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."

Sculpter
Dan Bern Lyrics

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When you step from the shower
It's all I can do is stare at you
When you step from the shower
It's all I can do is stare at you

When you shave your long wet legs
There are no words that I can say
When you shave your long wet legs

It's all I can do is stare at you

I wish I was a painter
Then I could do you justice
I wish I was a sculptor
You make me want to take up molding clay

I want to leave something of you behind
They'll find three hundred years from now
I want to do something for you
To tell you how much I love you

When you talk your baby talk
It's all I can do is to try to be five years old with you
When your grapefruit eyes begin my day
I try to keep up and not slip away

I wish I was a painter
Then I could do you justice
I wish I was a sculptor
You make me want to take up molding clay

I want to leave something of you behind
They'll find three hundred years from now

I want to do something for you
To tell you how much I love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dan Bern’s song “Sculptor” are about unrequited love and the desire to capture and immortalize someone’s beauty. The singer is attracted to someone who seems to capture their attention, not just because of their physical attributes or personal characteristics, but also because of the way they make him feel. When the object of his affection steps out of the shower, he is entranced, unable to find words to describe her beauty except to look at her with awe. This admiration is compounded when she shaves her legs, an intimate and sensual act, yet one that is mundane and necessary. The singer reveals how he perceives her to be more than a sum of her parts but a work of art that deserves to be preserved in perpetuity.

The singer’s desire to do justice to her beauty becomes a theme throughout the song. He wishes he was a painter or a sculptor, an artist who could capture the essence of the beauty he finds so extraordinary. The lyrics suggest that he is dissatisfied with his own inability to convey the intensity and depth of his feelings for her, and he longs for the creative ability to create something tangible to represent his love. Implicit in the longing of the singer to be able to physically touch and create something for the object of his affection is the idea that love and art are intertwined. The creation of art is an act of love in that it captures and celebrates the essence of a subject; the process of creating everything from the representation of the body’s form to the chance to represent the inner beauty of one’s inner self.

Overall, the lyrics of “Sculptor” evoke a sense of unrequited love and the desire to capture something fleeting and ephemeral. Love and art are closely linked, and the desire to capture a person's essence through art is an act of love in and of itself.

Line by Line Meaning

When you step from the shower
The singer is infatuated with the person, and is captivated even when they simply step out of the shower.

It's all I can do is stare at you
The singer is so enamored that they become speechless in the presence of the person, and can only express their feelings through staring.

When you shave your long wet legs
The person's everyday actions, like shaving their legs, are enough to captivate the singer and leave them without words.

There are no words that I can say
The artist feels as though they cannot adequately express their feelings for the person, and are at a loss for words.

I wish I was a painter
The artist wishes they had a talent like painting in order to capture the beauty of the person's essence.

Then I could do you justice
The singer believes that their current abilities are not enough to accurately portray the person's beauty.

I wish I was a sculptor
The singer wishes they had a different artistic skill, like sculpting, because of the person's captivating beauty.

You make me want to take up molding clay
The person's beauty inspires the artist to take up a new hobby or skill, like sculpting, in order to express their admiration.

I want to leave something of you behind
The artist wants to immortalize the person's beauty and essence by creating something that will last beyond their lifetime.

They'll find three hundred years from now
The artist imagines that whatever they create for the person will be discovered and appreciated long after they are gone.

I want to do something for you
The singer desires to express their love for the person and create something that honors their beauty and essence.

To tell you how much I love you
The artist hopes that their creation will be a testament to their deep love and admiration for the person.

When you talk your baby talk
The singer is charmed by the person's childlike way of speaking and feels compelled to join in with their own childlike excitement.

It's all I can do is to try to be five years old with you
The singer feels so enamored and drawn to the person that they are willing to let go of their adult self and embrace childlike wonder.

When your grapefruit eyes begin my day
The singer is mesmerized by the person's eyes and feels as though they set the tone for the rest of the day.

I try to keep up and not slip away
The artist wants to fully embrace and savor every moment they spend with the person and make sure they don't lose themselves in the experience.

Contributed by Carter G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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