Johnny Mathis' Feet

I laid all my songs at Johnny Mathis’Feet
I said Johnny, Johnny tell me, won’t you tell me how to live?
All my hopes are unravelling and I just lost my lease
On a house without love, doors or windows —
Without peace…
And with a wave of his jewel-encrusted hand
Across a glittering Las Vegas scene,
He said: You’ve got to learn how to disappear
In the silk and amphetamines.
Johnny looked at my songs, and he said:
Well, at first guess,
Never in my life have I ever seen such a mess;
Why do you say everything as if you were a thief?
Like what you stole has no value,
And like what you preach is far from belief?
And with a wave of his red, and blue hand
Across a glittering Hollywood scene,
He said: You’ve got to learn how to disappear
In the silk and amphetamines.
Johnny looked at my collection of old punk rock posters —
Anonymous scenes of disaffection, chaos and torture —
And he said: You are on the right track,
But you are a lamb jumping for the knife;
A real showman knows how to disappear in the spotlight…