Grandpa's Interview

"grandpa here's your coffee,"

Said edith as she filled his cup,

"nobody'll find you here

And earl is glad you guys showed up

The way things are downtown

You might have to stay for a while

There was a helicopter flyin' over your house

When i talked to your neighbor kyle"

"who the hell do they think they are?

Invading our home like that

Grandma and i had to leave so fast

We couldn't even catch the cat

The helicopter scared the shit out of it

And it took off down the trail

Down past the railroad track

Towards the county jail"

"jed you really screwed up now

What'd you have to do that for?

Everybody wants to hang your ass

Here's a note from lenore"

She touched the cold steel bars

As she pushed the paper in

Jed took it up and read it

And couldn't hide a grin

Outside the jail window

A crow flew across the sky

Completely disappearing behind each bar

Then a helicopter flew by

"say hi to earl and edith

Tell'em i'm doin' fine

Tell'em you're ready to leave home now

And they should cut the line

Can grandma come and see me?

I've got a new song to sing

It's longer than all the others combined

And doesn't mean a thing"

The noise was unfamiliar...

A walkie talkie squealed

Generators were runnin'

Vans parked in the field

Tv crews and cameras

They wanted to interview grandpa on the porch

They came through the gate and up on the lawn

Knockin' down edith's tiki torch

Grandpa saw them there

Looking through the venetian blind

"those people don't have any respect

So they won't get any of mine

I ain't gonna talk about jed...

I don't watch channel 2 or 6 or 9

I don't have time to talk that fast

And it ain't my crime

It ain't an honour to be on tv

And it ain't a duty either

The only good thing about tv

Is shows like 'leave it to beaver'

Shows with love and affection

Like mama used to say

A little mayberry livin'

Can go a long way"

He took earl's gun from the closet

And loaded up both barrels

Went out on the porch and fired them off

And up walked a woman named carol

"susan carol from early magazine

I've got some questions to ask"

"well you can stick 'em where the sun don't shine,"

Grandpa said with a gasp

Then he fell face first and let out a sigh

Edith came out in shock

Grandpa was whispering to her from down on the floor

He looked like he was tryin' to talk

"that guy who just keeps singin'

Can't somebody shut him up?

I don't know for the life of me

Where he comes up with this stuff"

They laid his head on a newspaper

With a picture of carmichael on the front page

Posing with a little league baseball team

And a seedy shot of jed with a motorcycle.

Grandpa died like a hero

Fightin' for freedom of silence

Tryin' to stop the media

Tryin' to be anonymous

Share your lovin' and you'll live so long

Share your lovin' and you'll live so long

Share your lovin' and you'll live so long

Live so long