Black Wax (1983) - full transcript

- Oh, thank you very much.

Needed that.

(jazz music playing)

♪ What's that music

♪ That's playin' on the radio?

♪ Say what's that music?

♪ I hear it everywhere I go

♪ I don't think I've ever seen

♪ Another music that
could make me feel

♪ Like that music

♪ Playin' in my heart



♪ Time to time the
darkness come along

♪ To terrorize the weak
and challenge the strong

♪ Storm is coming,
it grows on the waves

♪ From Johannesburg
to Montego Bay

♪ What's that music

♪ Playin' on the radio?

♪ What's that music?

♪ I hear it and I got to know

♪ And I don't think
I've ever heard

♪ A sweeter feelin' in
the whole wide world

♪ Than that music

♪ Playin' in my heart

♪ And justice is comin'
on the wings of the storm

♪ We resist in the present



♪ For those yet unborn

♪ Freedom is spreading
it's wings like a bird

♪ The message it carries
has got to be heard

♪ What's that music

♪ Playin' on the radio?

♪ Hey, what's that music

♪ Playin' everywhere I go?

♪ I don't think I've ever heard

♪ A sweeter feelin' in
the whole wide world

♪ Than that music

♪ Playin' in my heart

- Two.

- Yeah, I forget what Washington

did on the Potomac, this
is the Potomac, God.

Black folks will
sometimes refer to that

as the Poto-mac.

This is, this is the Potomac.

(jazz piano)

Saw a duck floatin' out
there a little while ago,

somebody said, yeah,
when Reagan is in charge

we're all ducks.

Dead ducks, you dig it?

♪ Symbols of democracy

♪ Are pinned against the coast

♪ Outhouse of bureaucracy
surrounded by a moat

♪ Citizens of poverty
are barely out of sight

♪ The overlords
escape in the evening

♪ The brothers on the night

♪ Morning comes and
brings the tourists

♪ Straining rubber necks

♪ To catch a glimpse of
the cowboy makin' the world

♪ A nervous wreck

♪ It's a mass of irony
for all the world to see

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's the nation's capital

♪ it's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ Mm-hmm

- If I had to define myself,
and people often ask me,

you know, what it is that I do,

I would have to say that
I am a blues-ologist.

(audience murmurs approval)

And this is a
scientist's concern

with the origins of the blues.

Like, you know it's a science
'cause you see the "ology"

on the end of it.

This just makes
everything scientific.

The way that I
got my background,

and the things that make
me qualified for this

is that first of all,
I was born in Chicago.

- [Audience member] Right on.

(scattered applause)

And before I moved to D.C.,
I've been living in D.C. now

for about 10 years, but
before I moved to D.C.

I was certain that the only way

you could get a head
start on everybody else

in terms of the blues was
to be born in Chicago.

'Cause like we went through
Chicago about 6 weeks ago,

they said it was two degrees
and they were lookin' for them.

(laughter)

So there's definitely,

definitely the blues in Chicago.

When I was eight
months old, I escaped,

bag and baggage, to a town
called Jackson, Tennessee.

And Jackson, Tennessee,
for those who do not know,

is located about 85
miles east of Memphis.

I was also about 50 miles
north of Mississippi.

There was nothin' we
could do about that.

We thought about movin' to town.

'Cause they see,
when I was growin' up

they used to have
this old joke, says,

what has four eyes
and will never see?

And the answer was
always "Mississippi."

(laughter)

Most folks felt that Mississippi
was the home of the blues,

and when I was being
raised down there,

the people that we
listened to on the radio,

like the folks we listened
to, popular people now,

were the blues-icians.

John Lee Hooker, Earl
Hooker, Jimmy Reed,

Jimmy Witherspoon, Lightening
Hopkins, B.B. King,

these were the people
everybody kept up with,

and the blues was
the music of the day.

When I was 13, I moved
to New York City.

And I walked around for
about six months like...

(laughter)

I couldn't believe
New York City,

but they was zippin' every
which way simultaneously.

Somebody told me the
other night, if you gave

people from New York some speed,

they would all go into a nod.

(laughter)

You know, couldn't make it,

too low-key for them.

I mean, I still feel the
same way, I just learned

to keep my mouth closed.

(laughter)

It still amazed
the hell out of me.

You know, but when
you move somewhere,

the first thing
that you try to do

is get in touch with
the music, you know,

find out where the music is

you're gonna be groovin' on, so,

I set the radio on, turned it
all the way down to the right,

over there where they keep
the black people's music.

(laughter)

That's just a coincidence.

(laughter)

Everywhere you go, we be
over in this corner here.

You know, somewhere north
of 13th, you'll find...

(laughter)

(laughs)

You know, turn over there.

And I couldn't find
no black music.

I could not find the blues,

I was wondering what
the hell was goin' on.

I said, well you know, I
come from Jackson, Tennessee,

and this is New
York, maybe I need

a longer radio.

(laughter)

Turn, B.B. King is right
over there, right on

the other side of 16.

So I went out into the street,

and I run into one of the
brothers on the avenue,

I said brother, look
here, what's happening,

where can I find the blues?

He said, well hell, you
don't have to do nothin',

just stand here.

(laughter)

New York City.

You don't have to be Sherlock
Holmes to find the blues.

It'll find you.

(laughter)

Did a poem called
"Painted Black,"

'cause people used to ask
me what the difference was

between Jackson, Tennessee
and New York City,

and I'd say about
five, 600 miles.

Truth was, it went a whole
lot deeper than that.

And the description of the
poem was something like this,

Picture a man of nearly 30,
who appears twice as old

with clothes torn and dirty.

Give him a job shining shoes

or cleaning out toilets
with bus station crews.

Give him six children
with nothing to eat,

and expose him to life
on the ghetto street.

Tie a little rag
around his wife's head

and have her pregnant,
lying in bed.

Stuff all eight of these
people in a D.C. house

and then tell them how
bad things are down south.

That was "Painted Black."

(jazz bass solo)

- Hi.

