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."

Little Russian Girl
Dan Bern Lyrics

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god bless you lana,
little russian girl
for talking to me just when I needed it most
god bless you lana,
russian gothic girl
for talking to me just when I needed it most

I'm sorry that your mama

is far away in russia,
and she can't come see you
and you can't go see her

and I'm sorry your first marriage
ended in divorce
and your first husband felt he had to lock you in a cage

and sorry that the second one is making you unhappy
cause now your husband doesn't understand his wife at all

and most I get so sorry
you're married and you can't
drive up the coast tomorrow
and lay on your day off

but anyway lana
god bless you lana
for talking to me just when I needed it most

I'm glad the coffee shop wasn't busy at all
you saved me from a night of trying to scrape myself
off the wall

I just let another one walk out of my life
a sweet bird who always kept such a nice nest
for a while I came back
but finally I told her
keep your pretty eggs warm
for somebody else

and now I see her eyes in everybody's eyes
and I can't help thinking that I'm just a fool
I cried at the strip show I cried at the stoplights
I cried at the howard stern movie I cried
right now I could cling to just about anyone

so god bless you lana
little russian girl
for talking to me just when I needed it most
and if you weren't married
I might be with you now
and we'd be holding on so tight cause if we let go
the world would start spinning clear out of control
thanks for talking to me when I needed you most

I'm glad the coffee shop wasn't busy at all
you saved me from a night of trying to scrape myself
off the wall

god bless you lana little russian girl
for talking to me just when I needed you most

god bless you lana little russian girl
for talking to me just when I needed you most

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dan Bern's Little Russian Girl tell the story of a man who is going through a difficult time and finds solace in a chance encounter with a woman named Lana. The song is written as an expression of gratitude towards Lana for being there to talk to the singer during a vulnerable moment, when he is feeling lost and uncertain.

The first verse introduces Lana as a "little Russian girl" who, despite the distance from her home country and the challenges she has faced in her personal life, takes the time to talk to the singer when he needed someone to listen. In the second verse, the singer explains that he has just ended a relationship with someone who he cared about deeply, and now sees her in everyone's eyes. He is emotional and crying at everything, and becomes comforted by the conversation he has with Lana.

Overall, the song seems to be about the power of human connection and the importance of being there for others. It reminds us that even in times of difficulty, a simple conversation with someone can make all the difference.

Line by Line Meaning

god bless you lana, little russian girl for talking to me just when I needed it most
The singer thanks Lana, a young Russian woman, for talking to him when he was in great need.

god bless you lana, russian gothic girl for talking to me just when I needed it most
The singer thanks Lana, a young Russian woman with a gothic style, for being there for him when he needed someone to talk to.

I'm sorry that your mama is far away in russia, and she can't come see you and you can't go see her
The singer feels sympathy for Lana because her mother is far away in Russia and they can't be with each other.

and I'm sorry your first marriage ended in divorce and your first husband felt he had to lock you in a cage
The artist expresses regret that Lana's first marriage ended in divorce and that her first husband was abusive towards her.

and sorry that the second one is making you unhappy cause now your husband doesn't understand his wife at all
The artist feels sorry that Lana's second marriage is making her unhappy because her husband doesn't understand her.

and most I get so sorry you're married and you can't drive up the coast tomorrow and lay on your day off
The singer is sorry that Lana is married and unable to take time off to drive up the coast and relax.

but anyway lana god bless you lana for talking to me just when I needed it most
Despite Lana's own difficulties, the singer thanks her once again for being there for him when he needed someone to talk to.

I'm glad the coffee shop wasn't busy at all you saved me from a night of trying to scrape myself off the wall
The artist is grateful that the coffee shop was quiet and that Lana was there to prevent him from feeling completely distraught.

I just let another one walk out of my life a sweet bird who always kept such a nice nest for a while I came back but finally I told her keep your pretty eggs warm for somebody else
The artist laments that he let a good person go from his life and now he regrets it. He tells her to move on and to find someone better.

and now I see her eyes in everybody's eyes and I can't help thinking that I'm just a fool I cried at the strip show I cried at the stoplights I cried at the howard stern movie I cried right now I could cling to just about anyone
The artist is haunted by the memory of the person he let go and is overcome with emotions at various moments. He feels foolish for losing her and is emotionally vulnerable.

so god bless you lana little russian girl for talking to me just when I needed it most and if you weren't married I might be with you now and we'd be holding on so tight cause if we let go the world would start spinning clear out of control thanks for talking to me when I needed you most
The singer once again thanks Lana for being there for him and confesses that if she were not married, he would be with her. He believes that they are a source of stability for each other and that the world would be chaotic without each other's support.

god bless you lana little russian girl for talking to me just when I needed you most god bless you lana little russian girl for talking to me just when I needed you most
The artist repeats his gratitude towards Lana for being there for him when he needed someone the most.

Contributed by Elliot V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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