The Hollywood Go-Go

(from the CD An Angel Somewhere)

    To the south of San Francisco
To the north of Mexico
To the west of the western desert
Sits the city where the big shots go.
On the east of the great Pacific
In the center of the earthquake zone
Lives the monster called Los Angeles
The beast that some call home.
The preacher at the airport asked me
Who I loved the most:
Marlon Brando, Jesus Christ
God or the Holy Ghost
I said, "I love them equally"
He said "well so you should;
Equality is the name of the game
In the church of Hollywood".
    There's blood transfusions, grand illusions
Dripping from the silver screen
Profit factors, burnt out actors
Budding starlets in their teens.
Everyone's creative here
    That's the sacred word
Hunger, hunger, hunger, hunger,
Art is food and I'm absurd. Go go go.

    There's cars and stars and cowboy bars
And freeways to the sky
Country hicks and lunatics
And cosmics getting high
Gas station lines and parking fines
And glamour everywhere
But tell me is this really Disneyland
And do I really care?
The Matterhorn ride and Space Mountain
Are both waiting to transport you
But it's a million miles from Anaheim
To the beach at Malibu
And now your pagan head is in the clouds
But your body is in the mud
And your feet have turned to clay
On your first day in Hollywood.
    And it's purple heather, stormy weather
Balmy days are on the way
Hurricanes of semen stains
Rock and Roll is here to stay
Is this really me on stage
Or am I Errol Flynn?
Hunger, hunger, hunger, hunger
I'm in love with Marilyn. Go go go.

    Go to the local porno store
Pick up the dirty books
Look at the dirty pictures
And get some dirty looks.
The girl behind the counter says
"Pay up, jerk off or leave"
You say, "I'm nearly coming"
She says "That don't interest me!"
There's well hung boys and well stacked girls
On every boulevard
But it's the billboards up on Sunset Strip
That make my prick go hard
They say the streets are paved with gold
Or is it dried up blood?
But what's the difference anyway
Here in Hollywood?

    And it's masturbation, fornication
Am I sick or simply mad?
Big bananas, silk pajamas
You fuck me and I'll fuck my dad.
Is this really happening here
Where's the exit door?
Hunger, hunger, hunger, hunger
Something's happening, that's for sure.

    Lift the weights on Venice Beach
Do them chin-ups, pop them pills
Change the color of your skin
Then go for a run through the Hollywood Hills
Now you're healthy, you're so hearty
Sound of body, sound of mind
You're the life of every party
Tell me Sampson, what's your sign?
Take in the scenery at Barney's Beanery
Eating a chili dog down at Pinks
Crying on the floor of the Comedy Store
Your brain explodes and your best joke sinks
Your agent said, "You'll be a star,
You're great, you're more than good"
But the stars fall down like raindrops
On the streets of Hollywood.

    And there's bulging biceps, rippling triceps
Washboard abs and marble thighs
Avocadoes, ripe tomatoes,
Firm young bodies and desperate eyes.
Oh my God! Is this my life?
What would my mother say?
Hunger, hunger, hunger, hunger,
If she saw me here today. Go go go.

    So I packed my bags and I got on the plane
I didn't have a clue how far I'd get;
I set off to find the world again
But the whole place is like a Hollywood set
Perfectly planned for the perfect shot
The bones all bare and the flesh all stripped
I've read the story, I know the plot
Like everybody else I just follow my script.
I play my part and I say my lines
I do my job and I do it well
I sound alright and I look divine
I'm a happy spear carrier heading for hell
Call it madness, call it art
    Call it a saint or a well paid stud
Call it a goddess call it a tart
Call it Hollyweird or Hollywood.
    There's dreams of glory, a bedtime story
The Feral Kid takes on John Wayne
The fastest gun, the setting sun
Days of nothing and nights of pain.
Well, well well, Ho, ho, ho,
Make love to the celluloid snake
Hunger, hunger, hunger, hunger
This could be the final take. Go go go.

Thanks very much; I think I will.