Got a rhythm comin' through
here, y'all comin' here

it's like,

♪ Them brother livin' in a cell

♪ Doin' time at the county jail

♪ Now you might think
your life is hell

♪ But he told me

♪ That's the first room
he ever had to himself

♪ Stop and think about it, say

♪ Waiting for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord,
I think that's all

♪ So when your head
is in the noose

♪ And won't nobody
turn you loose

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall

♪ What I said

(bass solo)

♪ Brother served in Vietnam

♪ And found out
no on gives a damn

♪ Agent Orange fell on his camp

♪ Brother George was taken

♪ Got a brother
lookin' for Uncle Sam

♪ And saluting them you're

♪ Waiting for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord,
I think that's all

♪ 'Cause when your
head is on the block

♪ And ain't no way
for you to stop

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall

(saxophone solo)

♪ Sister on the welfare line

♪ Was examining the
threads of her life

♪ She never thought she'd
be cheatin' and lyin'

♪ To make sure her
and her kids survive

♪ She'd do anything

♪ Waiting for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord,
I think that's all

♪ Said when your
head is in a noose

♪ And won't nobody
turn you loose

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall

♪ Nay, one more, say

(bass solo)

♪ Last night grandma
sure got shook

♪ 'Cause someone
grabbed her pocketbook

♪ She feel like

♪ She ain't safe
in the neighborhood

♪ 'Cause too many
young'ns up to no good

♪ They sick and tired

♪ Of waiting for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord,
I think that's all

♪ Said when your
head is in the noose

♪ And won't nobody
turn you loose

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ Standin' round and waiting

♪ Worried but we're waiting

♪ No bad down the way

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ And waiting, and
waiting, and waiting

♪ Waiting for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord,
I think that's all

♪ Said when your
head is on the block

♪ Ain't no way for it to stop

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall

♪ It seem like we're waiting

♪ Standing round and waiting

♪ Nervous, but we're waiting

♪ No bad time for the waiting

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ Seem like we're waiting

♪ Seem like we, seem
like it, seem like it,

♪ Seem like it

♪ Oh, we're waiting
for the ax to fall

♪ And sometimes, Lord
I think that's all

♪ Said when your
head is in the noose

♪ And won't nobody
turn you loose

♪ You're waiting
for the ax to fall ♪

- Thank you very much.

(applause)

Waiting for the ax to fall.

♪ May not have the glitter
or the glamour of L.A.

♪ It may not have the history
or the intrigue of Bombay

♪ But when it comes
to makin' music

♪ And sure enough makin' news

♪ People who just
don't make sense

♪ And people makin' do

♪ Seems a mass of contradiction

♪ Pulling different ways

♪ Between the folks
have come and go

♪ And the one's
who've got to stay

♪ It's a mass of irony
for all the world to see

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C. ♪

- So I wanted to
contribute myself.

I was writing down and puttin'
all the categories together,

I ain't got no money, I
ain't got no job blues,

I ain't got no woman blues,
then I said wait a minute,

see I don't want to
waste no categories.

The "I ain't got
no money" blues,

the "I ain't got no job" blues,

the "I ain't got
no woman" blues,

hell, them the same thing.

(laughter)

'Cause if I could get me a job,

I could make me some money,
I could call me a lady.

(cheering and applause)

I'd be doin' a
whole bunch better.

So I put them all in
the same category.

But I wrote other
pieces of blues,

blues information.

Because what had
happened was that

I had found out later
on, unfortunately,

in my education about
people like Langston Hughes.

About people like
Sterling Brown.

About people like Countee
Cullen and Gene Tuma

and Claude McKay.

And these people
had taken the blues

as a poetry form back
in the '20s and the '10s

during the Harlem Renaissance,

and they had
fine-tuned the blues.

They sanded it down so it became

a remarkable sort of art form.

But what happened is
that in many instances

we didn't learn about them.

We learned about
the kind of poetry

that nobody can understand,

like on 17th street
and ninth avenue

when I was a teenager,
man we didn't want

to hear nothing about poetry.

Somebody say something
about poetry,

we say, oh yeah, where's he at?

(laughter)

We don't know him.

'Cause we into
shootin' the jumper.

And that was damn near all.

So in the ninth
grade, like a teacher

sneaked up on up
us and put these

pieces of paper on the
table, told everybody

to read 'em, and then tell
her what we though about it.

So I said, well it's all right.

Said, I'll try it.

I looked at the poem, poem said,

"What now outside
the wall I see,

"shadow of an image me."

I said, God damn, I'm
gonna read this again.

(laughter)

"What now outside the walls..."

And at the back of
the room somebody say,

hey, this must be deep.

You know, like
this must be deep.

It's like a drape that
we throw over everything.

Like what "this
must be deep" means,

like I recognize all of
these words individually...

(laughter)

But damn if I can get anything

out of the order in which
they currently appear.

This must be deep.

I mean, 'cause you
think it must be deep,

it's in this book, you
say well why the hell

would they put it in this book
if it didn't mean nothin'?

'Cause on them, if you
read that and it don't

mean nothin' to you, you say,
hey, this must be nonsense.

But you don't wanna say that

with the teacher standing
right next to you.

Say, why you give me this?

You know?

(laughter)

So you say, hey,
this must be deep.

(laughter)

And what happens is
that when a lot of folks

get ready to write poetry,
that's what they decide

they gonna be, deep.

They decide they
gonna be poetic.

So they come up to me, people
come up to me sometimes,

say hey, read my poem.

I read it.

"What now outside
the wall I see."

(laughter)

And all I can say to them
is hey, this must be deep.

(clapping)

Because like being influenced

by the kind of poetry
that we were all

introduced to,
people feel as though

the way to be poetic
is to make sure

that there's
certain little parts

that can't nobody understand.

Why would you need a
poet to make things

more complex?

Two winos can make
things more complex.

(laughter)

One of 'em say to the other one,

well, is...

(slurring nonsense)

(laughter)

And the other one look at
him right serious and say,

Yeah.

And they communicated, you see?

If communication is
what it's all about.

As far as most people
sittin' around watching it,

it could have been two poets
talkin' to one another.

They didn't have a clue.

So the idea became
not only to use ideas

that were familiar to
people in the community,

but to use the language that
everybody could understand.

Course this poetry
was always put down

as street poetry, because,
of course, that's where

the people were.

People were on the street,
and those are the people

that you wanna communicate with.

Then an idea one
time about how often

it is that folks brother
and sister one another,

and how rare it is that
something actually comes

out of that that
people can grasp onto.

Did a poem about the
fact that oftentimes

the people who were
doin' the most talkin'

in the conversations
that you run into

around this neighborhood,
should be the ones

doin' the most listenin'.

