Story Behind The Song

While a session player in NYC, I knew some guys who'd been to the big house. It wasn't hard to put myself in their shoes (to a point)--and my aim was to tell a story about some likely guy through his POV as Randy Newman might have--cutting through any BS romanticism, and also avoiding the overly dramatic. Being in the joint is more hyper-vigilant boredom than anything, I am told...

Song Description

We are privy to a nice fantasy about a date until we discover the dreamer is a guy in jail. He laments being in jail, and goes a little crazy in the course of the song, which ends with an "out jazz-rock" coda signifying his break with sanity. His recollections are frought with his desire for the simple things in life, and contain much humor in the telling.

Lyrics

I have this fantasy that I'm steppin' out and I'm breathin' free
I got a movie date--you know I can't be late
I can see her in my mind like a flower bloomin' on a Valentine
And then she comes to me-- just wait and see
Like a thunderclap comin' from an angry sky I'm back to reality
I'm just a number in a cell surrounded by a thousand creeps, yeah, it's sheer insanity

Ch: I curse the day that I seen this place with the sweaty walls and the license plates
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna break the chain that's binding me

I done five years, got ten to go, the time has never moved so slow
I miss stupid things like beer and bicycling
I'm crowded in and I'm hustled flat--I can't relax I gotta watch my back
I want a place to go--I need room to grow
Every time I think of that guy bein' in the worng place--the wrong time, it had to be him or me
Tried to make a quick buck, but we both ran out of luck, we messed up, didn't we?

I curse the day that I seen this place with the sweaty walls and the license plates
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna break the chain that's binding me

I do a favor for cigarettes--I stay ahead, I always pay my debts
But I want real estate. An Olds 88.
I'll be in here well past my prime--when I get sprung I'll be 50. Agh! I wanna a family. I wanna you-and-me.
Every time I think of that guy bein' in the wrong place--the wrong time, it had to be him or me
Tried to make a quick buck, but we both ran out of luck, we messed up, didn't we?

I curse the day that I seen this place with the sweaty walls and the license plates
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna break the chain that's binding me