From 13jalopy (Live from Harvard University, v.Hippie Ernie)
I called this number three times already today
But I, I got scared, I put
It back in place, I put my phone back in place.
I still don't know if I
should have called up.
Look, just tell me why don't ya if I'm out of place.
'Cause here's your chance to make me feel awkward
And wish that I had
never even called up this place.
I saw you though today walk by with hippie Johnny.
I had to call up and say how I want to take his place.
So this phone call today concerns hippie Johnny.
He's always stoned, he's never straight.
I saw you today, you know, walk by with hippie Johnny.
Look, I had to call up and say, I want to take his place.
See he's stoned, hippie Johnny.
Now get this, I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Now look, I like him too, I like hippie Johnny.
But I'm straight
and I want to take his place.
I said, I'm straight
I said, I'm straight
I'm proud to say
Well I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Now I've watched you walk around here.
I've watched you meet these
boyfriends, I know, and you tell me how they're deep.
Look but, if these guys, if they're really so great,
tell me, why can't they at least take this place
and take it straight? Why always stoned,
like hippie Johnny is?
I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Oh I'm certainly not stoned, like hippie Johnny is.
I'm straight and I want to take his place.
I said, I'm straight
I said, I'm straight
I'm straight
I'm straight and I want to take his place
All right you Modern Lovers what do you say?
(I'm straight!)
Tell the world now
(I'm straight!)
I said
(I'm straight!)
Yeah I'm straight and I want to take his place.
-- Jonathan Richman
I'm Straight (The Modern Lovers, v.Hippie Johnny)
more versions of "I'm Straight" lyrics and chords
Ian: The first verse rhymes "place", "place", "place" and "place". I don't know why i like that but i do.
It is an anti-hippie song, but not for the wrong reasons. Some people seem to hate hippies because they are smelly, (which is irrelevant) or idealistic (whereas in fact idealism- peace and love and optimism etc- is a very GOOD thing). Jonathan criticizes them for a better reason- because of shorthand pretentions to "deepness" which were seemingly gained merely by wearing the hippy uniform as a badge of "deepness". This uniform shut out people who happened to genuinely think for themselves, people who happened to not like to dress that way, who preferred to keep their head clear from drugs,,,,, to still love the arcane old world and their parents and short hair. Such people (like Jonathan) were made to feel inferior and "out of place". This song is a gesture of defiance. It uses discredited "straight" language of the discredited previous generation ("where's his backbone?") which must have seemed very provocative, perverse and disorienting coming from someone so young, and set to the most modern, cutting edge music.
continue reading I'm Straight here ...
Update 8 Oct 2011: or here
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