Poem I did was called
"Billy Green is Dead."

The economy's in an uproar,

the whole damn
country's in the red.

The tax affairs
is goin' up, what?

You say Billy Green is dead?

The government can't
decide on bussin',

or at least that's
what they said,

yeah I heard you
when you told me,

you said that Billy
Green was dead,

but let me tell you
about these hot pants

that this beg-legged sister
wore when I was partying

the other night,

what you say, Billy
took an overdose?

Well now, junkies
will be junkies,

but did you see
Gunsmoke last night?

Man they had
themselves a shootout

and folks was dyin'
left and right.

At the end when Matt
was cornered I had damn

near give up hope.

Why you keep on interrupting me?

You say my son is taking dope?

Well then call the law
and call the doctor,

what you mean I
shouldn't scream?

My only son is on narcotics,

should I stand here
like I'm pleased?

Is that familiar to anybody?

Check out what's
inside your head.

You see, it never
seems to matter

when it's Billy
Green who's dead.

(applause)

We'd like to include y'all
in on a party if we could.

Brother Robert Gordon, who is
our secretary of entertainment

has been responsible
for the vibe-mosphere.

(keyboard and guitar playing)

That's a combination
of the vibrations

and the atmosphere, you see,

that permeates everything.

(audience member shouts)

Truth is that sometimes
the rhythm needs

to establish the party,

and we do have parties
from time to time.

In case there are those
of you who did not

receive your invitation,

it would've read
something like this.

♪ Well the rhymin' G

♪ Is the man to see

♪ Mother, RSVP, wanna
party, party, party

♪ The rhymin' G
is the man to see

♪ Mother, RSVP

♪ Wanna party, party, party

See, we wanna have
the kind of parties

where everybody can BYOT,

you know "bring your own thang."

And we don't like to place
too many restrictions on folks

but we do like to say
you got to be, well,

a skull and crossbones.

You see the skull and crossbones

can sneak up on you sometimes.

You at the party laying back,
being cool as you like to do

most of the time,

and all of a sudden
there's a hint

of a scent of mint

movin' through the air.

And skull and crossbones.

You see the only thing
that we have against

skull and crossbones, really,

is street corner chemistry.

Street corner chemists
are most responsible

for amnesia.

When they put that
shit together,

they can't remember
what's supposed to be

a little bit of this,
and a little bit of this,

and a lot of that.

Or was that

a lot...

♪ The rhymin' G
is the man to see

♪ Mother, RSVP, wanna party

♪ The new AD

You got to read the fine print

on the invitation, it
goes something like this.

♪ The rhymin' G
is the man to see

♪ Got to RSVP, wanna
party, but no AD ♪

Cause AD is what we remember
as skull and crossbones.

Used to be BC and AD,

that was the way folks
described the world.

BC was Before Christ

and AD was After the Death,

but AD has gone through changes.

Now skull and
crossbones removes you

of trying to unlock
doors that you thought

were somewhere behind you.

Trying to climb stairs
that just seem to

go up and up and up

and up...

Might have to bring you
a description that reads

something like this

which reminds you that you...

♪ Cracks in the
sidewalk seem to expand

♪ I can't get a walk

♪ It must be dust

♪ Flowers on the wallpaper chain

♪ The size and color, brother

♪ It must be dust

♪ I got my back against the wall

♪ I know there's
no one there at all

♪ But I'm lookin', dust

♪ Can't remember

♪ Conversation between me and me

♪ And me and dust

- We'd like to have
brother Robert Gordon,

the secretary of
entertainment do a little bit

of the melody, because we'd like

to have y'all help
us with the song

as we're going to do.

Like to have the chairman
of the vibe-mosphere

come together, the song
is called "Angel Dust."

(cheers from the audience)

(bass solo)

(clapping)

Everybody got their part?

Everybody got their part?

♪ Angel Dust

- Second time we get to
two, we gonna be lookin'

for everybody to help
us out a little bit.

Say one,

two,

one, two.

♪ Angel Dust

- One time, say it.

♪ Angel dust

Looking for a harmony
this time, y'all.

♪ Angel dust

- Come on, say it.

♪ Angel dust

♪ He was groovin'

♪ And that was when
he could've sworn

♪ The room was movin'

♪ Hey, but that was
only in his mind

♪ He was sailin'

♪ Never really seemed to notice

♪ Vision failin'

♪ Hey, 'cause that was
all part of the high

♪ Sweat was pourin'

♪ And he couldn't take it

♪ The room was exploding

♪ He might not make it, say

♪ Angel dust

♪ Pain to say, somebody help me

♪ Angel dust

♪ Don't mean nobody no good

♪ Angel dust

♪ And you won't remember
what you're missin'

♪ But down some dead end street

♪ There ain't no turnin' back

♪ The devil get away from dust

♪ Sometimes just pickin' up on

♪ Say dust

♪ And they were standin'

♪ Everybody in a circle

♪ The whole family

♪ And listening to
the preachers' words

♪ Sis was cryin'

♪ She alone knew the secret

♪ About his dyin'

♪ Tears fallin' to Earth

♪ Maybe it was her fault

♪ He was so trusting

♪ And God only knew why

♪ They were dustin'

♪ Angel dust

♪ Struck again
say, somebody help

♪ Angel dust

♪ It don't mean nobody no good

♪ Angel dust

♪ And you won't

♪ Remember what you missin'

♪ But down some dead end street

♪ There ain't no turnin' back

♪ You never get away

♪ Don't dust

♪ Say, somebody tell
my brother about dust

♪ And I ain't tryin'
to run your life

♪ Believe me, the dust

♪ Good Lord, it'll sure
enough do you wrong

♪ Down some dead end street

♪ There ain't no turnin'
back to back to back

♪ Run away from dust

♪ Somebody needs to tell
my sister about dust

♪ Don't mean nobody
no good, nowhere

♪ Say, and dust

♪ Mess with it long, it'll
sure enough do you wrong

♪ Down some dead end street

♪ Ain't no turning back

(applause and cheering)

Yeah you dig, thank
you very much.

When you're on a
tour of Washington,

let me tell you, those
tours are always the same.

They bring you around
to places like this,

they might even tell you

who the jackass is on the horse,

or the guy up on
top of the building,

but they never show you
the real Washington.

Should've been around
maybe the 15th of January.

That's when Stevie Wonder
was holdin' this rally.

