Doc Pomus
Ben Folds;Nick Hornby Lyrics
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Lobby of the forest
With freighters, hustlers, hard up millionaires
Mobsters, cops,
Whores, pimps, and Marxists
All human life is there
In the forest all you need is eyes and ears
Man in a wheelchair listens to the chatter
Writes down all the insane crap he hears.
He can't move around but it doesn't really matter
In the farthest stall you needed his eyes and ears
And out they pour the hits and the misses
Turn me loose, lonely avenue
And down in Nashville, Elvis sings "Suspicion"
Pomus, Shuman, 1962
And he could never be one of those happy cripples
The kind that smile and tell you life's okay.
He was mad as hell.
Frightened and bitter,
He found a way to make his feelings pay.
Back at the forest in the steakhouse of a lobby
A diner gets 3 bullets in the head.
Doc looks down eating his linguine
Thinking up a lyric for the dead.
And out they pour the hits and the misses
Turn me loose, lonely avenue
And down in Nashville, Elvis sings "Suspicion"
Pomus, Shuman, 1962
1962
Friendly Jack Benny, crazy Phil Spector
? and Eydie Gorme
Damon Runyon Junior and the ? orchestra
All super human life is there
In the forest all you need is eyes and ears
And he could never be one of those happy cripples
The kind that smile and tell you life's okay
He was mad as hell, frightened and bitter.
He found a way to make his isolation pay.
And out they pour the hits and the misses
Turn me loose, lonely avenue
And down in Nashville, Elvis sings "Suspicion"
Pomus, Shuman, 1962
And out they pour the hits and the misses
Turn me loose, lonely avenue
And down in Nashville, Elvis sings "Suspicion"
Pomus, Shuman, 1962
The song "Doc Pomus" by Ben Folds pays tribute to the famous songwriter Doc Pomus, who was known for his ability to turn personal pain and isolation into hit songs. The forest referred to in the first verse is the Hotel Forest, a famous New York City hotel in the 1950s and 60s where Pomus would spend hours observing and listening to people in the lobby. In the chorus, Folds sings about the hits and misses that poured out of Pomus's pen, referencing some of his most famous songs such as "Turn Me Loose" and "Lonely Avenue," as well as the Elvis Presley hit "Suspicion," which Pomus co-wrote with Mort Shuman.
The man in the wheelchair was Doc Pomus himself, who suffered from polio and had to use a wheelchair for most of his life. He was not the type to put on a happy face and pretend everything was okay, but he found a way to channel his bitterness and isolation into his songwriting. The last verse references a true event where Pomus witnessed a murder in the Hotel Forest and used it as inspiration for a song. The song reflects on how Pomus's own struggles and observations of the world around him influenced his songwriting and contributed to his success.
Line by Line Meaning
Man in a wheelchair
A disabled man in a wheelchair
Lobby of the forest
A place where people from all walks of life gather
With freighters, hustlers, hard up millionaires
A diverse crowd of people including dock workers, con men, and people struggling to make a living
Mobsters, cops,
Criminals and law enforcement officers
Whores, pimps, and Marxists
Prostitutes, their managers, and left-wing intellectuals
All human life is there
People from all walks of life mingle in this place
In the forest all you need is eyes and ears
If you pay attention, you can learn a lot about people's lives here
Man in a wheelchair listens to the chatter
The disabled man overhears and records people's conversations
Writes down all the insane crap he hears.
He records all the crazy things people say
He can't move around but it doesn't really matter
His disability doesn't prevent him from working in this environment
In the farthest stall you needed his eyes and ears
Even from a distance, he could still listen in on conversations
And out they pour the hits and the misses
The songwriter's creative output is a mix of successful and unsuccessful attempts
Turn me loose, lonely avenue
The songwriter is referencing one of his famous songs
And down in Nashville, Elvis sings "Suspicion"
The singer is naming another famous song from the same era
Pomus, Shuman, 1962
The songwriter is referencing himself and someone he worked with during that year
And he could never be one of those happy cripples
The disabled man doesn't fit the cultural stereotype of a cheerful disabled person
The kind that smile and tell you life's okay.
Some people with disabilities feel pressured to always appear cheerful and optimistic
He was mad as hell.
The disabled man was angry about his situation
Frightened and bitter,
The disabled man felt scared and resentful about his life
He found a way to make his feelings pay.
The disabled man channeled his emotions into his creative work and found success
Back at the forest in the steakhouse of a lobby
The disabled man is back in the same place where he used to listen to people
A diner gets 3 bullets in the head.
Someone is killed at the restaurant
Doc looks down eating his linguine
The songwriter is present at the scene of the killing, eating dinner
Thinking up a lyric for the dead.
The songwriter is inspired by the situation to write a song about murder
Friendly Jack Benny, crazy Phil Spector
The songwriter is listing famous people he knows or has met
? and Eydie Gorme
Another famous person is mentioned, but the songwriter can't remember their name
Damon Runyon Junior and the ? orchestra
More famous people the songwriter is familiar with
All super human life is there
Even more famous or influential people are present in this environment
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, NICHOLAS PETER JOHN HORNBY, NICK HORNBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind