Amen, Alex Chilton Is Sleeping

Here’s how it goes…

 You hear a song. It soothes your soul.

 You’re pulled into the church of rock n roll 

 And the music seems to have the power to save you

 The words you hear, the melody

 Conspire to lift you up and somehow set you free

 And it calls you out to share all that it gave you

 Next thing you know…

 You find some friends, an old guitar

 And it’s your destiny that you will be a star

 Though all the while you know it’s a deception

 But you pay the price, you give it all

 And you fly high knowing that it’s certain you will fall

 Though you tell yourself that you are the exception

 While Nirvana and The Beatles and Madonna take a bow

 And the guitars in the bars are gently weeping

 The winners and the wanna-bes are as ghostly as their mp3s

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping

 Here’s what I mean…

 You buy a van. You hit the road.

 You shoot a video, and play some shitty shows

 And the doorman says you’re really sure to make it

 You count your likes. You count your streams.

 Though they’re ephemeral as your deepest dreams

 As if your heart is only real if you can break it

 While Bono and Bob Dylan and Oasis take a bow

 And the guitars in the bars are gently weeping

 The winners and the wanna-bes are as ghostly as their mp3s

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping

 They’ll tell you to quit

 And you know you never will

 Even when the amp is silent

 There is music you can feel

 In the gospel of Paul Westerberg we heard about the man

 From the holy town of Memphis, Tennessee

 Baptized by obscurity he suffered just like you and me

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping

 While Taylor Swift and Elton John and Bowie take a bow

 And the guitars in the bars are gently weeping

 The winners and the wanna-bes all paid a price for what was free

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping

 On the road to fame and fortune he broke down in his van

 Amen, Alex Chilton is sleeping… Amen…Amen