Modesto isn't boring like you thought it would be
Modesto, it's not baloney like you thought it would be
Modesto isn't lonely like you thought it would be

At first I worked a vacuum cleaner salesman job
For men I later recognized in Glengarry Glen Ross
I only sold one, she couldn't afford it
She wrote out the check and burst out sobbing

After work I hung out with my new church friends and traded stories
We decided I should quit and then we laughed and carried on 'til morning
The next day I got a part-time job at the local guitar store

Modesto isn't boring like you thought it would be
Modesto, it's not baloney like you thought it would be
Modesto isn't lonely like you thought it would be

I heard the perfect song at work today
Having asked if there were bands to see and spots to play
Jim said, "Hell yeah"
Then he handed me a tape

What I heard in my walkman headphones, pacing by the speakers and PAs
Was a beautiful hilarious tragic mess
That sent tears streaming down my face
Grabbed me by the lapels, stood me up, and put a four-track in my hand
And told me, son, make all the messes you can manage to make
And move back to Seattle, be the drummer in a band
There's a girl from there that Fridays on my lunch break I write letters to
And I think she likes me too
And I'm gonna find out
I'm gonna go to Bible college on my cousin's dime
In my Volvo wagon, speeding up I-5