It was about 50 000
people gathered there,

they were tryin' to
demonstrate and make

Dr. King's birthday
a national holiday.

But it's always the same.

The Capitol, the Hoover
Building, maybe sometimes

they would even show you
the Washington Monument,

but that's not a look
at the real Washington.

The one I'd like to show
you is something special.

You wanna see what's happening
in the nation's capital?

Come with me.

See most of the things that
happen in the nation's capital

happen in neighborhoods
just like this,

and unfortunately these
are the neighborhoods

that the people from Omaha
and the people from Kansas

and the people from
out in Indiana and Ohio

never get a chance to see.

So when there are protests
and demonstrations

and expressions of
concern about members

of communities like this,
people in the midwest

and other places who've been to

the nation's capital, they say,

why, those people in D.C.,
they're living so good,

they have it so great,
what could they possibly

be demonstrating about?

It's because the tour mobile
takes you to Joycetown.

The tour mobile takes
you to the Gold Coast.

The tour mobile never comes down

10th and V, 10th and W.

Tour mobile never gets over here

into the heart of the
city, and therefore

never has any real
contact with the people

who are the lifeblood
of this city.

♪ Seem to me,
still in light time

♪ People knifed
up on 14th street

♪ Makes me feel
always the right time

♪ 'Cause them people
should not be lovin' me

♪ Did make the one
seem kind of numb

♪ It's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital

♪ It's Washinton, D.C.

- We wrote a song
for the new album

that has raised a certain
number of questions,

particularly about the
former mayor of Philadelphia

who's name was Frank Rizzo.

The song that we wrote
was called "Gun."

And it had a lot to do with
Mayor Rizzo, rest in pieces.

(clapping and murmuring)

I say that 'cause
we just so glad

he ain't the mayor no more.

Frank Rizzo got on
TV one time and said

that he was gonna
collect all the handguns.

Personally, damn near.

And what he was gonna do
is he was gonna put up

these cardboard boxes
at the fire stations

and when you was in the
neighborhood and had a minute,

you supposed to come by
and drop your piece off

in the box.

So in the course
of about six weeks

he had one gun that
he had collected,

and it was in bad
need of repair.

So they went down and
South Philadelphia

and they asked the
brothers down there

exactly what the situation was,

had they heard what
they mayor said,

and they said, yeah, they heard.

And that as soon as the
police turned their guns in

(laughter)

they should come back and
ask them about it again.

So we would like to
do a song for you

about the American streets,
the song is called "Gun."

(clapping)

(jazz music playing)

♪ Brother man nowadays
livin' in the ghetto

♪ Where the dangers
sure enough are real

♪ Well if he's out late at night

♪ If he's got his head on right

♪ I lay you nine to five
he's walkin' with steel

♪ Brother man say he's
'fraid of gangsters

♪ Messing with
people just for fun

♪ Yeah sayin', he
don't want to be next

♪ He's got a family to protect

♪ Just last week he
bought himself a gun

♪ And everybody got a pistol

♪ Everybody got a .45

♪ And the philosophy seem to be

♪ At least as near
as I could see

♪ When the other
folks give up theirs

♪ I'll give up mine

♪ This is the
violent civilization

♪ If civilization's where I am

♪ Every channel that I stop on

♪ Got a different kind of cop on

♪ And killin' them by
the million for Uncle Sam

♪ But Saturday night
just ain't that special

♪ Yeah, I got the
constitution on the run

♪ 'Cause even though
we've got the right

♪ To defend our
home, defend our life

♪ Got to understand,
to get it in their head

♪ About the guns

♪ 'Cause everybody got a pistol

♪ Everybody got a .45

♪ Yeah, philosophy seems to be

♪ At least as near as I can see

♪ When the other
folks give up, give up

♪ Give up, if I give
up, if I give up, say

(guitar solo)

♪ Saturday night just
ain't that special

♪ Freedom to be
afraid is all you want

♪ You sayin', you don't
want to be next right now

♪ You've got a family to protect

♪ Nine of 10 you need
a friend, you got a gun

♪ And everybody got a pistol

♪ Everybody got a .45

♪ .38, .22, warnin' you

♪ Philosophy seems to be

♪ At least as near as I can see

♪ When the other
folks give up theirs

♪ I'll give up mine

♪ And everybody's got a pistol

♪ This mostly be the NRA

♪ Yeah, 'cause when
it's time to sign up

♪ You know damn well
they're gonna line up

♪ Everybody, everybody, say it

♪ Listen what we talkin' about

♪ Yeah, the
philosophy seem to be

♪ As least as near as I can see

♪ When the other
folks give up theirs

♪ I'll give up mine

There's some ghosts in
America's past, naturally.

People who have
been building blocks

to the history of this country,

and we haven't seen
very much of them

so far on our tour,
but believe you, me,

as soon as we take a turn around

another one or two
of these corners,

I'm gonna take you to a place

where all of them are still,

well I couldn't
say alive and well,

'cause eve when they were alive

a lot of 'em weren't
doing that well.

But at the very least I can say

that we can show you
some of the symbols

that we consider
when we talk about

the history of this
particular nation.

Come on, let's go.

Wow.

Yeah, they told me this
would be quite a surprise.

'Cause things have changed here

over the last two centuries,
it seems as though

things have gone even a
little bit further then

from Plymouth Rock to acid rock.

There are lots of pieces
of American history here,

got Betsy Ross, I suppose,
dealin' with the flag.

I once heard a suite one time

that was written by a guy
who's idea was called,

"How much nicer
it might have been

"if Plymouth Rock had
landed on the pilgrims."

Well I don't know if
I agree with all that,

but there are certain
indications of

a long past America here.

A clock to photographs,
to the ships,

but what I really
wanted to talk about

was something of a new nature,

at least in terms of our
perspectives of ourselves.

Take, for example, this guy

standing over here
in the corner.

A lot of us will recognize him.

Did a poem one time called

"The Watergate Blues."

And in "The Watergate Blues,"
straighten it up over here.

And in the "The Watergate
Blues" one of the big lines

that we delivered was
that Nixon knew Agnew.

The question was,
who was around where

hell bogs died, what
was the cause of LBJ's

untimely demise?

And what really happened
to J. Edgar Hoover,

the king is proud
of Patrick Grey

while America's
faith is drowning

beneath a cesspool
called the Watergate.

