4th car
And I'm on my 5th apartment
And so many of my days have sprung

And now it's too late to crash
Too late to burn
Too late to die young


7.Rome

We pulled into Rome
With blood in our eyes
After days of travelin'
Months of lies
Taking our various
Turns at the wheel
Taking booze
And pot and cigarettes
Anything not to feel
No one had slept
No one had eaten
Our bodies were bad
Our spirits were beaten
Together we dragged
All of us down
As we staggered through Rome
Blaming the town
Blaming the students
For worship of others
Blaming the cops
And blaming their brothers
And never quite looking
Ourselves in the heart
And minute by minute
Growing further apart

Julia, Julia
Where have you gone?
Why have you vanished
Off of my lawn?
Julia, Julia
Where is your truck?
Where have you driven
With all of my luck?

But even old bull fighters,
Their grave stones in sight,
Must search 'till they unearth
One last bull to fight
And so it was with us,
So near to the end
One last story to tell
One last hill to defend
One glance to avoid
One guitar to strum
One untruth to be told
One last song to be sung
And you, the most brilliant,
Most driven, most keen,
Jewel of a bastard
I ever have seen
And you and your turn
A good bitch of the nile
So real to the end
Nothing left to defile
And me in the middle,
Along for the ride,
The unwilling distraction
From familiocide
And knowing our weaknesses
No one refrained,
From picking
And prodding
'Till nothing remained

Julia, Julia
Where have you gone?
Why have you vanished
Off of my lawn?
Julia, Julia
Where is your truck?
Where have you driven
With all of my luck?

And now in this kitchen
Miles from home
Miles from anything
Miles from Rome
Rome was a bust
Rome was a scream
Rome was the final
Rapid eye movement
To this dream
We scattered like leaves
Like pieces of dust
Warriors watching
Their swords and shields rust
And now as we descend
To couches and clocks
To closets and appointments
Let us drink to the rocks
Let us drink to the sand
To the winds which have blowed us
Let us drink to the rivers
Let us drink to the road

And if you travel this far
From either conscience or greed
Have one piece of advice
That I think you should heed
If ever your travels
Take you this far from home
Consult your map carefully
Stear clear of Rome

Julia, Julia
Where have you gone?
Why have you vanished
Off of my lawn?
Julia, Julia
Where is your truck?
Where have you driven
With all of my luck?


8.I'm Not the Guy

You can categorize me
Lump me with the others
If that's the way you wanna play
You can say that the way it's been
Is exactly
The way that it's gotta be
And I'll make you feel right
If you gotta feel right
Well if you're willing to live truthfully
I think you'll see
That, Babe, I'm not the guy Who hurt you
Many years ago

I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy

Babe, what are you seeing?
When you look in my eyes
Maybe someone from a magazine
Is that someone who hurt you?
You don't gotta explain it
I used to read that magazine myself
But last night in the kitchen, yeah
I cancelled my subscription, yeah
And maybe you'll believe me, Babe
That you don't need to carry yours
Around anymore

'Cause I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy

I'm not the guy who made you crawl into the shell
I'm not the guy who threw your heart against the wall
I'm not the guy who made you feel like all you did was lost
I'm not the guy who loved you, Babe, and kept his fingers
crossed

I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy

I'm not the guy who tried to hide his wedding ring
I'm not the guy who disappeared after the spring
I'm not the guy who took care of you for a weekend stay
I'm not the guy who loved you babe, and took his love away

I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy

I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy
I'm not the guy


9.Never Fall in Love

I got 36-foot insulation in my house
Wear 14 pairs of long underwear
Stick tape inside my ears
Cover myself with five bedspreads

I spend every morning in an isolation tank
Spend every afternoon high up in a tree
Spend every evening with one of those things over my eyes
Like in virtual reality

I'll never fall in love again

I got a walkman on my head every step I take
Put thorazine in my morning coffee break
Won't feed the birds bread boys, let them eat cake
I'll lock my doors, click click click bang bang
When I'm not awake

When I'm walking down the street
Don't make me meet your sister, Pete,
When there's a knock knockin at my door
I'll just sit here on the floor

I'll run 26 miles a day straight up hills
Work overtime to pay all of my hospital bills
I'll spray black spray paint on my windowsills
I'll make a million dollars leave you outta my will

I'll never fall in love again


10.Estelle

I was painting a still life this morning
Of a throat lozenge sitting on a copy
Of Tropic of Cancer
The only thing weird about it
Is that a year ago,
I never thought I'd paint anything again
I decided I wasn't ever gonna paint again
It didn't bother me too much
Warhol's dead,
David Hockney's still alive
I don't need to paint

