Todd Snider
Ballad of the Kingsmen (Live)
[Verse 1]
The Kingsmen came together in a garage
They could hardly even play
But they practiced night and day
And pretty soon they got to where they could really play that song "Louie, Louie"
So, they saved up all the money from their shows
Went in to one of them studios
And gave their version of the song "Louie Louie" a try

[Verse 2]
Now, I don't know the words to that song "Louie, Louie"
I'm pretty sure the singer for the Kingsmen didn't know 'em either
If he did know 'em, he didn't get 'em right on the record
'Cause on the record they sound completely jumbled in his jaw
He says, "Me think of me girl oh so constantly
"Ahmayaaah makaaaah aahh ooohoooh aaaaah"

[Verse 3]
Well, that last part scared everybody from the PTA to the FBI
You see, the kids had been goin' kind of crazy lately
And it seemed like nobody could figure out why
So they decided to form a coalition
Launch an investigation
You know, for the children, they figured they at least had to try
To figure out the words to "Louie, Louie"
[Chorus]
It's the feel good hit of this endless summer
It gets the kids out of control
Singin' along to that star spangled bummer
Hail, hail, rock and roll

[Verse 4]
You know Marilyn Manson's real name's not even "Marilyn Manson"?
He's a skinny public high school kid from Ohio
He's not some monster from out of this world
And like of a lot other skinny long haired public high school kids
He was sick of getting beaten up by the pulling guard all week
Only to go out on the weekend and watch the quarterback get all the girls
So he formed a band, man
And now, Marilyn Manson gets a lot of chicks
He's gettin' older, but he's still gettin' chicks
Weird chicks
But chicks

[Verse 5]
A few years later a couple of latchkey kids go tragically mad
Everybody's standing around the television store at the mall trying to figure out what went wrong
This guy says, "You think the life of a kid going to school around here could've gotten so bad?"
This other guy says "Nah, it's probably just the words to one of them goddamn Marilyn Manson songs
"You know which one I'm talkin' 'bout"
[Chorus]
It's the feel good hit of this endless summer
Gets the kids out of control
Singin' along to that star spangled bummer
Hail, hail, rock and roll

[Verse 6]
You know, every twenty years or so
Our country and some other little country
We start firing all of our newest weapons at each other
For some reason or another, right or wrong, like it or not
It happens
And when it happens people get shot
And when people get shot they show that on television a lot
Every night at six o'clock
And you don't have to be eighteen to see that
You don't even have to be in first grade
First grade, where they will teach the kid the pride
They tell him he gon' need to thrive
In a world where they say that only the strong will survive
So he's taught the art of more
To compare to, to keep score
Monday through Friday while he stares at the floor
'Til Sunday, they make him go to school once more
Only this time they make him wear a suit and a tie
And listen to some guy
Who claims to know
Where people go
When they die
Tell him that only the meek are gonna inherit the earth
Well shit, by this time how could anybody's kid know what anything was worth?
[Verse 7]
Now brothers and sisters, I am only one guy
I don't even know the words to that song "Louie Louie"
But I can tell you right now without battin' an eye
The next time some latchkey kid goes wrong
It ain't gonna be 'cause of the words to some rock'n'roll song
And I ain't trying to preach to ya either
I'm just trying to sing to ya too
String a few words together

[Outro]
Hey kids
Let's get it on
Let's get it on

[Instrumental Break]

[Outro 2]
Get [?]
Do what you wanna do
No one can tell ya
[?]
[?]