The candle was
passed on from Nixon

to Oatmeal Man, you see.

As a matter of fact,
when Oatmeal Man

inherited the presidency
some few years ago,

well a matter of fact he
looks a little bit more

on the job now then he did
while he was president.

Spent a brief time
in the White House

and then passed it on to
Skippy, who was the victim,

or at least the guy
who came in second

in the last election, collecting

21% of the registered votes.

♪ It's a mass of irony
for all the world to see

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C. ♪

(jazz music playing)

♪ From the Indians who
welcomed the pilgrims

♪ And to the buffalo

♪ That once ruled the plains

♪ Like the vultures circling
beneath the dark clouds

♪ Lookin' for the rain

♪ Yes, they been
lookin' for the rain

♪ Just like the cities

♪ Staggered on the coastline

♪ Living in a nation that
just can't change much more

♪ Like the forest

♪ They buried
beneath the highway

♪ Never had a chance to grow

♪ Well, they never
had a chance to grow

♪ And now it's winter

♪ It seems like
winter in America

♪ It's a time when
all of the healers

♪ Done been killed

♪ And been betrayed

♪ Yeah, people know
it's something wrong

♪ But everybody
oughta know winter

♪ It seems like
winter in America

♪ The truth is there
ain't nobody fighting

♪ 'Cause nobody
knows what to save

♪ Brother save your soul

♪ Winter in America

♪ The constitution was

♪ A noble piece of paper

♪ And with free society, well

♪ Struggled but it died in vain

♪ And now democracy is
ragtime on the corner

♪ Unemployed

♪ And hopin' that it rains

♪ Yes, been hopin' for some rain

♪ But it just don't
look like rain

♪ I've seen the robin

♪ Perched in barren treetops

♪ Watchin' the
last-ditch racists

♪ Marchin' across the floor

♪ And like peace signs
that melted in our dreams

♪ And never had a chance to grow

♪ Well, it never
had a chance to grow

♪ Somebody wanna know, tell them

♪ It's winter

♪ Nothin' goes in it

♪ Winter in America

♪ It's a time when
all of the healers

♪ Done been killed

♪ Or they been betrayed

♪ Say, people know it's
something wrong, hey

♪ I feel like winter

♪ It seems like
winter in America

♪ Yes, well the truth is this

♪ Nobody fightin' because

♪ Well nobody knows what to save

♪ Sisters save the babies

♪ Winter in America

(trumpet solo)

(cheering and applause)

(flute solo)

♪ And now it's winter

(applause)

♪ It's cold, it's
winter in America

♪ Yes, it's a time when
all of the healers

♪ Brothers sing to him
what's done, they killed

♪ They put 'em in jail

♪ Hey, people know
there's something

♪ But everybody
oughta know winter

♪ It seems like
winter in America

♪ Yes, well, the
truth is there ain't

♪ Nobody fighting because

♪ Nobody knows what to save

♪ Yes, well, the truth is

♪ Nobody fighting because

♪ Nobody knows what to

♪ What to do, what to do

♪ The truth is there
ain't nobody fighting

♪ Because nobody
knows what to save ♪

A lot of people may well see
this particular gentleman

as someone who
makes an appearance,

either in a supporting
or non-supporting role

in many of the poems that I do.

The truth is that the
politics that we discuss

are not partisan
politics in terms

of democrat or republican,

I am a member of the
common sense party.

And for the longest
kind of a time,

I have felt as though
people who said

that they did not care
anything about politics

or were not interested
in it were making

a political statement
in and of itself.

The new poetry that
evolved in our society

concerned the fact that
folks wanted to use

both words that people
could understand

as well as talk about ideas
that people could understand.

One such poem, at least
an early poem of ours

that went in that direction,
concerned the fact

that millions and
millions of dollars

are continually
sent into outerspace

while we continue to face
the same problems here

on the ground.

Poems said, A rat done
bit my sister, Nell

with Whitey on the moon.

Her face and arms began to swell

and Whitey's on the moon.

I can't pay no doctor bills,

but Whitey's on the moon,

10 years from now
I'll be payin' still,

while Whitey's on the moon.

You know, the man just
upped my rent last night

'cause Whitey's on the moon?

No hot water, no
toilets and no lights,

but Whitey's on the moon.

I wonder why he's uppin' me.

'Cause Whitey's on the moon?

I was already givin'
him 50 a week,

and now Whitey's on the moon.

Taxes takin' my
whole damn check,

the junkies make
me a nervous wreck,

the price of food is goin' up,

and as if all that
crap wasn't enough,

a rat done bit my sister, Nell

with Whitey on the moon.

Her face and arms began to swell

and Whitey's on the moon.

Was all that money
I made last year

for Whitey on the moon?

How come I ain't
got not money here?

Hm, Whitey's on the moon.

You know I just
about had my fill

of Whitey on the moon.

I think I'll send
these doctor bills

airmail special to
Whitey on the moon.

We have done a number
of songs, we hope,

that have strengthened
our connection

with the third world.

Because it seems as
though oftentimes

there are attempts
to split us up,

divide and conquer, keep
us at odds with one another

so that we never
define the things

that we have in common,
but we have more things

in common than we
do that separate us.

The song that we
wrote is about people

who are sometimes
referred to as "aliens."

Or worse still,
"illegal aliens."

And we have insisted
that this is to

differentiate them from
folks who have come here

from Mars, legally.

(laughter)

And these are folks
who, in our song,

come across near Tijuana
or the Rio Grande.

They're brought into
this country by coyotes,

people smugglers.

They're forced to pay
mordida, the bribes,

to keep from being
turned into immigration.

And when they do that
they're called pollos,

chickens, ripe for the plucking.

Sometimes these folks
come into this country

with only their
dreams of doin' better

and the clothes they
got on their back.

And this is what we have
in common with them.

The reason we get up
every day and decide

to try again is
because we have dreams

of doing better.

This song is about
holding on to your dreams,

we call the song "Alien."

(clapping and cheering)

(jazz music playing)

We got someone to help us out
with the sounds this evening.

