We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You
Kinky Friedman gelesen von Wiglaf Droste Lyrics


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While traveling through the Lone Star State
I lost my lunch before I ate,
It happened in a pull-ahead café. Yahoo!
I felt my bones begin to crunch
I saw my name on the businessman's lunch
And the neck who owned the place stepped up to say:
Hey buddy, are you blind,
Say, partner, can't you read the sign?
We reserve the right to refuse service to you,
Take your business back to Walgreen's,
Have you tried your local zoo?
You smell just like a communist,
You come on through just like a Jew,
We reserve the right to refuse service to you.

Well, I walked on in to my House of God
Congregation on the nod,
Just chosen folks are doing their weekly thing.
Hear, O Israel, yes indeed,
My book was backwards, couldn't read,
But I got a good rise when I heard that Rabbi sing,
Boruch atoh Adonoi,
What the hell are you doing back there, boy?

We reserve the right to refuse services to you,
Your friends are all on welfare
You call yourself a Jew?
You need your ticket and your tie
To zip your prayers on through,
We reserve the right to refuse services unto you.

Life from Laos and Cambodia
No more tears tonight they showed ya
The latest old war movies on TV.
You know it's bound to escalate
So go and turn on channel eight,
Watch channel seven border channel three.
Well, I won't mind your tanks and jets and jeeps
And speaking on behalf of all my fellow creeps:

We reserve the right to refuse service to you,
Right, face, forward, move
And get the children, too.
Let Saigons be bygones,
Don't you blow this world in two.
We reserve the right to refuse service to you.

Well, it's just my luck that God's a Texan
One big sonbitchin' Anglo-Saxon,
Some crazy tall Norwegian bore
Just to help my body shipped air-freight
From Texas to the Pearly Gate
Just ring the bell and leave me at the door.
I'll be somewhere over Jordan swinging low,
I'll hear them tape-recorded angels in lifelike stereo

Singing,
We reserve the right to refuse service to you,
Take your business back to Walgreen's,
Have you tried your local zoo?
Our quota's filled for this year




On singing Texas Jews,
We reserve the right to refuse service to you.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kinky Friedman's "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You" explore themes of discrimination and prejudice in various settings. The singer describes experiences of being refused service, both in a cafe and in a place of worship, as well as commenting on the attitudes and perceptions that contribute to these situations. The song also touches upon the impact of war and conflict, with references to Laos and Cambodia, and expresses a desire for peace and unity.


The first verse of the song sets the tone for the narrative, with the singer losing their appetite before even entering the cafe and encountering a hostile owner who refuses service based on arbitrary and discriminatory criteria. This experience is contrasted with a visit to a House of God, where the singer faces similar rejection based on their identity and association.


The chorus of "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You" maintains a tongue-in-cheek tone, with the repeated refrain mocking the idea of exclusivity and discrimination as a valid business practice. The final verse, with its reference to God as a Texan and the promise of a peaceful afterlife, provides a somewhat lighthearted conclusion to the song's commentary on serious issues.


Line by Line Meaning

While traveling through the Lone Star State I lost my lunch before I ate, It happened in a pull-ahead café. Yahoo!
I was in Texas traveling and stopped at a café. However, I lost my appetite when I saw how dirty the place was.


I felt my bones begin to crunch I saw my name on the businessman's lunch And the neck who owned the place stepped up to say: Hey buddy, are you blind, Say, partner, can't you read the sign?
I felt sick seeing how dirty the café was, and I noticed that the businessman there had ordered something with my name on it. The owner of the café then proceeded to tell me that because of my appearance, he had the right to refuse service to me.


We reserve the right to refuse service to you, Take your business back to Walgreen's, Have you tried your local zoo? You smell just like a communist, You come on through just like a Jew, We reserve the right to refuse service to you.
The owner tells me that he has the right to refuse services to me, suggesting that I should go to another place like Walgreen's or even a zoo. He also insults me by saying that I smell like a communist and that I look like a Jew.


