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."

Closer To You
Dan Bern Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Please give me notice
So I can buy a ticket for a train
A train I've been hearing
Over and over and again and again
Tonight it seems you're sleepy
So there ain't nothing else to do
'Cept drink and listen to Miles Davis
Down in the Bakerloo

Closer to you, closer to you

Baby let's stop for gas
You can be the leader of the pack
Spain can wait 'til tomorrow
Spain always has
Go ahead try to go further
I'll push your hands away
Don't be worried 'bout
Physically overpowering me today

Closer to you, closer to you

I seen what happens to the boys who love you
Gonna move carefully, real real carefully

I sign for my brothers
Now when I write my name
Shaquille O'Neal don't show up
Drunk for a Laker game
God is down in the mailroom
Sorting what gets sent above
They finally proved scientifically
All you need is love

Closer to you, closer to you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Closer to You" by Dan Bern are deeply romantic and evoke a sense of yearning and longing for someone he is in love with. In the first verse, he pleads with his lover to let him know in advance when she is going to leave so that he can buy a train ticket and be closer to her. He talks about hearing the train repeatedly, symbolizing the recurring longing that he feels for her.

The second verse of the song describes them driving together and him wanting to be led by her. He talks about Spain being able to wait until tomorrow, indicating that their love is more important to him than any other destination they might have. He also speaks about her attempting to move away from him, but he refuses to let her go further away from him. He reassures her that he won't physically overpower her, highlighting his desire for a healthy and respectful relationship.

In the final verse, Dan Bern speaks about his love for his brothers and how he has signed for them. He then references Shaquille O'Neal, the former professional basketball player, and how he wouldn't show up drunk for a Laker game, implying that he is committed and responsible. He then talks about God being down in the mailroom and how he sorts what gets sent above, indicating that love is what truly matters in life. Overall, the song is a beautiful lamentation about love and the desire to be closer to the person he loves.

Line by Line Meaning

Please give me notice
Inform me ahead of time

So I can buy a ticket for a train
So that I can purchase a train ticket to meet you

A train I've been hearing
A train I keep hearing about

Over and over and again and again
Repetitively

Tonight it seems you're sleepy
Tonight it appears that you are tired

So there ain't nothing else to do
So there isn't anything else to do

'Cept drink and listen to Miles Davis
Except drink and listen to the music of Miles Davis

Down in the Bakerloo
In the Bakerloo underground station or line

Closer to you, closer to you
Getting closer to you

Baby let's stop for gas
Stop the car to buy fuel

You can be the leader of the pack
You can take charge and lead us