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."
Colors
Dan Bern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wonder when they'll find the body
7-Eleven's got so many bottles of juice
I love the colors
Back at the farm, we never got to
Sleep in the same room
I hated Uncle Max, I hope he isn't mad at me
I love the colors
Colors
I love the colors
I might never sleep again
I might never dream again
But that's all right
'Cause there's so many colors
I love green and red
Colors
I'll get you some blues
Colors
I love the colors
Someday I'd like to be on TV
Dead in your lap beside a gun
And a copy of Poison's Native Tongue
And some flowers of many different colors
I love the colors
Colors
I love the colors
We're listening to Nine Inch Nails in my car
I wonder when they'll find the body
The song "Colors" by Dan Bern is a track that has a very strange vibe to it. The song is a mix of odd, surrealistic reflections on life and society, with an underlying feeling of paranoia and uncertainty. The opening line of the song is "We're listening to Nine Inch Nails in my car, I wonder when they'll find the body." This line sets the tone for the entire track, as it immediately creates a sense of unease and suspicion. The listener is left to wonder whose body is being referred to, and why it is being discussed. The line also sets the stage for the song's central theme of colors.
The lyrics in the song make several references to colors and the emotional associations people have with them. The lines "7-Eleven's got so many bottles of juice, I love the colors" are a good example of this. The imagery is bizarre, but it creates a vivid picture of the singer's fascination with colors. The song's chorus is also very simple, with the repeated line "I love the colors." This phrase is both a cry of joy and a cry of desperation, as if the singer is desperately trying to hold on to something that is slipping away.
There are several other references to colors throughout the song, including mentions of green, red, and blue. The colors are used to evoke different emotions and moods, with green being associated with nature and growth, red being associated with passion and danger, and blue being associated with sadness and melancholy. The final verse of the song is perhaps the most surreal, with the singer expressing a desire to be on TV dead in someone's lap, with a gun and a copy of Poison's "Native Tongue," surrounded by flowers of many different colors. These images are bizarre and unsettling, but they contribute to the song's overall atmosphere of uncertainty and paranoia.
Overall, "Colors" is a strange and enigmatic song that leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The repeated line "I love the colors" is both a celebration of life and a lamentation of its fleeting nature, and the song's imagery is both beautiful and macabre. The song is an example of Dan Bern's unique songwriting style and his ability to create vivid, surrealistic worlds with his lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
We're listening to Nine Inch Nails in my car
We are currently playing Nine Inch Nails music in my car.
I wonder when they'll find the body
I am curious as to when somebody will discover the corpse.
7-Eleven's got so many bottles of juice
There is a vast collection of fruit juice bottles at 7-Eleven.
I love the colors
I have an affinity for colorful things.
Back at the farm, we never got to
When I was on the farm, we did not get to do the following:
Sleep in the same room
Sleep together in the same room.
I hated Uncle Max, I hope he isn't mad at me
I had a strong dislike for Uncle Max and I am hoping he is not upset with me about it.
Look out the window, see the colors
Take a glance outside and observe the colors.
I might never sleep again
It is possible that I will never sleep again.
I might never dream again
It is possible that I will never dream again.
But that's all right
However, that is okay.
'Cause there's so many colors
The reason that is fine is because there are so many colors to admire.
I love green and red
I have a fondness for both the colors green and red.
I'll get you some blues
I will obtain some items that are blue for you.
Someday I'd like to be on TV
One day, I would like to appear on television.
Dead in your lap beside a gun
Specifically, I would like to be deceased in your lap with a weapon nearby.
And a copy of Poison's Native Tongue
I would also like to have a copy of the album Native Tongue by Poison with me.
And some flowers of many different colors
Lastly, I would like to include some flowers with a variety of colors.
I love the colors
As previously mentioned, I really enjoy colors.
Colors
Colors.
I love the colors
I still really enjoy colors.
We're listening to Nine Inch Nails in my car
As previously mentioned, we are currently listening to Nine Inch Nails in my car.
I wonder when they'll find the body
Again, I am inquisitive about when the corpse will be discovered.
Contributed by Dominic G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.