He was a burned out case
Barely had a face
Made movies of his mom
Who left him all alone

When he was young he was
A boxer just because
On his family tree
Was Muhammad Ali

He drove a red sports car
He smoked a fat cigar
He went to strip clubs too
And clapped like at the zoo

He went on roller blades
He drank Gatorade
He had a girlfriend that
Thought she was too fat

He spoke in parables
His French was terrible
He had a fear of death
He’d tried crystal meth

He was often bored
He thought Jesus wasn’t Lord
When he was scared he hid it
He thought that OJ did it

He wore Nikes and a chain
And every now and then
He thought that Einstein’s brain
Had been transplanted in him

He liked his whisky dry
He looked men in the eye
Looked women in the chest
He blushed when he undressed

He thought that great big thighs
Tell great big lies
He was passionate
But he would ration it

The one star he knew
Was Marilyn Monroe
That is, a Marilyn impersonator
That is, he used to date her

First time he met her
Was at a fitness center
He was working on his pecs
She was working on her abs

He asked her out that night
It was their very first date
They shared an Enchilada
And they went to LA Confidential

She played the violin
She read Rolling Stone and Spin
She rode her bicycle places
And memorized people’s faces

She had a nipple ring
She liked everything
He called her twice a day
Until she moved away

She moved to Hollywood
She figured that she should
She had a gorgeous face
She’s a burned out case

He understood the truth
About John Wilkes Booth
He’s a burned out case
With a kind of grace

Burned out case
Burned out case
Burned out case
Burned out case
Burned out case
Burned out case.

(lyrics: Dan Bern)