A Thanksgiving Prayer
William S. Burroughs Lyrics

For John Dillinger
In honor of the legendary criminal John Dillinger, who may or may not still be alive.

In hope he is still alive
Expressing the desire that John Dillinger is alive and well.

Thanks for the wild turkey and the Passenger Pigeons, destined to be shit out through wholesome American guts —
Sarcastically thanking the colonizers and settlers for wiping out wild turkeys and Passenger Pigeons, which were once an important part of the ecosystem, and reducing them to being nothing more than a temporary source of satisfaction for people's gluttony.

Thanks for a Continent to despoil and poison —
Acknowledging America's history of exploiting and polluting its vast lands, and using them for selfish gains without regard for the environment or the people who once lived on them.

Thanks for Indians to provide a modicum of challenge and danger —
Mocking the notion that Native Americans were nothing more than a source of entertainment and excitement for the colonizers, who viewed them as savage enemies to be vanquished.

Thanks for vast herds of bison to kill and skin, leaving the carcass to rot —
Calling out the senseless slaughter of bison by settlers, who killed them for their hides and then let the rest of their bodies go to waste, causing untold damage to the ecosystem.

Thanks for bounties on wolves and coyotes —
Ironic gratitude for the practice of offering rewards for dead wolves and coyotes, which led to the extermination of entire populations of these important predators and further destabilized the ecosystem.

Thanks for the AMERICAN DREAM to vulgarize and falsify until the bare lies shine through —
Cynically acknowledging the pervasive myth of the American Dream, which has been twisted and misrepresented to the point where its true intentions and consequences are laid bare for all to see.

Thanks for the KKK, for nigger-killing lawmen feeling their notches, for decent church-going women with their mean, pinched, bitter, evil faces —
Critically acknowledging the power structures and institutions that perpetuate racism, bigotry, and violence against marginalized groups, which continue to thrive even today.

Thanks for "Kill a Queer for Christ" stickers —
Scornful reference to the hateful and discriminatory attitudes towards LGBTQ+ individuals that are still pervasive in many communities and belief systems.

Thanks for laboratory AIDS —
Jarring appreciation for the way in which the AIDS epidemic was ignored and marginalized by politicians and scientists, leading to the proliferation of the disease and unnecessary deaths.

Thanks for Prohibition and the War Against Drugs —
Sarcastically acknowledging the failed policies of Prohibition and the War on Drugs, which have done little to address the root causes of addiction and violence, and have instead perpetuated harmful stereotypes and racial profiling.

Thanks for a country where nobody is allowed to mind his own business —
Ironically thanking the social and political systems that restrict personal freedoms and individuality, leading to a culture of conformity and surveillance.

Thanks for a nation of finks —
Sardonically thanking the pervasive culture of informant and snitching, which has been used to control and manipulate individuals and communities.

Yes, Thanks for all the memories… all right, let's see your arms…
Sarcastic take on the expression 'Thanks for the memories,' which is used to nostalgically refer to pleasant past experiences. Burroughs refers to physically examining (likely in the context of a drug test) and dismissing the person he is speaking to.

You always were a headache and you always were a bore
Dismissing the person he is speaking to as being a nuisance and uninteresting.

Thanks for the last and greatest betrayal of the last and greatest of human dreams.
Acknowledging the failure of the American dream in the context of history and the continual challenge of striving for equity, based on a more accurate view of the people and events that made America what it is today.