Thursday, March 15, 2007

Get Started, Start a Fire

This gem is from Graham Parker's 1997 release, The Mona Lisa's Sister. I freely cop to being a Graham Parker fanatic. My husband and I went to see him at a small club here in San Diego back in the mid-90s. It was just him and a guitar. It was easily the best concert I have ever seen. Hands down.

I don't know exactly what it is about these lyrics that so delights me. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe, and Joan of Arc. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy them!
Get Started, Start a Fire
by Graham Parker, copyright 1997

The Mona Lisa's sister doesn't smile
She tried to pose but only for a while
Leonardo sent her home
Since then she has lived alone
With her few belongings and a copy
Of a painting of herself unhappy
She is going to burn it when she's ready

Chorus: Get started, start a fire

Marilyn was lying all alone
With an empty bottle by the phone
Kennedy was not around
She was cold when she was found
But she'd gone where goddesses are sleeping
Where the molten tongues of flame are leaping
Or where the angel's hearts are heating

Joan of Arc was burning at the stake
Somebody had made a big mistake
She had lit a cigarette
In an aiport where you get
Your fingers taken off for smoking.
Meanwhile up the road a factory's choking
The ones who killed her work there I'm not joking.

1 comment:

Jackie Barbosa said...

Hey Alice! Usually I just Google the title of the song plus the word "lyrics" and a bunch of sites come up. I then pick the one with the best spelling *g!

The only time that didn't work was for last week's entry, the Timbuk 3 song. Apparently, no one's ever taken the time to put the lyrics for that album on the 'Net (which boggles my mind because the lyrics for every song are FASCINATING).

Anyway, _Alice's Restaurant_ is a famous enough song that you should be able to find them quite easily by the Google method.