(speaking Spanish)

♪ Midnight near the border
tryin' to cross the Rio Grande

♪ Runnin' with coyotes to where
streets are paved with gold

♪ You're diving underwater
when you hear the helicoptors

♪ Knowin' it's all be
less than worthless

♪ if you run into patrols

♪ Hiding in the shadows, so
scared that you want to scream

♪ But you dare not make a sound

♪ If you want to hold
on to your dreams

♪ Hold on

♪ It may not be a
lot, but you got to

♪ Hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the
consequences or the fear

♪ That grips your senses

♪ You have to hold
on to your dreams ♪

Goin' into L.A.

♪ The City of the Angels with
its bright light fascination

♪ Only adds to the confusion
that your mind must now endure

♪ The gringos take advantage

♪ When they know
that you're illegal

♪ But you avoid la policia like
a plague that can't be cured

♪ Paying la mordida you find
out just what pollo means

♪ But you dare not
file complaints

♪ If you want to hold
on to your dreams

♪ Hold on

♪ It may not be a
lot, but you hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ You have got to
hold on to your dreams

♪ Down in the Western
Union sending cash

♪ Back to your family

♪ Or drinking down cerveza
where the lights are very low

♪ Your mind may start to wander

♪ When you think
about your village

♪ or the woman that
you love so much

♪ Who's still in Mexico

♪ At just two bucks an hour

♪ There is little
to redeem this life

♪ Except that in your
mind you're trying to

♪ Hold on to your dreams

♪ Hold on

♪ Everybody, it may not be a lot

♪ But just hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ You have got to hold
on to your dreams ♪

Everybody sing with us.

♪ Hold on

♪ It may not be a
lot but just hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ You have got to
hold on to your dreams

♪ Hold on

♪ It may not be a lot

♪ But you hold on

♪ It's all you got

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ You have got to hold
on to your dreams ♪

Come on, help us out, y'all.

♪ Hold on

♪ May not be a lot

♪ May not be a lot

♪ But you hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ Well, you have got to
hold on to your dreams ♪

A little bit louder, y'all.

♪ Hold on

♪ May not be a lot,
but you hold on

♪ Because you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear that
grips your senses

♪ You have got to hold
on to your dreams ♪

I need y'all, go up there.

♪ Hold on

♪ May not be a lot,
but you hold on

♪ 'Cause you know
it's all you got

♪ No matter the consequences

♪ Or the fear grips your senses

♪ You have got to hold
on to your dreams ♪

I was wondering
about our yesterdays

and digging through the rubble.

And to say the least, somebody

went to a hell of
a lot of trouble

to make sure that
when we look things up

we wouldn't fair too well,

and we would come
up with totally

unreliable pictures
of ourselves.

But I've compiled what
few facts I could,

I mean, such as they are,

to see if we could find out
a little bit of something.

And this is what
I've got so far.

First, white folks
discovered Africa.

They claimed it fair and square.

Since the roads couldn't
have been robbin' nobody,

'cause hell, there
wasn't nobody there.

And white folks brought
all the civilization,

because there
wasn't none around.

How could the folks be civilized

when there wasn't nobody
writing nothin' down?

Just to prove all of
their suspicions, well,

didn't take too long.

They found out that there
were whole tribes of people

in plain sight, runnin'
around with no clothes on.

That's right.

The men, the women,
the young and the old,

righteous folks
covered their eyes.

And new time was spent
considering their environment.

Hell, no, this just
wasn't civilized.

And another piece of
information they had

or at least this is
what we were taught,

is that unlike the
civilized people of Europe,

these tribal units
actually fought.

And, yes, there was
some crude implements,

and, yes, there
was primitive art,

and, yes, they were masters
of hunting and fishing

and courtesy came
from the heart.

And, yes, there was
love and medicine

and religion, inter-tribal
communication by drum,

but no paper, no pencil
and no other utensils

and hell, these folks
never even heard of a gun.

And this is why
the colonies came,

to stabilize the land.

Because the dark continent
had copper and gold

and the discoverers
had themselves a plan.

They would discover all
the places with promise,

you didn't need no
titles and deeds,

then they would appoint people
to make everything legal

to sanction the
trickery and greed.

And back in the jungle when
the natives got restless

they would call the
guerrilla attack,

and they would never describe it

'til folks finally
got wise and decided

that they would fight back.

And still we are
victims of word games.

Semantics is always a bitch.

Places once referred
to as "underdeveloped"

are now called "mineral rich."

And the game goes on, eternally,

unity kept just beyond reach,

Egypt and Libya used
to be in Africa,

they've now been moved
to the Middle East.

There are examples
galore, I assure you,

but if interpreting
were left up to me,

I'd be sure every time
folks knew this verse

wasn't mine, which is why
it is called his-story.

(applause)

One of the first songs that
I wrote when I moved here

was a song that concerned,

really it concerned
the five nations

in southern Africa
that were looking

for liberation at the time.

They were Angola,
Mozambique, Zimbabwe,

Namibia and Azania,
and of course,

since we have done those songs,

three of those nations
have claimed independence,

and we feel as
though the other two

are on the edge,
on the verge of it.

(applause)

There are folks who are settling

in Namibia and southwest Africa,

and constant reports
that would encourage

people who are supporters
of the southern Africans

are suppressed, to make us feel

as though there's
nothin' goin' on.

But as long as people
want to have freedom

and want to have liberation,
there will be things

going on, and we need
to keep the faith

(applause and cheering)

and keep the candle burning.

When we say "what's the word"

we would like to have
everybody join us

and say "Johannesburg."

(cheering)

Can we get everybody?

We don't wanna have
it sneak up on y'all,

so when we say "what's the word"

we gonna look, everybody
say "Johannesburg."

Can we get it on?

(cheering)

One, two.

And you know what to do!

(jazz music playing)

♪ Tell me what's the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Don't know, but have you heard

♪ From Johannesburg?

♪ Somebody tell
me what the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Tell me, woman, have you heard

♪ About Johannesburg?

♪ They tell me that
our brothers over there

♪ Are defyin' the man

♪ And we don't know for
sure because the news we get

♪ Is unreliable, man

♪ Was a country

♪ Well I hate it when
the blood starts flowin'

♪ But I'm glad to see
resistance growin'

♪ Somebody tell me
what's the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Tell me brother,
have you heard

♪ From Johannesburg

♪ Somebody tell me
what's the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Tell me woman, have you heard

♪ About Johannesburg?

