Standard (EADGBE)
I took a walk down to Freddy's Bar
While my wife and kid were asleep
I used to go there almost every night
When I was young and free
Not that I'm unfairly constrained
Held against my will
But this is back when it didn't matter
What time I stayed out until
Now it matters, because my son gets me up at 5am each day
And you don't argue with someone who's got their finger in your eye
Freddy's has a backroom
To play music in, or to listen
Buzzers on the wall beneath icing thick paint that dates back to prohibition
Tin ceilings bear that wedding cake pattern that the stage lights interrupt
Pair of TV's playing day-long video collages that Donald dreamed up
Donald runs the place
He gave me a shot on the way in the other night
He always does,and he always did
It's what makes Freddy's feel right
Whenever I'm on the fence, about whether that walk is just too far
I think about what night it is
And whether it's Donald's night at the bar
When they move the pool tables out of the way
And the TV's lose their glow
They start playing music in Freddy's Backroom
And the people start to show
You could be a sharp backup singer
Who smells like coconut
Or avant-garde Jersey Jazz trio
Who by day smells like Pizza Hut
Everything outta that back room sounds like its coming out of an old tube radio
Either out by the curb or by the kitchen sink
And mean to play what Freddy's got
My favorite record cover, or one of em, anyway,
Is Jerry Jeff Walker
"It's a Good Night for Singin"
And the Backroom sorta reminds me of that cover
You got people laughing, people dancing
People with funny hats
Some in denim, some in leather
Or Fort Park Boy-high-low aristocrats(?)
Yeah, The back room reminds me of that cover
In every way, by and large
When I threw down that shot
I started thinking about how Freddy's is going to be a parking garage
Yep, someday soon there'll be something in the space that occupies the
bubbling fishtank
Maybe a tailpipe or a row of fluorescent lights
A styrofoam cup
Or a pair of keys hanging from a Dickies belt-loop
Some fastfood trash, or maybe a staircase, or a bright yellow mazda coupe
Someday soon there'll be something in the place where Freddy himself is sure to show
A wax statue at the end of the bar drinking Fontera like it was just opened 2 weeks ago
The Ram's skeleton above the bar in the powder blue wig
Or the dented paper towel dispenser
The pink ladies' room sign
And the naked man painting by Donald out near the exit
Maybe the garage will have showers for their workers
And a real naked man will fit right into that space
Maybe Freddy's prediction...
All it makes room for is songs like these
Sometimes there's no positive inner meaning
All it makes room for is songs like these
and "It's a Good Night for Singin" x2
Let's sing
They're gonna tear down Freddy's
They're gonna tear down Hank's saloon
Like crickets under rocks, we're all gonna hop to Bennigan's backroom x4