Kerouac's Crack lyrics

Homunculosaurus said:
Unlikely, as Pretty Girls Make Graves was ripped from a line in The Dharma Bums and Jack was used on the cover of the 2017 live Smiths concert.

Also, I mean, without Jack none of those other dudes would even be a thing. Jack started everything and he was the center of everything. Yeah some of those other guys were pretty great too but let's be honest, without Jack there would be no Beat Generation.
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Agreed; I would hope that Kerouac is Morrissey’s favorite Beat. I remember in the early 90s Burroughs was the “cool” Beat in popular culture, what with Drugstore Cowboy, and the Cronenberg Naked Lunch and collaborations with Sonic Youth. I think it was a lot to do with him having been a junkie, and it seems fairly dated now. Kerouac was more counter-cultural, “in his own strange way,” towards the end, and I like that about him. I’m not sure if Morrissey does too, though, and this song is of little help.
 
Aubrey McFate said:
Agreed; I would hope that Kerouac is Morrissey’s favorite Beat. I remember in the early 90s Burroughs was the “cool” Beat in popular culture, what with Drugstore Cowboy, and the Cronenberg Naked Lunch and collaborations with Sonic Youth. I think it was a lot to do with him having been a junkie, and it seems fairly dated now. Kerouac was more counter-cultural, “in his own strange way,” towards the end, and I like that about him. I’m not sure if Morrissey does too, though, and this song is of little help.
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I think the song is celebratory; I don't see how that can be debated.

And yeah Burroughs was seen as the "cool" Beat dinosaur. And yes I agree it was probably due in large part to the heroin thing but also the gayness. And he was so dapper and weird. It became cool to like him, but I doubt that many people really read him. Maybe they ready Junky or Queer or attempted Naked Lunch. But most of Burrough's stuff is so esoteric it borders on incomprehensible.

Sorry of similar to Bowie. It's cool to like Bowie. But I doubt many people really "like" or even know the bulk of his music.

Ginsberg was too intellectual. And he was kind of skeevy and letchy.

But Jack was like this whole other universe. As smart as the others (probably smarter) but in this all American jock movie star looking package. Also absolutely insane and manic and troubled and joyful and wild and kind and a homebody but also a restless adventurer. You couldn't fit him into any one box; he was this messy maze of contradictions. He was born writing and was totally obsessed with art yet could have been a star athlete or a model. People like that are very few and far between. Morrissey has that quality too.
 
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Both On the Road and the Dharma Bums are among my strongest reading experiences. Jack is definitely my favorite beat. This mess of a “song” doesn’t do him justice. Not even close.
 
I would highly recommend Ann Charters' biography of Kerouac.

On The Road electrified me when I first read it as a teen. I've been collecting Kerouac and Beats works ever since, much to my wife's and bank accounts' despair.
 
Homunculosaurus said:
I think the song is celebratory; I don't see how that can be debated.
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The music is sprightly enough for celebratory, but the lyrics are so minimalist and scattershot, I’m at a loss as to Morrissey’s intentions with it. “Borrow Burroughs” doesn’t seem too kind. Is it supposed to impute laziness to Kerouac? If Kerouac borrowed from Burroughs, it would’ve been something “in spirit,” in which case they were mutually enriched, so it’s strange to make it one-sided.

I’m inclined to think Natalie Merchant’s song for Kerouac is lyrically better than Morrissey’s. It’s at least less puzzling.
 
Aubrey McFate said:
The music is sprightly enough for celebratory, but the lyrics are so minimalist and scattershot, I’m at a loss as to Morrissey’s intentions with it. “Borrow Burroughs” doesn’t seem too kind. Is it supposed to impute laziness to Kerouac? If Kerouac borrowed from Burroughs, it would’ve been something “in spirit,” in which case they were mutually enriched, so it’s strange to make it one-sided.
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Aubrey McFate said:
I’m inclined to think Natalie Merchant’s song for Kerouac is lyrically better than Morrissey’s. It’s at least less puzzling.
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It would be. ;)
 
Aubrey McFate said:
If Kerouac borrowed from Burroughs, it would’ve been something “in spirit,” in which case they were mutually enriched, so it’s strange to make it one-sided.
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Burrough's Junkie really set the style for On The Road - Jack had read the manuscript before it was published.