I painted over ten thousand paintings
Sad ones, funny ones, dark ones, and light ones
I've done haystacks
And rich old ladies by their pools
Wearing nothing but a scarf
I've painted everything there was to paint
Now it was time to sit back
Give interviews
Hang out at club med
Get on the internet
Take stock of what I've done

You know, the best friend I ever had was a dog
It sounds like a cliche unless it's happened to you
Some days that dog was the only reason I even got out of bed
That dog went everywhere with me
And then I heard the crack addicts
Were stealin' dogs and selling them for animal research
It sounded like an urban myth to me
Like the mouse in the Coke bottle
But I started leavin' her at home after that
You know, Paula was my wife for a while
She ran off to Paris with the great grandson of Van Gogh
A cartoonist who did fashion graphics for Le Monde
When Paula left she took my dog
I never saw her again
Except in the court during the custody battle
She won and got to keep the dog
And I didn't speak to anyone for months

You know sometimes it feels
Like there's so much that you need
Sometimes the world is upside down
Sometimes it feels
Like the only thing you need
Is holdin' someone's hand as you walk through town

I started hanging around with Dino
He used to run a poker game back east
Now he sells cappuccino to his old pals
Tommy Chicago and Jimmy the Wig and Ugly Rose

You know the best person I ever knew
Was a Mormon woman named Estelle
She still calls me drunk every few months
And asks me stuff I don't want to talk about
You can't talk to her very long unless you're drunk yourself
Then we go all night

She says, 'Why baby, why baby, why baby, why
Have you turned your back on love?
You had so many chances
Why have you let 'em all go by?'

Well, one morning I was sitting in front of Dino's place
with Jake the Shears, a guy from Philly
Who gives free mohawks
There were a couple of young painters
I was hopin' to come by
So I could give 'em some advice
Yeah, I was sittin' there updating my list of enemies
When this girl walks in
And the universe kind of stops
Turned out she drank the same tea as me
It don't take more than that to start a conversation sometimes
She believed collage was the greatest of all the arts
And was busy pasting pictures of horses
Next to ads for laundry soap
Next to Mohammed Ali
She had a turquoise in her ear
And said Rachmaninoff was always in her head

Later that day I was trying to describe her to Jimmy the Wig
I couldn't find any words
And I realized I'd started to sketch her chin
Somehow it didn't look right
I scratched it out and tried it again
I filled an entire pad
I threw it away, I never even came close

For six days I sat at Dino's place
The rain wouldn't quit and no one came in
Finally on the seventh day it cleared
And in she walked
I asked her to sit with me
And ibought her a cup of tea
And I asked her to model for me sometime
That afternoon I was at a canvas
She was wearing a yellow dress
I swore if she let me, I'd get it right

I've painted over ten thousand paintings
Sad ones, funny ones, dark ones, and light ones
But sitting there, it was like I couldn't even
Write my own name
I apologized and said, 'It's been a few months
If you have patience, I'll get the hang of it again'
In the next few weeks, I painted her hundreds of times
If I get the nose right, the chin's too long
If I get 'em both right, the face is too thin
But I keep after it and one day
I get it all right

I painted a still life this morning
Of a throat lozenge
sitting on a copy of Tropic of Cancer
The only weird thing about it
Is I never thought
I'd paint anything again
I think I might go visit Estelle
Those Utah mountains are good for the soul
I'll bring my brushes
And some Jack Daniels
And we can make up for lost time

She said, 'Why baby, why baby, why baby why?
Have you turned your back on love
You had so many chances
Why do you let 'em all go by?
Why baby, why baby, why baby why?
Have you turned your back on love
You had so many chances
Why do you let 'em all go by?'

Sometimes it seems like there's so much that you need
Sometimes the world is upside down
Sometimes it seems like the only thing you need
Is holdin' someone's hand as you walk through town


11.Queen

Do you got to be a queen all your life
Are you gonna take that crown off your head
Are you ever gonna come to bed
Do you got to be a queen all your life

Do you plan on speaking in this year
Are you gonna keep everything inside
Are you gonna keep all your great thoughts to yourself
Do you got to be a queen all your life

Get off your throne
I'm alone
Get off your throne
I'm walking and moaning
I'm dying alone

Do you got to be a queen all your life
Do you got to cake on one more layer of make-up everyday
Are you ever gonna tell me what you want me to do or say
Do you gotta be a queen all your life