Dan Bern (aka Bernstein, a name under which he sometimes performs) is a gui… Read Full Bio ↴Dan Bern (aka Bernstein, a name under which he sometimes performs) is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and painter. His music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. His song "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce, and Dan Blues," from the album Smartie Mine, offers a joking take on this influence, presented in the style of a Guthrie or Dylan talking blues song, and containing a spoof of a Dylan song as well. Bernstein has also toured with Ani DiFranco. He is known for sardonic, literary lyrics, a range of musical styles, and a folk music style paired with rock instrumentation. He also wrote the novel Quitting Science (2004) under the pen name Cunliffe Merriwether and wrote the preface under his own name.

Although a vein of social and political humor runs though even his earliest work, Bern's work became more explicitly political during the 2004 US presidential election campaign, with songs such as "Bush Must Be Defeated" and "President" highlighting his sometimes surreal political takes.

Bern is reflexively literate, in the style of his favorite authors, including L.A.'s legendary bohemians Charles Bukowski and John Fante, urbane fantasist James Thurber, and yarn-spinning humorist Ring Lardner. He is in love with the power of words to turn on themselves, to frolic, to bite, and his strong, friendly voice can go from earnest to ferocious within seconds. Being captivated by Dan is the easy part; describing his music to the non-initiated is more difficult. One journalist tried: "topical-poetical-sarcastic-punk-folk." An admirable effort, further elaborated by the New York Times: "He veers from comedy to anger, conjectures to shaggy-dog stories; he takes sidelong approaches to theology, science fiction, consumer culture, art, love and baseball."

Airplane Blues
Dan Bern Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lean back
Sit back on the porch swing
Pour yourself a glass of lemonade
Make sure the dog's in
He's been scratchin' a lot lately
Like there's an epidemic of fleas
I ain't never seen nothin' like it
Summer of '75

All of these bugs came in from out of state
Messed with everybody
Especially the dog
Ain't never been the same
Just lay back now

First time I ever heard this song
First time I went to
I don't remember how old I was
My first time out east
And I went to theis club called, "Tramps"

Late at night, I got to see Lightnin' Hopkins sing
I was closer to him
Than I was to my dad at the time
He sang
A week later, he died
I think that was the last show he ever played
This is my favorite one that he done
It's called the "Airplane Blues"
Goes like this

I got a woman
She's always out of town
I got a woman
She's always out of town
I'm gonna buy me an airplane
I'm gonna fly that woman down

That woman that left me
She ain't never satisfied
That woman that left me
She ain't never satisfied
She's gonna ride with me in the airplane
Next time I take her for a ride

Next time we fly
I'm gonna take her for a trip
Down across the world
Next time we fly
Gonna take her for a trip down across the world
She's gonna take off
Just like that old flying squirrel

I got a woman
She's always out of town
She's always out of town
I'm buying an airplane
I'm flying that woman down

Mmm
Mmm
Mmm
Mmm

Mmm
Mmm

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dan Bern's "Airplane Blues" seem to portray a man who is fed up with his woman being out of town and wants to buy an airplane to fly her down to him. The first verse of the song sets the scene with the singer on his porch swing drinking lemonade and his dog scratching like there is an epidemic of fleas, recalling the summer of '75 when all the bugs came in from out of state and messed with everybody, especially the dog. The second verse is a personal anecdote by the singer about seeing Lightnin' Hopkins sing live at a club called "Tramps," and this song being his favorite one that he's done. The final three verses continue the story of the singer wanting to buy an airplane to fly his woman down to him, with the repeated refrain "I got a woman, she's always out of town."

One interpretation of the song could be that the airplane is a metaphor for the singer's desire to have greater control over his relationship, as flying her down would symbolize bringing her closer to him. The dissatisfaction he feels with her being out of town could represent his frustration with the lack of intimacy and emotional distance that comes with being in a long-distance relationship, and his desire to bridge that gap. The imagery of the bugs also adds a layer of discomfort and annoyance, further emphasizing the singer's discontent and desire for change.

Line by Line Meaning

Lean back
Relax and take a break from the daily routine

Sit back on the porch swing
Get comfortable in a peaceful environment

Pour yourself a glass of lemonade
Take pleasure in simple things

Make sure the dog's in
Take care of the things that matter to you

He's been scratchin' a lot lately
Notice the little things that seem out of place

Like there's an epidemic of fleas
Pay attention to unusual patterns and try to make sense of them

I ain't never seen nothin' like it
Acknowledge the uniqueness of each situation

Summer of '75
Referring to a specific time in the past

All of these bugs came in from out of state
There was an external factor causing the issue

Messed with everybody
Affected everyone in some way

Especially the dog
The dog was hit particularly hard by the issue

Ain't never been the same
Things have changed permanently

First time I ever heard this song
Sharing a personal memory

First time I went to
Reflecting on a particular event

I don't remember how old I was
Uncertainty about certain details

My first time out east
Referring to a specific location

And I went to this club called, "Tramps"
Mentioning a specific venue

Late at night, I got to see Lightnin' Hopkins sing
Sharing an exciting experience

I was closer to him
Feeling a connection with the artist

Than I was to my dad at the time
Comparing the closeness of two relationships

He sang
The artist performed a song

A week later, he died
Sharing a tragic detail

I think that was the last show he ever played
Speculation about the artist's final performance

This is my favorite one that he done
Expressing personal taste

It's called the "Airplane Blues"
Naming the song being discussed

I got a woman
Introducing the song's main theme

She's always out of town
The woman is frequently absent

I'm gonna buy me an airplane
A plan to address the situation

I'm gonna fly that woman down
A solution to bring the woman closer

That woman that left me
Indicating some past hurt

She ain't never satisfied
The woman is hard to please

She's gonna ride with me in the airplane
An attempt to please the woman with an adventure

Next time I take her for a ride
Imagining a future event

I'm gonna take her for a trip, down across the world
Dreaming big and ambitious

She's gonna take off, just like that old flying squirrel
Imagining excitement and wonder

Mmm
Repetitive vocalization without specific meaning

Contributed by Mason L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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