Jack 'borrowed' some key elements from Junkie. The first person narrative, a direct and straight telling of the story, using Burroughs 'factualist' style, starting the narrative at an arbitrary point and just going on until it felt finished.

But, as you suggest, personally I wouldn't see any of this influence in a negative light.

Is Morrissey saying that Jack's fame is only down to what he 'borrowed' from Burroughs?

The song leaves more questions than answers.
 
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Aubrey McFate said:
The music is sprightly enough for celebratory, but the lyrics are so minimalist and scattershot, I’m at a loss as to Morrissey’s intentions with it. “Borrow Burroughs” doesn’t seem too kind. Is it supposed to impute laziness to Kerouac? If Kerouac borrowed from Burroughs, it would’ve been something “in spirit,” in which case they were mutually enriched, so it’s strange to make it one-sided.

I’m inclined to think Natalie Merchant’s song for Kerouac is lyrically better than Morrissey’s. It’s at least less puzzling.
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You have to remember that in that song Morrissey is mimicking the Beat poetry imprint. Much as he did in Neal Cassady Drops Dead and Bobby Don't You Think They Know. And frankly I think he does it to great effect. It's stream of consciousness and not meant to be seen as a straightforward transparent lyric...in stark contrast to his usual nail-on-the-head style, which is why it's off putting to some.

And yes that 10,000 Maniacs song is a goddamned masterpiece.
 
Homunculosaurus said:
You have to remember that in that song Morrissey is mimicking the Beat poetry imprint. Much as he did in Neal Cassady Drops Dead
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Joe Chiccarelli erroneously called M’s beat poetry part on NCDD ‘the rap section’, M quickly corrected him. lol.
Homunculosaurus said:
and Bobby Don't You Think They Know. And frankly I think he does it to great effect. It's stream of consciousness and not meant to be seen as a straightforward transparent lyric...in stark contrast to his usual nail-on-the-head style, which is why it's off putting to some.

And yes that 10,000 Maniacs song is a goddamned masterpiece.
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Human said:
Kerouac’s Crack lyrics.

Tra la la la, tra la la la, tra la la la,
Tra la la la, tra la la la, tra la la la

Just walking along, tra la la la,
Oh Jack, oh Jack, oh sweet baby Jack,
Everything he writes down must have instant attack

Anything less would only make him crack,
Any less would only make him crack, only make him crack

Tra la la la, tra la la la,
Borrow Burroughs,
Tra la la la, tra la la la, tra la la la,
Sit on Ginsburg, tra la la la,
Oh Jack, oh Jack, oh sweet baby Jack,
47 years is enough time to live

Anything more would only make him crack ,
Anymore would only make him crack, crack, crack, only make him crack

Tra la la la, tra la la la,
Coney Island,
Tra la la la, tra la la la, tra la la la,
Sloppy sailers,
Tra la la la,
He better not hear
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I went with this but the other day found an alternative to Baby J's recording. I am pretty sure now that it's "Depression must win".
 
William B is the most intelligent of the Beats hands down. Jack is very 6th form compared to him . I can see why M sticks to Jack. He is all American and easy. Lived with his mum and had a drink problem. the intelligent ones always go to William B.
William was published before Jack and he would have been famous without Jack.
 
Kerouac's Crack has a great few bars.
The "Oh Jack, Oh Jack, Oh Sweet Baby Jack, Everything he writes down must have instant attack" part is very strong. The descending chords and the vocal melody are very attractive but the rest of the song is too weak. The "tra-la-la-la" parts are not becoming of someone of Morrissey's talent. This is where the greatest record producers earn their corn by being strong enough to tell an artist, "Nope, not good enough."
If Kerouac's Crack was reworked and made into what it should be it could be a single.
 
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