♪ They tell me that
our brothers over there

♪ Refuse to work in
the mines sometimes

♪ They may not get to know them

♪ But they need to know
we're on their side

♪ All the time

♪ Yeah, now, sometimes distance
brings misunderstanding

♪ But deep in my
heart I'm demanding

♪ Somebody tell me
what's the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Tell me brother have you heard

♪ About Johannesburg?

♪ A lot people talking and
sayin' what I wanna hear

♪ What's the word?

♪ Johannesburg

♪ Tell me woman, have you heard

♪ About Johannesburg?

♪ Say I know that they're
strugglin' over there

♪ That ain't gonna free me

♪ Not in child hands

♪ Yeah, but we fought hard

♪ Got to be strugglin'

♪ Say if we wanna be free

♪ I just wanna be
free, free, free, free

(guitar solo)

♪ Keep me free, now

(guitar solo)

♪ Just around the corner, yeah

See my office used to
be right down here.

On the corner of ninth and W.

And when I would tell
people I was at ninth at W

they would say, man ain't
that a rough neighborhood,

I say, yeah, it is pretty rough,

but it ain't as
rough as 11th and W,

and it's ain't even as rough
as 16th and Pennsylvania.

I figure, 'cause people
got to live over there

they really in trouble.

Everybody gets to look
at the White House

when they come to
Washington, D.C.,

but this is a part
of what goes on

out in front of the White House,

that very few people
ever get a chance

to take a look at.

Across the street
they're demonstrating

for world peace, over here

you have different
signs that have been

sentenced to the
star of our B-movie,

asking them about justice,
and freedom, and equality.

You know they protested
a launch in this country,

but not launch necessarily
against the government,

they're launched in
terms of the fact that

this country has rarely lived
up to its advanced publicity.

This is supposed to be the land

of justice, liberty
and equality,

and that's what
everybody over here

is lookin' for.

♪ Mornin' come and
bring the tourists

♪ Strainin' rubber necks

♪ To catch a glimpse
of the cowboy

♪ Makin' the world
a nervous wreck ♪

You know the question
is not actually

who the baddest hombre
is in these parts,

'cause I think I'm the one.

But it has a lot to
do with the difference

between the old west
and the new west,

and the way it is perceived.

'Cause you see, there are
a lot of folks in America

who are refusing to
recognize the fact

that today is actually today.

Times have changed, but very
few folks in America have.

We would like to
do a tune for you.

Actually, the tune
was put together

a little over a year ago,

and the problem, well
there were several.

But the main problem
was what we were going

to call the tune.

(applause and cheering)

And after we had put the tune
together and looked at it

we decided we was gonna call it

"Real to Reel."

This was gonna be
R-E-A-L to R-E-E-L.

And that was certainly
gonna be the max.

And then we said no,
might be some people

that don't get it.

So we decided we was
gonna call the tune

"From Real to Reel to Surreal,"

and we was gonna draw a lot
of lines under "Surreal"

so everybody would know
that that was the main one.

Then we said no,
they may not get it.

Then we decided that we was
gonna call this particular idea

"From Shogun to Reagan."

(applause and cheering)

That covered everything that
we wanted to talk about.

'Cause see the news was
loose about the mandate.

A mandate would be
indicating a majority,

an overwhelming majority,
as a matter of fact,

a landslide.

A majority of such
force that it entitled

the holder of this mandate
to change everybody's life

180 degrees.

So we went down
in the community,

down on seventh street,

told some of the brothers
there had been a mandate

for Reagan.

And they said, oh yeah?

What was the final score?

I said, well, 25% of
the registered voters

voted for Reagan, and
they said they would have

been more impressed
if it had been 26%

of the American people.

And then we say, well
Skippy come in second

with 21% of the
registered voters.

And then among all the
other people who was

runnin' also at the same time,

they gathered about
2% all together.

First thing that
the brothers noticed

was that 51% of the
registered voters

had voted for nobody.

And as far as they
were concerned,

that indicated that nobody
should be the president.

(applause)

The 74% of the registered voters

had not voted for Reagan,

which indicated a mandate
in the other direction.

And after a few months
of dealing with Reagan

and his administration,
they have come back to me

and said, yeah, it's true.

Nobody is the president.

(applause and whistling)

See, a lot of folks believe
that this is the first time

that we have ever done
anything on Reagan,

but that's not true.

We have done several things.

We did a poem one time called
"The Bicentennial Blues."

And we referred to
Reagan as "Holly-weird".

Acted like a actor,

acted like a democrat,

acted like a liberal.

What he was acting like the head

of the Screen Actor's
Guild, this is a position

currently held down by
a man named Ed Asner.

During the late '40s,
Ronald the Ray-gun

was the head of the
Screen Actor's Guild,

and it was his job to defend
people like Dalton Trumbo

or David Susskind from
the rages of McCarthyism.

That was when they
were lookin' for reds

under the corners
of ever carpet.

Decided he was gonna
act like a republican.

Acted like General
Franco when he acted like

governor of California.

Heard the conservatives
was on the way in,

and acted like one of them.

Showed up in 1976 acting like

somebody was gonna vote
for him for president.

And showed up in
1980 acting like

26% of the registered voters
was actually a mandate.

Got all of us acting
in this one, actually.

The truth is that at least
26% of the registered voters

don't wanna deal with tomorrow.

They are holding on to some
image of America's past,

but America has changed
in the last 20 years

from a producer to a consumer.

And all consumers know
that when the producer

names the tune then the
consumer has got to dance.

That's the way it is.

You don't believe it,
you go downtown tomorrow

and pick up a four-dollar
piece of meat,

give the man two dollars,
and we'll see you

in about 30 days.

'Cause whatever
happening, the producer

names the tune and the
consumer has got to dance.

Seems all right when
America was the producer,

hey, they was dealin'
with it, it was my way

or the highway.

But now that America
is a consumer

they want everybody to
deal with the same things

they deal with.

They don't know
if they want to be

Bob Dylan or Matt Dillon.

They don't know if they
want to be diplomats

or continue to threaten everyone

with the nuclear nightmare.

John Foster Dulles ain't nothing

but the name of an airport now.

See, this used to be a country

where everybody looked
forward to tomorrow.

And all of a sudden it
became the way we were

and December of '42
and them good ol' days,

them good ol' boys,
them good ol' days,

them good ol' boys.

And all that proved
is that America

was not ready to
deal with today.

They were looking
for one of their

cinema heroes from
the '30s or the '40s

to run up and save everything
at the last minute.

