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."
Decadent Town
Dan Bern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blistered decadent town
Hairy, unwashed, souless question mark
Of a decadent town
You pull me into your decadence
Every time I pass through
But deep in the guts of your deep, deep past
I knew a guy in your decadent town
He worked strip clubs most of the time
He barely understood English
But he could sure scrap for a dime
Oh, he could sure make a decision
He changed his name six times I knew
And by the time he was ready to die
He was richer then even the Jews
I knew a woman named Frida
She came to you late in her life
And by the time she was ready to go
She had stolen another man's wife
Oh, God all the people I've known there
Rebecca who thought she could sing
And Annie and Johnny and Larry and Kate
Not a one of them's gotten a thing
Oh, decadent town in the southwest
Decadent town
Where heroin's sugar and liquor is breakfast
And nobody gives a damn
Oh, decadent preachers who live there
Hypocrites, every one
And liars and thieves and at least one I knew of
Who cut off some gangster's thumb
You might think I'm heaping abuse now
You might think I'm going too far
But hell, I don't even dislike 'em
It's just someplace I pass in my car
Decadent town that rose from the ashes
That's some old mythology I think
And if you should visit this decadent town
On me, have a decadent drink
Oh decadence, what is it anyway?
Just a word that some preachers out east
Made up so that folks who had more fun than them
Might stop having such a nice feast
Myself, I like that decadent town
That town in the baking southwest
That gets in your bones if you stay there too long
That's why I'm continuing east
And I'll find my own little decadent town
Wherever I happen to land
Might be in the mountains or down by the sea
Myself, I hope it's in the sand
The song Decadent Town by Dan Bern is a critique of a town in the Southwest of the United States. The lyrics paint a picture of a town that is gritty, rough around the edges, and full of characters who live on the fringes of society. The town is personified as a living entity, one that draws the singer in with its decadence every time he passes through. The singer reflects on the people he has known in this town, from a man who worked in strip clubs, to a woman named Frida who stole another man's wife. He describes the town's inhabitants as "hairy, unwashed, soulless question mark[s]" and "hypocrites, every one." Despite this, he professes to not dislike them and even seems to have a fondness for the town, planning to find his own "little decadent town" to settle in.
The lyrics of the song critique the idea of decadence, which the singer describes as just a made-up word created by preachers out east to make people feel guilty for having too much fun. The singer seems to view the town's decadence as a kind of rebellion against societal norms, a way for people to break free from the constraints of a world that may not understand or accept them. The song is a commentary on the complex nature of humanity and our desire for both acceptance and individuality.
Line by Line Meaning
Decadent town in the southwest
A town in the desert that is filled with sin and excess
Blistered decadent town
The town is beat up and worn down, reflecting the lives of the people who live there
Hairy, unwashed, souless question mark
The people in the town are dirty and lack purpose or direction
You pull me into your decadence
The temptation of the town's sinful lifestyle draws the artist in every time he passes through
Every time I pass through
The artist doesn't live in the town, but frequently visits as he travels
From somewhere that decadence grew
The town's history helped to foster and cultivate its hedonistic ways
He worked strip clubs most of the time
The man the singer knew in the town made a living as a stripper
He could sure scrap for a dime
The man was good at fighting for what he wanted, even if it was just for a few pennies
And by the time he was ready to die
He lived a full life and accumulated a lot of wealth
He was richer then even the Jews
He had amassed a great fortune and was wealthier than many other stereotypes of wealthy people
She had stolen another man's wife
Frida had an affair with a married woman
Rebecca who thought she could sing
Rebecca was a bad singer, but still tried to pursue a career in music
And Annie and Johnny and Larry and Kate
These are just a few of the many names of people that the singer knows from the town
Not a one of them's gotten a thing
None of the people the singer knows from the town have achieved any great success or fulfillment in life
Where heroin's sugar and liquor is breakfast
The people of the town have vices that have taken over their lives and become a staple part of their daily routine
Hypocrites, every one
The preachers who live in the town are insincere and don't practice what they preach
And liars and thieves and at least one I knew of
The people in the town are often dishonest and will do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if that means stealing or hurting others
Who cut off some gangster's thumb
The singer is aware of a violent incident that happened in the town where a gangster had his thumb cut off
But hell, I don't even dislike 'em
The singer doesn't hold any strong negative feelings towards the people in the town, despite their flaws
It's just someplace I pass in my car
The town isn't important to the artist, it's just a place he happens to drive through
Decadent town that rose from the ashes
The town has a history of destruction and rebirth
That's some old mythology I think
The artist isn't sure of the accuracy of the story of the town's origin, it seems like a legend passed down over time
On me, have a decadent drink
The singer suggests that if someone visits the town, they should indulge in its excesses
Just a word that some preachers out east
The concept of decadence was created by religious leaders in the past, who wanted to discourage people from living lives of sinful pleasures
Might stop having such a nice feast
The religious leaders hoped that by creating a term for indulgence that sounded negative, people would stop enjoying themselves so much
That gets in your bones if you stay there too long
The town's lifestyle can have a strong hold on those who stay there for an extended period of time
That's why I'm continuing east
The singer is leaving the town and its influence behind and moving on to a new direction in life
Wherever I happen to land
The artist doesn't have a specific destination in mind for his travels
Myself, I hope it's in the sand
The artist would like to find his home in a place near the ocean
Contributed by Oliver I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.