there’s a lot to be said
that can’t be said as cheaply as he wants
not cheap cheap
but frugal words hyphenating his life
we need words that get right to the point
I’ll pretend I’m him for a moment and just let it flow…
gotta have that sugarless brew
bitter as the women I so love
gotta go and see everything as quickly and fully as possible
and send everyone a postcard
gotta learn bits and pieces of the lingo
hasta la bye bye all Greek to me Ikuko
gotta have all these hangups
on the cliché look of a writer don’t wanna be
gotta move on down south and west
and build my little love nest with Ikuko too
gotta find the job make the money get the sex
and get the degree even if I don’t learn a thing
gotta be a vegetarian carnivore
all for Sake, honor, and sushi
gotta go see about trading the car
packing the car renting the car to get outta here
gotta figure out what I want
from what people want from me
gotta stop smoking and flicking
and stocking up in the freezer
gotta park a mile down the street
far from everything
gotta do it chew it
and just say screw it
gotta take a hit off the bong
so my eyes match my hair
gotta find the penny and pick it up
for the all day luck
gotta write the poems and the songs
and break the bass strings
gotta slug the beer at the Bear
scoping goths through the foam
gotta be a big brother to the girls
when I’m a dirty old man
gotta teach the students in Japan
and dance through fields of lavender
gotta get all the lines right
when I karaoke
gotta say no to the Archie mag
and the jar of vaseline
gotta eat the fried ramen
and the carrots and the peas
gotta get him out the other door
cuz I don’t want to move my seat
gotta make the peace
who else is gonna do it?
gotta be a working stiff
to make it in this race
gotta grow my facial hair
any way I please
gotta want that Juliette
sexy white trash
gotta be clean cut in the cafeteria
slinging hash for the masses
gotta make at least 3.75 an hour
to buy my ticket
gotta be in denial
about so many things
gotta mash my napkins
into crumply wads
gotta hold on to the dream
when everyone else has woken up
gotta do all these things
because if I didn’t…what’s the point of it all?
Well, dear Zachariah
it seems your song is done
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything
and the words roll off your tongue
dripping like cheap money
from your overstuffed wallet
I saved the receipts for you
