Wasteland
Dan Bern Lyrics

I saw the best of my generation playing pinball
I saw the most promising people of my generation wasting their lives away

Maked up and caked up and lookin' like some kind of china doll
They were covered in makeup and looked superficial like dolls

With all of Adolf Hitler's moves down cold
They were politically manipulative like Hitler

As they stood up in front of a rock and roll band
They were putting on a show to impress others

And always moving upward and ever upward
They were constantly seeking more, but never satisfied

To this gentle golden promised land
They were working towards an idealized, unattainable future

With the smartest of them all moonlighting as a word processor
Even the smartest of them was working a mediocre job to survive

And the strongest of them all checking ID's outside saloons
Even the strongest was reduced to a low-paying job

And the prettiest of them all taking off her clothes
Even the most physically attractive was selling themselves for attention

In front of men whose eyes look like they were in some Little hick town near Omaha watching the police chief Run his car off the side of a bridge
These people were degrading themselves in front of people who were only looking for cheap thrills

I saw men with dreams like the ones I'd had Beg quarters outside the 7-11
I saw people who had aspirations reduced to begging for change

Till it got so they didn't affect me anymore
I grew desensitized to the plight of the less fortunate

Then the mailboxes I'd passed 'cept that sometimes I'd put something in the mailbox
I started to feel detached from myself, even though I occasionally tried to make a difference

I'd had the wind at my back
I used to feel optimistic and driven

Now I felt it cold in my face
Now I feel pessimism and obstacles blocking my path

And for an awful long time now you were the only one who ever Called me late at night and I really never noticed till after You stopped calling and the emptiness, silence got so heavy
You were the only one who cared enough to reach out to me, and I only realized it after you stopped

Broken up in the wasteland
The world is fractured and broken, like a barren wasteland

I saw dead Marilyn Monroe strung up on every street corner In Hollywood like some two bit whore offering a discount rate
Celebrity culture is twisted and exploitative, reducing even iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe to cheap products

And I wondered how Joe Dimagio (sp??) felt
I wondered how the people closest to these celebrities felt about their exploitation

I saw dead James Dean's ghost wandering the sidewalk Looking troubled and I wondered how his mama felt
Even deceased celebrities are exploited for profit and their legacy is misused

I saw signs that said head shots done for cheap Signs that said extras wanted top dollars paid Signs for haircuts signs for manicures and Signs for tanning salons and signs for wardrobe specialists Signs for cosmetic surgery and signs for assertiveness training
Advertising is everywhere, targeting people's insecurities and promising solutions at a cost

And I stopped to read them all
I was bombarded with these messages every day and couldn't avoid them

And every single block looked like every single block Looked like every single block looked like every single block Looked like every single block but you kept driving
The sameness and monotony of modern life is suffocating, but many people are content to ignore it

Cause everyone else kept driving and cause gridlock Is evil and not knowing your way is evil
People are afraid to be stuck, both physically and mentally

And those that had money looked good but weren't too happy And those who didn't have money didn't look so good And weren't too happy either and in a city of three million two hundred and sixty nine thousand nine hundred eighty four Everyone was lonely
Money doesn't fix everything, and even in a city full of people, individuals feel isolated and hopeless

And I watched as everyone I knew spent their lives Trying to be watched on a stage or watched on a film Or listened to on a record and they thought well maybe That way I could get a little love out of this life
People are conditioned to seek validation and love from external sources, like fame or success

And I watched as the best of my generation abandoned their dreams And settled for making a little money
Even the most talented people are forced to prioritize economic stability over their passions

And I watched TV and read the papers and listened to the radio And made all the fancy scenes and said all the right words And wore all the right clothes and knew the names of the hip people But I still felt out of touch so I stopped watching TV And reading the papers and listening to the radio And making the fancy scenes and saying the right words And wearing the right clothes and knowing the names of the hip people
Even when I tried to conform to popular culture, I always felt like an outsider

And I felt more out of touch than ever but I didn't care anymore And I felt you slipping away, and I felt myself slipping from you
I stopped trying to conform to society's standards and accepted my own sense of detachment, even as it caused distance in my relationships

And I wanted more than anything else for it to rain for one Whole day like it used to but all there ever was was sun Relentless sun hot beating sun and everyone wore their Sunglasses and walked around like flies under a magnifying glass With their eyes removed
I longed for a respite from the oppressive sameness and heat of modern life, but there was no escape