'Cause somebody always
came to save America

At the last minute,
bottom of the ninth,

two outs, two strikes,
nobody on base,

down by 10, don't
worry, somebody will
come to save America.

Especially in B-movies.

You see, when I used to go
to a movie as a young man,

there was always two of 'em.

There was the one you was
payin' your money to see,

and then there was
the second one,

which was like, a B-movie.

This was the one that
Reagan was usually in.

And it would either
be an older burner

or one of them tremendously
patriotic flicks,

or something with a monkey.

(laughter)

Hey, the monkey was all right.

The monkey was cool.

(applause)

But what happened
is that America

looked back for someone
from the '30s or '40s,

they were actually lookin'
for someone like John Wayne.

But John Wayne was
no longer available,

and so they had to settle
for Ronald the Ray-gun.

And it has given
us all the feeling

that we are somehow
been cast as supporting

or non-supporting
characters in a B-movie.

That be all.

Come with us back to
those inglorious days

before heroes were zeroes,

before fair was square,

when the cavalry
came straight away

and all American men
were like Hemingway,

the days of the
wondrous B-movie.

The producer, underwritten by
all the millionaires necessary

will be Casper "The
Defensive" Weinberger.

No more animated
choice available.

The director will
be Atilla the Haig,

frantically running
around declaring himself

in charge and in control,
the ultimate realization

of the inmates taking
over at the asylum.

The screenplay will be from a
book called "Voodoo Economics"

by George "Papa Doc" Bush.

A special introduction

by Ingrid "The Trojan
Horse" Stockman.

The theme song will be the very
military "Macho, Macho Man"

♪ Macho, macho man

Two, three four,

♪ Your left, your left, your
left, right, left, right ♪

A little mood music for
saber-rallying and selling

wars door-to-door.

Remember, we're looking

for the closest thing we can get

to John Wayne.

Cliches abound like
kangaroos, courtesy

of some spaced-out
Marlin Perkins.

You remember Marlin Perkins?

The old guy that used
to come on Wild Kingdom

and say things like,
There's my assistant, Jim,

wrestling with that
alligator, ooh look out, Jim!

Cliches are bound
like kangaroos,

courtesy of some
spaced-out Marlin Perkins,

a Reagan contemporary.

Cliches like "tall
in the saddle."

Cliches like "itchy
trigger finger."

Cliches like "riding on
or off into the sunset."

Cliches like "get off of
my planet by sundown,"

more so than cliches like

"he died with his boots on."

The man is John Wayne tough,
the man is marine tough.

The man is Bogart tough,
the man is Cagney tough.

The man is cheap steak tough,
and Bonzo's substantial.

Never fooled us for a minute.

We're looking around
feeling as though

it went from Hollywood
to hillbilly,

from liberal to libelous,
from Bonzo to Birch idol,

born again.

Civil rights, women's
rights, gay rights,

it's all wrong.

Callin' the cavalry,
disrupt this perception

of freedom gone wild.

God damn it, first
one wants freedom

and then they all want freedom.

Give 'em an inch, and
they'll take a mile.

Nostalgia, that's
what America wants.

The good ol' days,
when we gave 'em hell.

When the buck stopped somewhere

and you could still
buy something with it.

To a time when movies
were in black and white

and so was everything else.

Lon Chaney, our man
of a thousand faces,

got nothin' on Ron.

Doug Henning will do the makeup.

Special effects by Crazy
Glue and Grecian Formula 16.

Transportation furnished by

the David Rockefeller of the
Remote Control Corporation.

Their slogan is, Why wait
'til 1984? You can panic now

and avoid the rush.

(applause and cheering)

So much for the good news.

As Wall Street goes,
so goes the nation,

and here's a look at
the closing stocks.

Racism is up, human
rights are down.

Peace is shaky,
war items are hot,

the house claims all ties.

Jobs are scarce, money
is hard to come by,

and common sense is at an
all-time low with heavy trading.

Movies were looking better
than ever, and all of a sudden

no one is looking
because we all feel

as though we're
starring in a B-movie.

And we would have
rather had John Wayne.

Damn world would've
probably done better

if we'd a ended up
with John Wayne.

Help me, y'all.

♪ You don't have
to be in no hurry

♪ You don't ever
really have to worry

♪ And you don't have to
think about how you feel

♪ Just keep repeating
that none of this is real

♪ And if you're thinkin'
that something's wrong

♪ Well just remember that

♪ It won't be too long

♪ Before the director,
remember him?

♪ Cuts the scene

Nobody is the president.

We go somebody over there

who's acting like one,
but to this point here,

what we believe
in is that nobody

actually is in charge.

Ready to go?

♪ Hey, this ain't
really your life

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life,

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ And everybody ought to know

♪ That this ain't
really your life

♪ Wouldn't do you

♪ Life like that

♪ Say, this ain't
really your life

♪ Ain't nothing but a reel

♪ And the reel say

♪ This ain't really,
ain't really that

♪ Ain't really that, saying this

♪ With it that really ain't real

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Everybody ought to know

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ 'Cause this ain't
how your life would go

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't nothin' but
real to reel shit

♪ This ain't really
that, really this

♪ With it this, with it
this really ain't real

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your
life, ain't really

♪ Ain't nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Don't worry about nothin',
don't worry about nothin'

♪ Say, this ain't
really your life,

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ This ain't really,
ain't really, ain't really

♪ Ain't really real

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your life,
ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie

♪ This ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really your life

♪ Ain't really, ain't
nothin' but a movie ♪

And we would've
rather had John Wayne.

Odds are, we probably
would've been

better off with John Wayne.

Take care, big fella.

♪ It's the nations's capital,
it's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital,
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
It's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's capital
it's Washington, D.C.

♪ You know, It's the
nation's capital,

♪ It's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's
capital, Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
It's the nation's capital

♪ It's the nation's
capital, Washington, D.C.

♪ Say, uh-huh it's the capital

♪ Got you feeling capital

♪ The punishment is capital

♪ In Washington, D.C.

♪ It's the nation's capital,
It's the nation's capital

♪ Punishment is capital

♪ In Washington, D.C.

♪ Say, uh-huh it's the capital

(humming)

♪ Washington, D.C.

(humming)

♪ Washington, D.C.

♪ Last time

♪ Is the capital

♪ Got me feelin' capital

♪ Punishment is capital

♪ Washington, D.C.