Jail
Dan Bern Lyrics

Well, I wish you well on your travels
The singer is bidding farewell to his friends as they embark on their journeys.

My friends I wish you well along the way
The singer is wishing his friends a safe and successful journey.

This is the story of how I came to be
The singer is introducing the story of how he ended up in jail.

In jail for a night and a day
The artist was arrested and spent a night and a day in jail.

Well, I'm driving my '88 Olds Cutlass
The artist is driving his car on a rainy and dark night.

It's raining and it's dark
The weather outside is rainy and dark.

My wipers are beating slow and steady
The windshield wipers of the singer's car are moving at a steady pace.

Like the thump, thump, thumping of my heart
The artist's heart is beating in a slow and steady rhythm, like the wipers of his car.

I'm rolling down from up in Colorado
The artist is driving down to Texas from Colorado.

Some little town in Texas tonight
The artist is passing through a small town in Texas at night.

When my rearview flashes blue, blue, blue
The singer sees flashing blue lights in his rearview mirror, indicating a police car.

It's the cop; my license plate's missing a light
The cop pulled the artist over because his license plate is missing a light.

He smells sweet green Colorado
The cop smells marijuana coming from the singer's car.

Hidden in the lining 'bove my head
The singer had hidden marijuana in the lining above his head.

Next thing I know there's four cop cars flashing
More cops arrived on the scene and their cars are also flashing lights.

And around my wrists are bracelets of lead
The artist was handcuffed and arrested.

Well, take my license, take my fingerprints
The artist's identification and fingerprints are being taken by the police.

Take my wallet that I'll no longer need
The singer's wallet is being taken by the police while he is in custody.

Take my belt in case I want to hang myself
The singer's belt is taken away for his own safety while he's in custody.

For a nickel bag of weed
The artist was arrested for possessing marijuana.

Then put me in a cell on an old mattress pad
The artist is placed in a jail cell with an old mattress pad.

To measure out in minutes this night
The artist is counting down the minutes until he is released from jail.

One cup of water in styrofoam
The singer is given one cup of water to drink in a styrofoam cup.

Four walls and one fluorescent light
The artist's cell is small, with four walls and one fluorescent light.

And this is my one phone call
The singer is allowed one phone call while in custody.

And baby I'm calling you
The singer is calling his significant other.

You tell me, 'Stay strong boy.'
The significant other encourages the singer to stay strong.

I say, 'Well, I'll do the best I do.'
The artist is determined to do his best to stay strong and get through his time in jail.

Now at first I'm thinking, man, I'm such a fuck-up
The artist is initially feeling down on himself for getting arrested.

My head is lonesome and bowed
The singer is feeling alone and ashamed.

Figure I'll join some program, get religious
The singer considers joining a program or becoming more religious to turn his life around.

My abstinence will make my mother proud
The artist's decision to be abstinent from drugs and alcohol will make his mother proud of him.

And I stare at the stone cold floor
The artist is looking down at the floor of his jail cell.

I guess that's what you do in the pen
The artist is reflecting on how he has to spend his time in jail.

Then I get to thinking what I'd really like to do
The singer starts to imagine what he would like to do in the future.

Is to come back here and fight this to the end
The artist is considering fighting against the law that put him in jail.

Your Honor, think of Johnny Cash
The singer is referencing Johnny Cash as someone who defied the law and became a cultural icon.

And Elvis and Hank Williams too
The singer is also referencing other musicians who broke the law or lived outside of societal norms.

Whatever it took to go get those songs
The singer is referencing the struggles and hardships that musicians from the past went through to create their art.

Those good old boys would do
The artist believes that these musicians would do whatever it takes to create their music.

If it's illegal, then throw out Blonde On Blonde
The artist is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then Bob Dylan's album, Blonde On Blonde, should also be illegal.

And every Beatles song since 'Hard Day's Night'
The singer is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then every Beatles song since 'Hard Day's Night' should also be illegal.

Go ahead and burn Walt Whitman
The singer is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then the works of Walt Whitman should also be burned.

Unpaint Starry Night
The artist is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then the painting 'Starry Night' should also be removed or destroyed.

Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, let 'em burn
The artist is suggesting that music by Coltrane and Louis Armstrong should also be burned if drugs are illegal.

Kerouac, Thelonious Monk
The artist is referencing writers and musicians who are known for their association with drugs or countercultural lifestyles.

Alice in Wonderland, Picasso
The singer is referencing works of art that are associated with drug culture or counterculture.

Burroughs, Blake, Ginsberg, throw it out, it's junk
The artist is suggesting that works of literature by Burroughs, Blake, and Ginsberg should be thrown out if drugs are illegal.

Then throw out all your favorite records
The singer is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then people should also throw out their favorite records.

Throw your books of poetry away
The singer is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then people should throw away their books of poetry.

Close the museums, burn the paintings
The singer is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then museums and art should be destroyed.

Restore us to Galileo's Day
The artist is referencing a time when people believed in scientific progress and exploration, and is suggesting that we should return to that mindset.

Then to the drug store we will go
The artist is suggesting that if drugs are illegal, then people will go to drug stores to get their drugs.

For Vicodin and Chloraseptic spray
The singer is referencing legal drugs that are commonly used for pain relief or to numb the senses.

Scarf a couple Darvocets and Xanax
The singer is referencing two more types of prescription drugs that are commonly used for pain relief or for calming the nerves.

And then we'll go floating away
The artist is suggesting that people will use drugs to escape from the reality of the world.

Dear Governor, dear Governor, dear Governor
The artist is addressing the Governor of his state in a mocking tone.

The final enforcer of my fate
The artist believes that the Governor has control over his life and fate.

Did I interrupt your three-martini lunch?
The singer is accusing the Governor of being out of touch with the struggles of everyday people.

Are you off on your cigarette break?
The artist is mocking the Governor for taking breaks while people like him are suffering.

The next day, my buddies bail me out
The singer's friends bail him out of jail the next day.

Toward late afternoon
It was late in the afternoon when the singer was released from jail.

And the grass, it never smelled greener
The singer is relieved to be out of jail and is appreciating the simple joys of life.

Sun drips honey like from a golden spoon
The artist is enjoying the beauty of nature and the warmth of the sun.

I jump in the car and drive on out of there
The artist gets back in his car and leaves the town where he was arrested.

Soon we're miles away
The singer and his friends quickly put the incident behind them and drive far away from the town.

And I get to thinking what awaits me
The singer starts to think about what could happen to him in the future because of his arrest.

When I come back some not-so-distant day
The artist believes that he will have to return to the town where he was arrested at some point in the future.

Will I stand before the judge
The artist is wondering if he will have to go to court to face the consequences of his arrest.

And say, 'Your Honor, this law, it is wrong.'
The artist is suggesting that the law that he was arrested for breaking is unjust or wrong.

Or do I just do the time and pay my fine
The singer is considering whether it would be easier for him to accept his punishment and move on.

Shake this town from my boots and be gone
The artist is eager to leave the town where he was arrested behind him and move on with his life.