Well, I walked on in to my House of God Congregation on the nod, Just chosen folks are doing their weekly thing. Hear, O Israel, yes indeed, My book was backwards, couldn't read, But I got a good rise when I heard that Rabbi sing, Boruch atoh Adonoi, What the hell are you doing back there, boy?
I went to my weekly congregation, where the Rabbi was singing. However, I was holding my prayer book backwards, and I was uncertain of what I was doing. The Rabbi caught me, and I felt embarrassed.


We reserve the right to refuse services to you, Your friends are all on welfare You call yourself a Jew? You need your ticket and your tie To zip your prayers on through, We reserve the right to refuse services unto you.
The congregation then tells me that they have the right to refuse services to me because I am associated with people on welfare, and I am not dressed in appropriate clothing required to enter the congregation.


Life from Laos and Cambodia No more tears tonight they showed ya The latest old war movies on TV. You know it's bound to escalate So go and turn on channel eight, Watch channel seven border channel three. Well, I won't mind your tanks and jets and jeeps And speaking on behalf of all my fellow creeps:
I am flipping through TV channels, and I come across war movies from Laos and Cambodia. However, I feel okay about watching them because I know that they are just TV. I then speak on behalf of people like me who do not care about the real-life war happening out there.


We reserve the right to refuse service to you, Right, face, forward, move And get the children, too. Let Saigons be bygones, Don't you blow this world in two. We reserve the right to refuse service to you.
The owner of the TV service tells me that they can refuse services to me and my children because of who I am, suggesting that they want to avoid the potential danger of people like me causing problems and starting another war, so they would instead refuse service if deemed necessary.


Well, it's just my luck that God's a Texan One big sonbitchin' Anglo-Saxon, Some crazy tall Norwegian bore Just to help my body shipped air-freight From Texas to the Pearly Gate Just ring the bell and leave me at the door. I'll be somewhere over Jordan swinging low, I'll hear them tape-recorded angels in lifelike stereo Singing, We reserve the right to refuse service to you, Take your business back to Walgreen's, Have you tried your local zoo? Our quota's filled for this year On singing Texas Jews, We reserve the right to refuse service to you.
In the end, I joke about how unlucky I am that even God is Texan. I then ask to be left alone after my death, and I anticipate hearing the tape-recorded angels singing that they reserve the right to refuse services to people like me, Texans and Jews included.




Writer(s): Richard Friedman

Contributed by Joseph V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Clive Marcus

One of my favourites by kinky. Apart from all the rest! His "Sold American" album is a classic

wolfmanjim

I love the phrase 'bullethead cafe.'  And the part at the synagogue makes me giggle.

russell campbell

Me too.

k holub

All the lyrics sites say “pull ahead cafe” which is dumb and wrong, I’m bringing bullethead back

alexander lüdi

That man knows how to work with words.

Mujangga

"..the chosen folks doing their weekly thing." Awesome!

Marlene Goldberg

awesome in the Holy language is gadol (bigly) - as this song deserves an Emmy bigly!

Ronnie Kahn

I used to play at NY's Lone Star Cafe as part of "Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys"  Kinky's an excellent writer/raconteur and a flashy-dresser, with songs like "They Ain't Makin Jews Like Jesus Anymore" He was friends with Abby, and wrote a song for him called "Dear Abby"
About ten years ago he ran for Governor of Texas & had the same Campaign Manager as
Jesse Ventura. But of course Jesse Ventura was not Jewish & running for Governor of Texas....
Kinky's got a big cult-following, and is writing best-selling Mystery Novels now. When I was playing at The Lone Star, I met Muddy Waters and John Belushi and a country singer named Johnny
Monday who was actually Vaughn Meader--who had been a major superstar sensation with 
brilliant parodies of JFK...

skyemcleod1

Cute song, love my fellow Texian,Kinky <3 Thankx for posting ;)

FreeLantz78

I don't know about y'all, but I take pride in listening to music that would have made my parents uncomfortable!

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